A velvety thick and rich cheese made from cream, with a sweet delicate flavor. Used with fruit, cakes, pastries, sauces and desserts but is especially famous for use in Tirumisu.

*1. FIX UP FRUIT* Grilled fruit in the summer, poached fruit in the winter. Doesn’t get much better, right? A dollop of mascarpone as a finishing touch does it better.  Take a pint of berries and combine it with mascarpone for a fast and healthy dessert. *2. WHIPPED CREAM SUBSTITUTE* Maybe your stand mixer shorted out. Maybe you’re on a desert island and you want dessert. Point is, you don’t have any whipped cream, but your dessert doesn’t have to go undressed. Mix a dollop of mascarpone with some honey for a suitable replacement. *3. MAKE MASCARPONE TOAST* No time for French toast or cinnamon buns? Here’s a quick sweet fix for your next breakfast. Take toast, spread mascarpone on nice and thick-like, drizzle on some honey and flaky sea salt, and take this decadence to go. *4. ADD A CREAMY CONTRAST TO ROASTED VEGETABLES* There’s a lot of great treatments for eggplant. One way of involving mascarpone is, crank your oven as high as it can go, roast eggplant until blistered, then serve it alongside fresh mint and a dollop of mascarpone. *5. USE IT AS PIZZA SAUCE* Make a white pizza extra creamy with and special. Bake the crust halfway, spread with mascarpone, top with thinly sliced desired toppings, tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake until golden brown. *6. PUT IT ON TOP OF PIZZA* Love the creamy dimension fresh mozzarella brings? You’ll really like this trick with mascarpone. Spoon some dollops on top of your pie and bake until it gets melty. *7. POLISH OFF YOUR PASTA SAUCE* Toss asparagus, hazelnuts, and pasta with mascarpone for a sauce that’s nutty, sweet, and unforgettably creamy. Or do like a pro and mix it with pumpkin puree, salt, and pepper for an even creamier sauce for gnocchi. *8. TOP YOUR SOUP* Think of mascarpone as a sweet step above a dollop of Greek yogurt. It’s especially good on top of naturally sweeter soups, like butternut squash. *9. COMBINE IT WITH NUTELLA* It’s about time the two of these spoonable creations got to know each other, isn't it? Your friends are going to love you when you both of these spreads into a pie filling. *10. BANANA LAYER CAKE WITH MASCARPONE FROSTING* The creaminess level in this banana cake is out of control, with layers that top mascarpone frosting with slices of fresh bananas. *11. CREATE THE ULTIMATE CHEESECAKE* Many top Chefs makes a tart and light-on-the-palate cheesecake using a blend of cream cheese and mascarpone. *12. PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS AND MASCARPONE* Leave it to Barbara Lynch to think up a pasta as decadent as this, which includes butter, heavy cream, and mascarpone. *13. ADD TO A TART FILLING* Take mascarpone for a custardy filling that’s even better with a fruity glaze on top. *14. GET CHOCOLATEY WITH IT* We love a flourless chocolate cake, but it can sometimes be a little dense. Top it off an airy mascarpone frosting to make a meeting of opposites. Care to stir chocolate into the frosting? *15. MAKE AN ICEBOX CAKE* Icebox cake is the cake for people who hate baking. Take cookies, something creamy, layer them up and let chill in the fridge. Use thick mascarpone to give the cake a little more structural integrity than whipped cream. *16. BREAD LOVERS* Slap it on a bagel with cream cheese—the words along turn grown adults into maniacs. Swap out the cream cheese for a mascarpone to make everyone into refined maniacs.

*17. ADD IT TO BANANA BREAD* Instead of folding sour cream into the batter, use room temperature mascarpone to give the bread a little extra moisture and a deeper, denser, flavor.

*18. SWIRL INTO A GRATIN FILLING* A gratin is a one-dish cold weather go-to that gets better the gooier it gets. But if you want to overachieve with your cheesy casserole dish, add a healthy couple of dollops to the mixture before it bakes.

*19. MASCARPONE-SWIRLED BROWNIES WITH NUTTY CARAMEL CORN* Why yes, these brownies DO have it all! The tangy mascarpone pairs perfectly with the fudgy chocolate, and the peanut-popcorn clusters add the ultimate crunch. *20. LIGHTEN UP MASHED POTATOES* You can try a similar trick with mashed potatoes. Because if mashed potatoes work with sour cream or France’s crème fraîche, they can definitely work with Italy’s answer, mascarpone.