Mascarpone Fruit Tartlets

I cannot tell you the last time I went a whole day without having dessert.  Whether I have just a little nibble of chocolate or indulge in a yummy chocolate chip cookie, my day is never complete without something sweet.  And I love when summer is finally here! Summer means that fresh berries are back in season, along with the very special desserts that call for them.  All year long I look forward to the blueberry pies and strawberry shortcakes of summer.


I have been all about the bite-sized desserts recently because they satisfy my cravings without taking a huge toll on my waist line.   This week I was craving a fresh, seasonal dessert, so I whipped up some delicious mascarpone fruit tartlets. I already had fresh blueberries and raspberries on hand that I knew I could incorporate into this recipe.  As I talked about in my last post, mascarpone cheese is a great base for any sort of pie filling.  It is creamy in texture and has a naturally light flavor that, with a few small additions, can be enhanced and taken in many directions.   These tartlets are simple and refreshing.  All you will need is some lactose-free mascarpone cheese, lactose-free whole milk, filo cups, lemon and of course, blueberries and raspberries (or any other berries of choice)!  

We’ll begin with the filling. Take one cup of lactose-free mascarpone cheese and place it into a medium sized mixing bowl.  Next add the zest of one lemon.  The zest of a lemon helps to not only enhance the lemony flavor but also helps you enjoy the potent aromatics of the lemon in the finished product.  Food is best when it appeals to all the senses!  Add the lactose-free whole milk, sugar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Beat the mixture until soft peaks form.  Be careful not to overbeat! Overbeating will cause a dense consistency, almost like butter, and you want it to be soft so it will be easy to place into the delicate filo cups.  I used 12 pre-baked frozen filo dough cups that I thawed out prior to filling.  I did not bake my filo cups further because I wanted to maintain the extra flaky texture.  If you are making these in advance to serving you could bake them for a minute or two to add a little crispiness. However, avoid making them too far in advance— if the filling is in the cups for too long they may become somewhat soggy.  Once the mixture forms light peaks, spoon it into the filo cups, filling each one.

Once the cups were filled I garnished half with a single raspberry and the other half with three blueberries.  Sprinkle them with some confectionary sugar (as a finishing touch) and they are ready to eat!  The filo cups were the perfect pastry shell for this light and creamy filling.  The simple, fresh flavors were just what I hoped for in this seasonal treat.  These desserts were so effortless to make and you can easily alter the recipe to incorporate your favorite summer fruits!  I will definitely be serving these mascarpone fruit tartlets throughout the summer.  

Recipe Details:

Ingredients: 

12 filo cups (bought frozen and thawed, or fresh)
1 cup lactose-free mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup lactose-free whole milk
zest of 1 lemon 
2 tsp lemon juice 
1 tbsp sugar 
6 raspberries 
18 blueberries
confectionary sugar (to sprinkle on top) 

For the filling, take one cup of lactose-free mascaropne cheese and place it into a medium sized mixing bowl.  Next add the zest of one lemon.  Add the lactose-free whole milk, sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Beat mixture until soft peaks form. Thaw 12 pre-baked frozen filo dough cups.  Once thawed, fill each cup with a spoonful of mixture.  Top half with one raspberry and the other half with three blueberries each.  Sprinkle confectionary sugar over the tartlets to finish.  Enjoy!

Mascarpone Cheese

In continuing my lactose-free cheese conquest, I decided to take on the task of making mascarpone cheese.  Mascarpone cheese is an Italian cheese that I have discovered as of late.  Living in the historically Italian-inspired neighborhood of Boston has heightened my curiosity to explore this delicious cuisine. Immediately upon walking out my door I smell garlic and fresh bread being baked.  It would be impossible not to be inspired and tempted by the rich and decadent Italian food that surrounds me! 

Having already tackled ricotta cheese, I thought it would be appropriate to venture to mascarpone next.  Homemade mascarpone calls for many of the same techniques that are used in making ricotta, but mascarpone has a sweeter flavor and creamier texture than ricotta.  Lately, there are a few recipes I’ve wanted to try (some sweet and some savory) that call for mascarpone, furthering my motivation to master a lactose-free recipe for this cheese!  Mascarpone is most commonly known as the staple ingredient in tiramisu, but it can be used in a wide variety of recipes and is often used as a substitute for cream cheese due to its creamy texture.  Since this recipe only calls for two ingredients, I knew it would be a basic yet versatile cheese to add to my lactose-free repertoire. 

For this recipe you will need a thermometer, a medium sauce pan, a strainer and a cheese cloth.  The ingredients are so simple - all you need is heavy cream and lemon!  Some recipes call for tartaric acid, which is an acid produced by grapes (there are an abundance of grapes in Italy, so naturally this is an easy ingredient to have at their disposal) but lemon works just as well and is much easier to find.  

To start, pour two cups of your pre-treated lactose free heavy cream into the sauce pan, over medium heat.  Stirring constantly to ensure the cream doesn't burn, bring to 190 degrees Fahrenheit.  I typically stir the cream in a figure-eight motion to cover as much surface area of the pot as possible, which I also find to be quite therapeutic.  The cream may begin to simmer a little which is perfectly fine, however try to keep the cream from coming to a full boil.  

Once you have reached the magic 190 degrees, add the lemon juice.  I recommend using fresh lemon juice (because ’tis the summer season), but if you do not have time to squeeze fresh lemon juice, bottled will work just fine.  Now for the more challenging part - continue to stir the cream and lemon juice while maintaining the mixture at 190 degrees for five minutes.  This isn’t a perfect science… I played with my heat a lot during this phase and truthfully I kept it between 180-195 degrees which I think that is close enough. 

When the five minutes is up, your cream should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.  This is the tell tale sign that your mixture is ready.  Allow the mixture to rest for about 30-45 minutes off the heat.  

Next, set your strainer in a bowl large enough to allow the excess liquid (the whey) to drain and line the strainer with a cheese cloth.  Fold the cheese cloth so it is about four layers thick.  After the lemon and cream mixture has cooled, transfer it to the cheese cloth lined strainer, cover with plastic wrap and allow the mixture to drain.  Set in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.  

And viola, lactose-free mascarpone cheese! To finish, discard the whey and transfer the cheese into an air tight container for storage.  When the process was all said and done I was left with a little over a cup of mascarpone.  With just two ingredients and a few simple steps you can create a delicious lactose-free Italian cheese with an incredible creamy, light texture.  Mascarpone sparked my interest because I have been dying to try some cream sauces, risotto and dessert recipes that have called for this cheese.  Also with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries coming into season this is a great cheese to enjoy simply with fresh fruit (sometimes less is more).  I am excited to have another lactose-free cheese to work with in the kitchen! 

Recipe Details:

Ingredients:

2 cups lactose-free heavy cream (or lactose-full!)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.  

In a medium sauce pan, heat two cups of heavy cream over medium heat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring constantly.  Once the temperature of the cream has reached 190 degrees add the lemon juice.  Continue stirring the mixture constantly at 190 degrees for five minutes.  

After the five minutes is over, allow the mixture to cool off the heat for 30-45 minutes.  Next set a strainer in a bowl, large enough to allow the excess liquid to drain and line the strainer with a cheese cloth.  Fold the cheese cloth so it is about four layers thick.  After the lemon and cream mixture has cooled transfer to cheese lined strainer, cover with plastic wrap and allow the mixture to drain and set in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. 

Once chilled, discard the excess liquid and transfer the mascarpone cheese into an air tight container.  Store mascarpone cheese in the refrigerator.