Is it possible to make Mascarpone with Cream of Tartar instead of Tartaric Acid. I only know that Cream of Tartar is a derived product from Tartaric Acid.
My understanding is no. I have not personally tried it but I have read about others who have and failed. That being said ... if anyone could it would be you. ;)
I didn't have Tartaric acid, either, so I used rice wine vinegar. It was heavenly!
Thanks Debi and Karen,
Although I've found Tartaric Acid at about $20 per pound (is this reasonable?), I'd like to have your recipe Karen, how much cream and how much vinegar as well as description of making, and why rice vinegar. Rice vinegar is about 3.5% and regular vinegar is 5%, may the regular be deluted accordingly?
I don't remember anymore where I got the recipe, but I do remember that it called for white wine vinegar, which I didn't have, but I did have white rice wine vinegar, so that is what I used. Here's my method:
10 cups raw milk cream
About 1/2 cup white rice wine vinegar
Warm cream slowly in double boiler to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally.
Starting with 1/4 cup vinegar, stir it in until cream starts to curdle. You may need to use more vinegar. Once the cream has curdled and is thick, remove from heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
Ladle into cheesecloth-lined colander set over another kettle. Allow curds to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate to continue draining and firm up.
When done draining, knead mascarpone and transfer to airtight container. Use or freeze within three days. My yield was 3 3/4 cups of very thick mascarpone.
Note: I tried to use the whey to make ricotta, but it turned out very grainy/not good at all.
Thank you so much Karen
You're welcome! If you try it, please let us know how it turns out for you.
Before I'll "invest" in Tartaric Acid, I'll make an experiment with simple vinegar (I do have rice vinegar for chineese cooking) and I'll let you all know the result.