My absolute favorite food:

Equal parts marscapone and gorgonzola cheese plus toasted chopped hazelnuts. Mix together and spread on crusty, chewy toasted french or italian bread. Also good on bagels and english muffins, although somewhat sacrilegious. :) Can use toasted walnuts if you can't find hazelnuts. Could also top with very thinly sliced pears.

Spread it on your toast!! Add jam or not!
Great on a bagel....think of it as elegant cream cheese!
Linda C

There is always Tiramisu.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Beat egg yolks slightly. Gradually stir in about 1/2 of thickened
sauce. Add this mixture back into saucepan with remaining sauce. cook
an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in butter and
vanilla. Place plastic wrap on surface and refrigerate. Cool
completely.

Beat Mascarpone cheese with whipping cream. Add cooled custard and mix
well. Dip ladyfingers into coffee and cognac mixture and place one
layer in bowl of choice. Cover with half of cheese mixture. Repeat with
another layer of ladyfingers and finish with cheese mixture. Prepare
one day ahead. Before serving cover with whipping cream and ground
chocolate.

To serve. prepare a Creme Anglaise recipe and pour some on to plate,
place two scoops of tiramisu on the sauce and drizzle with warm
chocolate sauce. Add a few fresh strawberries or raspberries

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

This scrumptious dessert from HeartSmart Cooking for Family and Friends will make dinner guests think you're a professional chef, and the fact that it's low-fat makes it even more attractive.
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/features/tasteofbc/recipes/carmel_pears.html

Ingredients:
4 medium pears, firm but ripe (preferably bartlett or bosc)
2/3 cup (150 mL) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped candied ginger
1 lemon, sliced very thin

Filling
1/2 cup (125 mL) part skim ricotta cheese, drained (see note)
2 tablespoons (30 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) vanilla extract
2 teaspoons (10 mL) dark rum, coffee liqueur or extra-strong coffee
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon (15 mL) icing sugar, sifted
. Preparation:
Cut pears in half lengthwise. Scoop out cores (a melon baller works
well).

Sprinkle 2/3 cup (150 mL) granulated sugar over bottom of large heavy
frypan that will hold all the pears in one layer. Cook, uncovered, on
medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until sugar begins to brown and melt,
stirring occasionally (be careful not to let burn).

Remove frypan from heat. Add pears cut side down. Sprinkle with ginger
and arrange lemon slices over top. Place over low heat and cook for
about 10 minutes. Cover and remove from heat; let rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare filling: In small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 2
tablespoons (30 mL) granulated sugar, vanilla and rum.

Place chopped chocolate in strainer to remove any chocolate "dust"
(this prevents the ricotta from discolouring). Stir chocolate pieces
into filling.

To serve, place a pear half, cut side up, on each plate. Spoon about 1
tablespoon (15 mL) cheese mixture on to each half. Drizzle pear and
plate with any syrup remaining in frypan. Arrange a cool lemon slice on
each and dust with icing sugar.

Makes 8 servings.

Note: Put ricotta cheese in sieve set over bowl and let drain for 1
hour before using.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Fresh Strawberries with Black Pepper and Vanilla Mascarpone
===========================================================
Source: Gordon Ramsay

Some foods are natural partners, and
in the same way that fresh ginger accentuates the flavour of melon, black pepper brings a real kick to strawberries.

750g fresh strawberries, hulled and
sliced in half
2 tbsp icing sugar
125g mascarpone cheese
2 vanilla pods, split, seeds removed
Coarsely ground black pepper

.
1 Place the strawberries in a fruit bowl and dust with icing sugar.
Leave to stand for 30 minutes to allow the juices to bleed.
2 Mix the mascarpone with the vanilla seeds and season with a pinch of
pepper.
3 Divide the strawberries between four serving plates and place a
generous spoonful of the mascarpone on top. Season with more black
pepper to taste and serve.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Chicken with Pesto and Mascarpone Sauce
=======================================
Adapted from a recipe by V. Little

2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 slices pancetta, chopped
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
zest from small lemon
1 egg

4 large Chicken breasts
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth
2 to 3 tablespoons mascarpone
2 tablespoons homemade pesto

.
Saute the onion and pancetta in the olive oil until golden. Add the
garlic, and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. When cool
empty the mixture into a food processor along with the bread crumbs,
parmesan cheese, parsley, egg and lemon zest. Pulse until well
combined but not pureed.

Stuff mixture until the skin of chicken breasts. Rub with a little
olive oil and roast in a shallow roasting pan at 400F until done.

Remove chicken from pan. Add 1/2 cup white wine to pan and simmer
until reduced to a 1/4 cup. Add 1/2 the e chicken broth and simmer for
a few minutes. Add the mascarpone and stir until well blended. Stir in
the pesto. Add more chicken broth if you like a thinner sauce. Serve
over the chicken.

Oh that last picture has my stomach growling YUM!!!

thanx for the ideas--i can always count on you guys! having tasted a bit, i now know that it is sort of a cross between ricotta and cream cheese, both in flavor and texture.

thanx laurie! i never would have thought of doing that. now i don't care for blue cheeses but i do love nuts and had some pistachios. so i made a piece of toast, spread on a bit of the marscapone and sprinkled some chopped nuts on it. that was pretty good and think i'll add a bit of feta the next time! and thanx to ann, we will be having a roast chicken with the pesto and marscapone sauce for tonight's dinner. i thought that sounded great!

but you guys made me think about doing some more searching and i found a chicken soup recipe that really caught my attention and thanx to linda, who taught me to save cheese rinds and chase, who taught me you could make ravioli using won ton wrappers (who knew?), i decided to try it. made the chicken stock last night and the raviolis today. we both loved them! in fact we liked them so much, i wondered how they'd do as an appetizer and made a few more and baked them in the over for 10 minutes. even better! i've attached a couple of pictures at the link below. asparagus season is just around the corner and if you like it, you just have to try this recipe!

