blackberries + mascarpone

"M-A-S-C-A-R-P-O-N-E. Mass-cahr-pohn-ay! Not MARS-capone. Mascarpone!"

This is a phrase commonly said in my household, and it is usually by my mother while watching the Food Network. She is extremely annoyed by Chopped contestants or celebrity chefs mispronouncing the word, and she makes sure that we know to always say it correctly. However, I have never worked with mascarpone, so I've never had a chance to say the word unless I was joining my mother in ridiculing those working with it on television. Until now.

"Hailing from Italy's Lombardy region, mascarpone is a buttery-rich double-cream to triple-cream cow's-milk cheese. (Technically it's not cheese but rather curdled cream because citric or tartaric acid is used rather than rennet.). It's ivory-colored, soft and delicate, and ranges in texture from that of a light clotted cream to that of room-temperature butter. It's versatile enough to be blended with other flavors and is sometimes sold sweetened with fruit. In Italy's Friuli region a favorite blend is mascarpone mixed with anchovies, mustard and spices. But in truth, this delicately flavored cheese needs little embellishment other than being topped with fruit. (The Food Lover's Companion, Fourth edition)"

As previously stated, I have never worked with mascarpone cheese. I've been waiting for a chance to use it and I figured this project would be the best chance to take advantage of it! I have seen mascarpone cheese accompanied with fruit on most occasions, so I knew it would be perfect for a doughnut filling. When I began working on the recipe, I opened the container of cheese and had a taste. I can only describe it as a smooth, almost cream cheese taste but not quite as sour. I knew it needed to be sweetened a bit to work well with blackberries, a good tart yet sweet fruit that would complement the mascarpone. What I ultimately created is a sweet mascarpone filled doughnut dipped in a blackberry sour cream glaze and topped with a dollop of mascarpone and a whole blackberry.

This recipe works with the basic foundation doughnut dough that you can find here.

for the sweet mascarpone filling:

3/4 cup mascarpone

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

¼ tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Fill a pastry bag fitted with filling tip and fill cooked doughnuts with the mixture.

for the blackberry glaze:

1/2 c frozen blackberries

2 tbsp milk

3 cups powdered sugar

Puree blackberries and milk together until smooth. Combine with powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If necessary, add a tablespoon of milk at time until you reach desired consistency. Dip the tops of the doughnuts into the glaze and let harden slightly, dip again for a thicker layer of glaze. For garnish, I put mascarpone into a pastry bag and piped a small amount onto the top of the doughnut. You can also add a blackberry on top to add to the decoration.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.


There you have it! 'Til next time,