Mascarpone cheese is a triple-cream cheese which owes its origin to Italy. This cheese is used in many of the recipes in the Lombardy region of Italy. Mascarpone cheese is not exactly a cheese, but is made by adding culture to the cream which is taken from the milk used to prepare Parmesan cheese.

Mascarpone cheese is white to creamy in color and contains around 75 percent fat. The texture of mascarpone varies from soft to a bit hard similar to that of butter. The best quality of this cheese is that it spreads easily and is also easy to handle.

The ways to eat mascarpone cheese are many and vary from region to region. Personal choice and modifications also can play a vital role in deciding how to eat mascarpone cheese.

• Many people like to eat mascarpone cheese as standalone along with a good quality wine or even cognac.

• The most famous use of mascarpone cheese is in making tiramisu. Mascarpone is the major ingredient in tiramisu, an Italian dessert. So next time you eat tiramisu, you know what it is made of and also that you are consuming lots of fat as well.

• Mascarpone cheese can also be added to soups to give them a rich texture and enhance their flavor. Some of the soups which can be made using mascarpone are broccoli, spinach and tomato soups. In some soups you can also add a bit of olive oil. These soups can be very fulfilling.

• If you are a sandwich lover, then mascarpone is one ingredient that can be your companion. A very hassle free way to eat mascarpone cheese is to use it along with vegetables or meat, mix with herbs and you have an amazing filling for your sandwich!

• Whip mascarpone cheese with cream and sugar and mix with fruits like strawberries or different berries, oranges, grapes, anything that catches your fancy and is to your liking, and you have an instant dessert for your guests or family.

• Pastas can be made more interesting and tasty if you add mascarpone cheese to them. A very basic recipe for pasta which comes to my mind is to make it with chicken, sundried tomatoes and spinach with mascarpone cheese added to it. This is a wholesome meal in itself.

• Try making cheesecakes with mascarpone. The sweet taste of this cheese and it texture make it a good choice for cheesecake.

• Another way to eat mascarpone cheese is to stuff it in ravioli and then eat it.

• Mascarpone cheese can also used as a filling for layers in a cake. So instead of using cream, try your hand at using mascarpone cheese and I’m sure you’ll love it.

• You can also eat mascarpone cheese by mixing it with mashed potatoes. But calorie watchers I guess will not like this recipe a lot.

Now that I’ve listed so many ways to eat mascarpone cheese, I’m sure you’ll be eager to try out for yourself as well.

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