Asparagus Ravioli in Parmesan Sauce --Epicurious

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
5 cups rich chicken stock
1 (3-inch) rind from a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup mascarpone
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Make broth and filling:
Cut off asparagus tips, then halve each tip lengthwise and reserve.
Bring stock, cheese rind, and bay leaf to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then add asparagus stems and cook, uncovered, until stems are just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer stems to paper towels and cool slightly. Reserve broth.
Purée asparagus stems in a food processor with grated parmesan, mascarpone, bread crumbs, zest, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Make Ravioli:
Cut dough into 4 equal pieces. Cover 3 pieces with plastic wrap, then pat out remaining piece into a flat rectangle and generously dust with flour.
Set rollers of pasta machine on widest setting. Feed rectangle, a short side first, through rollers. Fold rectangle in thirds, like a letter, and feed it, a short side first, through rollers. Repeat 6 or 7 more times, folding dough in thirds and feeding it through rollers, a short side first each time, dusting with flour to prevent sticking.
Turn dial to next (narrower) setting and feed dough through rollers without folding, a short side first. Continue to feed dough through without folding, making space between rollers narrower each time, until the second- or third-narrowest setting is used. (Do not roll too thin or pasta will tear when filled.)
Put pasta sheet on a lightly floured kitchen towel (not terry cloth) with a long side nearest you. Drop 6 rounded teaspoon-size mounds of filling 10 inches apart in a row down center of right half of sheet. Brush pasta around mounds of filling lightly with water, then lift left half of sheet and drape over mounds.
Press down firmly but gently around each mound, forcing out air. (Air pockets increase the chance that ravioli will break during cooking.) Cut pasta (between mounds) with a sharp knife into roughly 2-inch squares. Line a large shallow baking pan with a lightly floured kitchen towel (not terry cloth), then arrange ravioli in 1 layer in it. Make more ravioli with remaining pieces of dough and remaining filling, transferring to lined pan.
Cook ravioli and Asparagus tips:
Bring reserved broth to a simmer, and gently drop the won ton wrappers in for about 3 minutes and then simmer asparagus tips, uncovered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Season broth with salt, then divide broth and asparagus tips among 6 shallow bowls, discarding cheese rind and bay leaf.
Lift cooked ravioli with a slotted spoon, draining well over pot, then transfer to bowls with broth. Repeat with remaining ravioli.
Cooks' note: Filling and broth, without asparagus tips, can be made 1 day ahead. Chill separately, uncovered, until cool, then covered.

Hi San!
I have made that spread with feta, it is good too. Any type of soft, sharp cheese would work. It also works with regular or lowfat cream cheese, but not as yummy or decadent.

Mascarpone wasn't readily available here either until recently. So far, the only thing I've done with it is make brownies. (And I totally forgot to dip my l'il pinky in before adding it to the mixing bowl -- d'oh! -- so I still don't know what it actually tastes like.) We're not terribly big on sweets. Except for holiday meals, I can go days (weeks?) on end without making a dessert and nobody notices, so I don't know where the inspiration came from. But I must say, they were very *sophisticated* brownies. lol Really a lovely texture, and not cloyingly sweet as so many are. So my initial impression was excellent, and I don't think your purchase will turn out to be a silly impulse at all.

Next up for me is Ann's chicken dish for sure. Thanks for asking this question, because her 'answer' looks totally amazing!!

sm

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Next up for me is Ann's chicken dish for sure

No kidding! me too, that chicken looks decadent-gooey-fresh-amazing...

funny how desserts can be trumped by really well done entrees. Heck with the tiamisu (well, for my next round of Mascarpone that is =D )!

I always mix marscapone cheese with some vanilla paste, lemon juice and sugar, and use it to dip strawberries. It is also great to place on warm, grilled peaches or bananas... if you're feeling indulgent, top with salted caramel sauce. Check out my blog for ideas!

www.diaryofafanaticfoodie.blogspot.com

I LOVE LOVE LOVE marscapone cheese. Giadda DeLaurentis has an extremely naughty triffle recipe that involves marscapone and pannettone, but I think it was more of a holiday recipe. I made it for a brunch and it was amazing. I have mixed marscapone with powdered sugar, lemon zest, and fresh whipped cream to make blueberry crepes. I have also used it for fruit dip recipes. I have never used it in a savory dish, but I know I would love it.

this recipe is yummo! (I noticed you spelled Mascarpone wrong--I alwys make that mistake, too) if you do a search here you'll pull up a few threads.

Boston Globe Magazine
By Tony Rosenfeld
November 4, 2007

CARAMELIZED ONION AND MASCARPONE DIP
SERVES 8

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
3 tablespoons dry sherry
8 ounces mascarpone (or cream cheese)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch ground chipotle or cayenne pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring, until the onion wilts and becomes translucent, about 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the sherry, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onion turns a medium brown and becomes sweet and completely softened, about 20 minutes. (Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the onion starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.) Let cool to room temperature, then coarsely chop the onion and transfer it to a food processor with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, mascarpone or cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan, thyme, black pepper, and chipotle or cayenne pepper. Pulse to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl, fold in the chives, and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Refrigerate for up to 3 days before serving.