We’re all drowning in Thanksgiving tips and to-do’s but here’s one more and it’s only three words: mascarpone whipped cream. I bet you’ll never again put plain whipped cream on your pies after you sample this luscious alternative. It’s not only a tastier dessert topping, it’s more stable, so you can whip it up hours ahead and it won’t weep. I add a splash of Jamaican rum for its brown-sugar flavor, but you can stop with vanilla extract if you prefer.
Spoon dollops of mascarpone whipped cream on your holiday gingerbread and persimmon pudding. Pair it with flourless chocolate cake, almond cake, pound cake, fruit crisp and shortcake. Plain whipped cream tastes bland by comparison.
BelGioioso, Crave Brothers and Galbani all make excellent mascarpone, a product that many Americans buy only for tiramisù. It’s much more versatile than that. If you need to ask for it at the cheese counter, be sure to say mahs-car-po-nay, not mar-sca-pone. You can listen to the correct pronunciation (albeit with a Wisconsin accent) here.
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
I like equal parts (by volume) of mascarpone and heavy cream, but you can play around with the ratio. Use honey or powdered sugar for your sweetener if you prefer. With a hand whisk—my preference—whipping to semi-firm peaks takes less than 1 minute. If you use an electric mixer, be careful. Apparently, it’s possible to over-whip and the mascarpone gets grainy.
8 ounces mascarpone, chilled
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream, chilled
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste
2 teaspoons Jamaican rum or brandy (optional), or more to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put all the ingredients in a chilled bowl and whisk gently by hand until the mixture is smooth. Then whisk briskly to semi-firm (not stiff) peaks. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Makes about 3 cups