I thought I died and went to heaven when I found this low carb item: mascarpone cheese. I always want to pronounce this and spell this marscarpone cheese, with an extra "r".
Think of the center filling of a cannoli, which is the best part, only better and quicker.
You can buy mascarpone cheese at BJ's and Costco. Costco gives you two containers, BJ's gives you one container. But be CAREFUL! This stuff is packed with calories, and, despite what others tell you, calories do count. If you are looking to lose weight, you can't eat 4,000 calories a day. I make sure that I use a very small bowl and only eat this, at MOST, a couple of times a week on "special" nights. It is a good thing that this cheese lasts in the refrigerator for months.
Take 1 to 2 oz(s). mascarpone cheese, mix with your favorite liquid sweetener (I am currently using amaretto, but butter rum sounds like something I should try), put on a dollop of no sugar/low sugar whipped cream, and enjoy! This is very rich, and truly assuages any sugar craving you might have.
Furthermore, if you use Dr. Atkins' plateau buster method of eating lots of fat for a few days, this can certainly be added to the regimen to alleviate the monotony of cream cheese. (Although, since it is so heavy, it might take me months and months before I tried it again after that.)
The nutritional information is below, and I love the simplicity of the ingredients list.
If you have more low carb recipe ideas for Mascarpone cheese, please let me know!
Update: Karen told me that she uses Eggo Low Carb Waffles in place of the lady fingers to make tiramisu with the mascarpone cheese.
Another Update: Laura from Turtleway (a great blog) writes -- I LOVE mascarpone! It's true that it's rich, but perhaps due to that you can be satisfied with a small amount. Try it with a bit of vanilla, and unflavored sweetener mixed in atop some berries! (You may need to thin it out with a bit of water.) HEAVEN!!!!!
| Mascarpone Cheese by Belgioioso | |
| Serving Size | 1 oz. |
| Calories | 124 |
| Total Fat | 13g |
| Saturated Fat | 7g |
| Cholesterol | 36mg |
| Sodium | 16mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | .5g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Sugar | 0g |
| Protein | 2g |
| Ingredients | Pasteurized milk, cream and citric acid. |