Yoghurt Mascarpone Cream

I love the look of surprise on people’s faces when I give them a spoonful of this. They expect ‘rich’ and they expect ‘cream’, but what’s wonderful is that, instead, they get this light, mildly sharp, vanilla-y, subtly sweet cultured flavour that, to be honest, trumps a conventional crème Chantilly in most cases. It doesn’t always hold well, depending on what brands of yoghurt and mascarpone you use, so it’s not good for engineering anything that needs to be structurally sound such as between layers of cake. It’s best for dolloping generously on things like pavlova or other meringue desserts, slices of tea cake or poached fruit.

MAKES ABOUT 500 ML (17 FL OZ/2 CUPS)

INGREDIENTS

250 g (9 oz/1 cup) mascarpone cheese

250 g (9 oz/1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt

50 g (1¾ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar mixture

1–2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste OR vanilla extract

METHOD

Combine all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, and whisk until smooth. This will keep perfectly for up to 2 weeks in the fridge, seeing as both the cheese and the yoghurt are cultured forms of dairy.