We were working on a mascarpone frosting. We wanted to use granulated sugar. The cheese broke as soon as we started mixing the sugar into it. A substantial amount of milk sort of brought the mixture back together. Later, reading the label of the mascarpone, we saw the makers recommend blending maple syrup with it to make a dip. A dip could easily be a frosting. But we didn't want maple frosting. We thought of the stellar mascarpone sorbet from The French Laundry Cookbook. But we didn't want to add water to our frosting. So we asked ourselves if we had ever made simple syrup with milk? Shortly thereafter we combined sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt in a pot and brought it to as simmer. We cooked the syrup for one minute. Then we cooled it down. When it was cold we stirred it into our mascarpone along with the juice of a lemon. The finished frosting is soft and spreadable. The flavor is all about the mascarpone, subtly accented by the flavors of the syrup. The simple milk syrup is a new ingredient that is full of potential.
Years Past
