Mascarpone cream is a typical Italian dessert based on: mascarpone, sugar, water, egg yolks and possibly bitter cocoa. It is used as a dessert or as an ingredient for other desserts, especially the famous tiramisu.
High-calorie, hyperlipidic and rich in both sugar and cholesterol, mascarpone cream is rightly considered by most as the anti-diet recipe by definition. Certainly, even in the nutritional regimen of healthy and normal-weight people, this food should play a marginal role, with reduced portions and sporadic frequency of consumption.
Moreover, in its traditional version the mascarpone cream provides for the use of raw egg yolks and mascarpone, making it totally unsuitable for the diet of those in special or more vulnerable conditions - for example pregnancy, immunosuppression, early childhood, elderly with poor health, etc. The microbiological development potential of these ingredients means that the mascarpone cream, even produced and stored in an impeccable way, does not have to be consumed more than 48 hours after packaging.
Mascarpone cream is a recipe for omnivores and lacto-ovo vegetarians, although there is the possibility of using a vegetable mascarpone or changing the recipe by eliminating both eggs and yolks - see Alice's recipe: Tiramisù Light Without Mascarpone and Yolks .
A good mascarpone cream has a creamy, non-gelatinous consistency, and distinctly recalls the organoleptic and taste characteristics of raw egg yolks and mascarpone. If it is too dense and consistent, perhaps it has been added with isinglass which ensures greater stability. If separated, however, it may be old or incorrectly manufactured.
Mascarpone cream is an extremely delicate food from a microbiological point of view. It is one of the most statistically responsible recipes for food poisoning, in particular salmonellosis - Salmonella paratyphi - and staphylococcal enterotoxicosis - Staphylococcus aureus. For this reason, today it is advisable to use only pasteurized egg yolks, to check the expiration of the mascarpone, to pay attention to the possibility of contamination, to keep the mascarpone cream at a low temperature and no later than one or two days.
Tiramisu with Pasteurized Eggs - Light Version
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Mascarpone cream contains high amounts of cholesterol, while it is free of dietary fiber and gluten. Levels of histamine are theoretically moderate - even if eggs are potentially histaminoliberators - as are those of purines and the amino acid phenylalanine; the quantity of lactose, on the other hand, is significant.
As far as vitamins are concerned, mascarpone cream provides useful, although not exciting, levels of various water-soluble B groups - such as riboflavin or vit B2 and pyridoxine or vit B6 - but also fat-soluble levels such as calciferol (vit D) and retinol equivalents (vit A and carotenoids). With regard to mineral salts, on the other hand, the concentrations of iron and phosphorus appear to be discrete.
Being a high calorie and hyperlipid recipe, mascarpone cream should be totally avoided in the diet of the obese. Due to the high percentage of fatty acids and the high cholesterol content, this preparation cannot be part of the diet against hypercholesterolemia. Even the significant amount of simple sugars has many contraindications, among which above all a non-compliance with nutritional therapy for hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia, fatty hepatic food steatosis and a tendency to tooth decay.
The proteins are of high biological value but are not particularly abundant. Furthermore, given the contraindications of the case, this recipe cannot be considered as a primary source of essential amino acids.
Mascarpone cream is not very digestible and tends to weigh down the meal a lot. For this reason it is advisable to eat it away from lunch and especially from dinner. It is also totally not recommended in case of pathologies and discomforts related to the digestive system such as: dyspepsia, gastritis, hypochlorhydria, gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastric or duodenal ulcer.
Containing lactose, mascarpone cream should be avoided in the case of intolerance to milk sugar. It has no contraindications for celiac disease, hyperuricemia and phenylketonuria. Since eggs are histaminoliberative foods, the recipe could be contraindicated in the most serious intolerances to histamine.
