Creamy mascarpone and ricotta mousse! Sweet and beautiful strawberries! All topped with complex and intense balsamic vinegar. I really love this balsamic strawberry mascarpone recipe as a great, make ahead, no bake, summer dessert full of Italian flavors and local ingredients.
Hello, all!
When it’s strawberry season around here I’m always thinking about new recipes to make with them which really celebrate the flavor of the fresh berries. I do love just eating them out of hand or going with classics like strawberry shortcake (though I also love my twist of a Strawberry Shortcake Dip), but it’s fun coming up with different combos to enjoy.
The inspiration for this dessert started with my recipe for Raspberry Parfaits with Ricotta Cream. I really enjoy that dessert and was just going to go with a strawberry version of it. (Because it would be so good!) But then I thought ‘mascarpone mousse!’ and my brain wouldn’t let it go, so here it is. š
I knew that the mousse would have ricotta and mascarpone and whipped cream, and of course sweetener, and was just a matter of figuring out the amounts.
It did take me a few tries – too much ricotta, too much cream, not enough lemon flavor – to get the balance right, but I think I have just right levels of cream and of cheese and of sweetness and of lemon. It turns out the secret of getting the lemon and sweetness levels right was to use lemon curd. It just mixes in so beautifully and provides the right balance to the mousse.
The other (and very important!) part of the dessert is the strawberries.
It wouldn’t be much of a strawberry mousse without them, would it?
When I decided on balsamic berries, I did a survey of how people generally did recipes for that and most recipes just macerate the berries in the sugar and then drizzle the balsamic over it. I tried that and I didn’t like it. I found that the berries had too much liquid after they macerated which diluted the balsamic.
Macerating berries is great when they are served over a biscuit which soaks up the juice, but not so much over a mousse. So back to the drawing board! Which meant back to the stove top in this case to cook down the berries and concentrate the juices.
Once I cooked down the berries, I had it. A really excellent and yummy recipe for balsamic strawberry mascarpone mousse.
If you try my recipe for Balsamic Strawberry Mascarpone Mousse, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Balsamic Strawberry Mascarpone Mousse
Ingredients
- 8 oz mascarpone
- 8 oz ricotta, whole milk or part skim
- 3 tbsp lemon curd
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 oz heavy cream
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries, divided
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Put mascarpone and ricotta in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Transfer the mascarpone mixture to a bowl. Mix in the lemon curd and lemon juice.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream on medium until it's foamy, about 1 minute. Then add the powdered sugar, increase the speed to high, and continue beating until it holds stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until combined.
- Refrigerate the mascarpone mousse until needed. The mousse is best eaten within one day of making it.
- Combine 2 cups of the strawberries and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the strawberries are soft and the liquid is syupy and will coat the back of a spoon. Let cool to room temperature.
- When you are ready to assemble the desserts, portion 1/2 cup of the mousse into 6 bowls. Spoon over an equal portion of the cooked strawberries. Top with a portion of the reserved, uncooked strawberries. Then drizzle a teaspoon or two of the balsamic over and serve.
Notes
- Balsamic Syrup: If you have a high quality, aged balsamic vinegar, use it directly from the bottle. If you do not, you will need to make a balsamic reduction. To make a balsamic reduction, take 1/2 cup of inexpensive balsamic and 1 tbsp of sugar and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until reduced by half. Let cool to room temperature before using.
- Recipe Timing: You can also use the strawberries when they are still warm from the stove. Not hot, but a little warm is quite nice and provides a pleasant temperature difference between the strawberries and the mousse.
Lorri says
I made this for dessert for company and everyone raved! So nice, light and full of flavor! A perfect ending to a nice summer evening outside on the deck.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you for the comment, Lorri! I’m glad everyone loved it. š
Lee says
Should I drain the ricotta before using?
Also, I ha e a lovely raspberry balsamic vinegar, could I use that?
Thanks!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Yes, drain the ricotta. And raspberry balsamic vinegar would be wonderful!
Akhila@Pepper Delight says
Looks so good, Yumm, Pinned it !!! I like your photos too..
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you for the pin! And for the nice comment on my photos. š
Cheryl K says
Thank you for such an awesome dessert! Made this for an awards ceremony for 50 people and everyone came up to me saying how amazing it was. Light yet rich, and easy to make.
I piped it into dessert glasses using a large piping bag and star tip and it looked sooo elegant! This ones a keeper, and it can be changed up so easily!
justalittlebitofbacon says
The presentation sounds lovely! Thank you for letting me know how it went. š
Marge Currier a.k.a. MOM says
Balsamic Strawberry Mascarpone Mousse is on my Make this Sunday list. It has to be good. I shared this on Facebook.
Love You.
Mom
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks, mom! š Let me know how it comes out for you!
Suchi says
I love strawberry with balsamic vinegar. I agree sometimes all I want is classic but other times some thing different does the trick to blow your mind away!!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Strawberries + balsamic is so wonderful. I love it. And mixing it up is half the fun of cooking. š
Kylee says
Gah!! That looks amazing!! I totally need that in my life
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! It’s a good thing to have in your life.
Mary says
This sounds awesome! I can never resist the combination of strawberries and something creamy!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Me neither. Strawberries and creamy just goes together!
Theresa says
this sounds fabulous…I want to dig right in
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you! š
Charla says
I’m seriously drooling over here, how wonderful are these picture and the recipe.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! We really enjoyed them.