Out of the Writing Cave and into the Cheese Cave

When I was a little girl, I tried the best I could to live off cheese.  No cheese was safe, and if any came up missing?  Well, there was just the one little girl they'd come after.  I remember a specific instance where my dear little brother threw me under the bus, knowing full well that I would be the only one blamed.  I guess he didn't think that one through, since I was the bigger, and none to happier, older sister.

As an adult, I've grown out of the cheddar and parmesan staples we were raised on.  That was all we ever ate, with the exception of the occasional lasagne.  When I traveled to the Middle East, I felt like I had finally found home - they devote entire Walmart-length aisles to all the cheeses you could imagine.  That is a people that does cheese right.

Eventually, I've come full circle, incorporating my childhood staples with my more mature tastes, and passed those on to my kids.

It's never enough for me to just like something.  I always need to know how to make it myself and put my own little spin on it.  I've done Cheddar in the past, and it turned out divine.  This summer I made more, but it just takes so long before there's anything aged enough to eat. Impatient, I also went for something with a little more instant gratification - mascarpone.

This is a super easy recipe, even if you've never made cheese before.  It is ready overnight, so you'll have a delicious soft cheese waiting for you in the morning.

Mascarpone
2 cups pasteurized heavy cream without thickeners
1/3 cup powdered skim milk
1 lemon, cut in half

You put your cream in a nonreactive pan and very slowly heat it to 180, using a whisk to keep it from scorching. This takes about 40 minutes, but just remember that it's the longest part and will be so worth it.  When its hot enough, turn off the heat and squeeze in the first half of the lemon. Using a metal spoon, stir until you get some solid flecks, whereafter you squeeze in juice of the other half a lemon.  Mix that up, cover, and stick it in the fridge for 8 hours.

Once it's hard-ish, wrap it in some damp butter muslin, and let it hang, twisted tightly to squeeze out the excess moisture.  Then...ta da!  Eat it.

It is so good.  We have it with crackers and strawberries. Just be sure that you get it eaten within two days or it will go bad.

Enjoy!