Preparation, uses, and tips

Cooks consider mascarpone an ideal basis for sweet desserts, owing to its supple, spreadable qualities and mild, creamy taste. It can be used in main courses with pasta, in combinations with stronger-flavored cheeses like Parmesan or Gorgonzola, as an ingredient adding flavor and body to creamed soups (as, for example, tomato); it also adds flair as a garnish or in salads when combined with low-fat yogurt in herbed salad dressing. It can be mixed with anchovies, mustard, and herbs to make an appetizing spread on artisan bread. In the creation of desserts, mascarpone is combined with eggs and sugar to fill pastry tubes, such as cannoli, or to garnish ladyfingers, and is said to provide the basis for exceptional cheesecake. Mascarpone can also be enjoyed as-is, just sprinkled with sweetener, cocoa, cinnamon, finely ground coffee beans, or grated chocolate, and it makes a perfect companion for strawberries, raspberries, or fruit salad.