There’s something deliciously indulgent about the rich, smooth sensation of cream cheese.
Mascarpone takes this experience to another level, with its perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavour and a silky, buttery texture that just melts in your mouth.
Like gnocchi, prosciutto, panettone and so much more, we have the Italians to thank for this lovely cheese. Mascarpone was first made during the Renaissance in Lombardy, a region of northern Italy that boasts lakes, mountains and a rich agricultural and dairy heritage, which also gave us cheeses such as gorgonzola and taleggio.
“Traditionally, people would skim the cream off the top of milk and with that semiskimmed milk they would make cheese like parmesan,” explains Kristen Allan, a cheesemaker who has spent more than 15 years immersing herself in the ancient techniques of crafting quality cheeses by hand. “Then they would have this beautiful cream that would be left to sour and thicken and voilà, you have mascarpone.”
Kristen knew there was something enchanting about this craft when she took her first cheesemaking class, after leaving her corporate job to