Mascarpone cream is a good source of Vitamin A or retinol equivalent (RAE), which include both retinol and carotenoids. This nutritional factor is essential for maintaining visual and reproductive function and for efficient cell differentiation; carotenoids are powerful antioxidants. Thanks to the presence of yolk, the food also contains an excellent level of vitamin D or calciferol, necessary for bone metabolism and the proper functioning of the immune system, and quite rare in foods. There is no lack of water-soluble vitamins of group B - coenzymatic factors - which, however, are present in limited quantities, beyond the mascarpone cream from its role as a source necessary for the maintenance of cells and tissues.
The levels of bioavailable iron and phosphorus are appreciated in the mascarpone cream. While the first is necessary above all for the synthesis of hemoglobin, that is the group necessary for the constitution of red blood cells - a function that if compromised leads to "iron deficiency anemia - the second is a very widespread element in the whole organism, starting from cell membranes and nerve sheaths (phospholipids), up to the bone mineral (hydroxyapatite).
The correct - but almost never respected - portion of mascarpone cream is 50 g (about 190 kcal).
and possibly accelerated by bacterial metabolism. The second is the organoleptic and gustatory alteration, therefore the assumption of unpleasant or different odor and taste.In fact, the microbiological activity almost always releases a series of compounds that are simple enough to detect - when sufficiently concentrated. Nevertheless, there are frequent cases in which the consumption of mascarpone cream is also attributed to serious food infections; the typical example is that of salmonellosis (Salmonella paratyphi), but episodes of staphylococcal enterotoxicosis are also frequent (Staphylococcus aureus).
While salmonellae are bacteria that mainly affect raw materials, i.e. they are already present in eggs - more often on the shell and contaminating the product only at the time of breaking - staphylococci represent the main pathogens that multiply due to cross-contamination - contact of raw food with dirty tools, worktops or containers - or bad habits of the kitchen staff - poor hand hygiene, carelessness during sneezing or coughing, etc.
Rarer, due to the extremely unpleasant odor they give to the contaminated food and therefore easily identifiable, are food diseases caused by coliform bacteria (Escherichia coli). These can reach and spread in the mascarpone cream either due to the already presence on the egg shell, or arriving there due to cross contamination or inoculation of the kitchen staff; remember that they are the main microorganisms present in the faeces.
On the other hand, the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes, potentially responsible for listeriosis. Generally harmless for normal subjects, it can have very serious consequences on the unborn child when the pregnant woman is infected - spontaneous abortion, premature birth, stillbirth or fetal infection. In that case, the only way to prevent foodborne illness is to stick to nutritional restrictions for pregnant women. Listeria is in fact potentially present in fresh and raw cheeses, in this case in mascarpone. To be sure, the possibilities of falling ill with listeriosis are very low, just think that a "microbiological analysis of raw materials - raw milk starting - only 5% of the samples contain listeria and of these practically none show risky concentrations. Nevertheless, since the effects of listeriosis are almost irreversible as well as very serious, it is advisable to follow the guidelines for a correct diet during pregnancy, that is, avoiding the consumption of mascarpone cream.
if the yolks are lightly pigmented up to the intense one in the case in which they are instead rich in provitamin A. The aroma and flavor are typically of fresh eggs and mascarpone; the prevailing taste is sweet but fresh, never acid, slightly bitter due to the presence of bitter persimmon.
Many inexperienced chefs correct mascarpone cream with isinglass - food collagen - to make it more dense and stable for a long time, or to prevent it from separating - a drawback that can arise even after a few hours of preparation. For an inexperienced consumer, the presence of this ingredient is almost impossible to detect; for a connoisseur of mascarpone cream, on the other hand, it makes it absolutely poor quality.
bitter: QBProcess of mascarpone cream
- Mix sugar and water and, in a saucepan over the heat, bring to 121 ° C
- Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool down to 115 ° C; in the meantime, whip the egg yolks
- Gradually add the syrup to the whipped egg yolks while continuing to whisk
- When the mixture is well blended, add the mascarpone with a spatula, incorporating from bottom to top
- Divide into cups or glasses and place them in the refrigerator
- Before serving, sprinkle on top with a little bitter cocoa.
