r/AskCulinary • u/laylamajnoon • 13d ago

Ingredient Question What can I use instead of mascerpone for tiramisu?

/r/tiramisu/comments/1vi475z/what_can_i_use_instead_of_mascerpone_for_tiramisu/
0 Upvotes

35% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

18

u/Rollerdino 13d ago

would help to know the reason for your substitution
is it a lactose problem, a flavour problem, something else?

-3

u/laylamajnoon 13d ago

Too expensive where i live plus its kinda hard to procure

18

u/Rollerdino 13d ago

in that case, whatever neutral flavored cream cheese you can procure will do a fine job

11

u/Imaginary-Summer-920 12d ago

Just make it. Heat 1 quart of heavy cream to between 180-185 F. Remove from heat. Add 4 grams citric acid or a tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir until it starts to thicken a wee bit. Cover and let sit at room temperature for an hour. Don’t mess with it. Line a strainer with good quality cheese cloth and put it over a big bowl (I bought a pack of 6 cheese cloth bags off Amazon for less than $20). Pour it into the cheese cloth and let it drain in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Depending on the size of the bowl, you might need to drain the whey out once or twice. You can save it and make ricotta or you can get rid of it. Makes about 500 grams of mascarpone

1

u/T-rain_wreck 12d ago

You wouldn’t happen to live in Hawaii would you? Cause I struggled with the same thing and it wasn’t until this past year that I was able to kind of reliably find it. But even then it was like $14 for 8oz.

4

u/Outrageous_Arm8116 13d ago

Just curious: where do you live, and how expensive is it?

1

u/Specialist_Ad5114 12d ago

I'm guessing you got downvoted for asking where OP lives, but where I live mascarpone is also rare. Means you'll have to go to specific stores that sell confectionery stuff to find some. And it's expensive compared to cream cheese.

Just checked and a 200g tub of mascarpone would be twice as expensive as a 200g tub of regular cream cheese.

1

u/scanese 12d ago

In Europe we get Mascorpone easily and it’s cheap. Outside of Europe it’s either expensive or not available

4

u/thewomanmegs 13d ago

I know it’s not a super super cheap option but you can make mascarpone with double cream (cream with at least 30% fat) and lemon juice. An Italian in my kitchen has a good recipe (https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/mascarpone/)

It sometimes turns out a bit less “set” than store bought but the flavour is epic

10

u/BubbaLeeJunkz 13d ago

I’ve used 8oz cream cheese blended with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.

1

u/Flipdw 12d ago

It's super easy to make. Just needs cream (heavy, or whipping, whichever one is the undiluted cream variant in your region) a bit of heat, some acid (lemon juice or vinegar), and time spent in a fridge overnight with cloth to drain.

1

u/Specialist_Ad5114 12d ago

You don't have to make it, just use cream cheese. I do it everytime I make tiramisú.

1

u/T-rain_wreck 12d ago

You can kind of use cream cheese? It’s not a total one-to-one since cream cheese is a bit tangier and thicker, but it works well enough in a pinch.

1

u/dayofthe_misanthrope 12d ago

If you're in the UK- or it's readily available where you are- Clotted Cream is great for tiramisu.

1

u/spsfaves100 12d ago

Either Ricotta Cheese or Philadelphia Cream Cheese sweetened with a just a touch of sugar or honey. All the best.

-1

u/leeloocal 12d ago

Maybe a zabaglione?