Cream cheese is an incredibly soft, delicate dairy product that will become not only an indispensable ingredient for a large number of dishes, filling for a variety of sandwiches, but also a delicious independent snack.
The most famous and common representatives among curd and cream cheeses are: Philadelphia, mascarpone and ricotta. Each of them is tasty and unique in its own way, although they are very similar to each other.
Philadelphia cheese
The birthplace of this wonderful product is America. This cheese is based on milk with cream, which is homogenized and pasteurized, and then saturated with special enzymes. As a result of this process, milk is fermented, and curd cheese and whey are formed. Philadelphia cheese contains a huge amount of microelements, fats and vitamins necessary for the body.
Mascarpone cheese
Translated from Italian, the word "mascarpone" means cottage cheese. This product is made from high-fat cream. They are fermented, and then citric acid or wine vinegar is added. As a result, cream cheese and whey are formed. Mascarpone contains a large amount of protein, which is necessary for the maintenance of all cells in the body. You can store such cheese without preservatives, which significantly increases its usefulness for the body.
Ricotta cheese
Ricotta is made from cream or fatty cow's or goat's milk. The selected product is heated and citric acid is added for fermentation. After that, the resulting composition is placed in a basket woven from a willow vine, and the serum is allowed to drain. The result is a delicate cream cheese with a slightly sweet taste.
Ready-made ricotta is subjected to various processing in order to obtain various types of cheese with a unique taste. It is smoked, salted and even baked.
General information about cream cheeses
Creamy cheeses have the consistency of a delicate, airy paste that can be easily spread on bread. The taste of these cheeses strongly resembles cottage cheese with a slightly sweet aroma. The dairy products in question do not require aging and are ready to eat almost immediately after the whey is drained.
The most common association that comes with the mention of cream cheese is a delicious Italian cheesecake or a fluffy tiramisu cake. In addition, mascarpone is added to vegetable and fruit salads, used to prepare the most delicate creams and simply smeared on sandwiches.
