double cream does not exist

[Atomik]

.... where I live.

So I am going to use mascarpone (plus a bit of sugar) as a sub cos the fat content makes it the nearest possible alternative.

Except, the tubs of mascapone are in mg and the recipe says ml for the double cream.

Do I just pack the mascarpone into my liquid measuring jug ? Or would 1mg =1ml anyway ?

Or maybe I should thin the mascapone with a little unwhipped whipping cream (which has the highest fat content for cream that I can get here) , make it into less of a solid and then measure it that way ?

Bloody hell, the recipe leads with how it's so simple it's not really worthy of the term "recipe" .... and already it's becoming horribly complicated, even before I gone to the supermarket let alone been let loose with a whisk.

[Knottyknitter]

Whipping cream probably a closer alternative than mascarpone. What are you making?

[Atomik]

It's allegedly no hassle ice cream.

I tried with whipped whipping cream, but while it tasted nice it was less spoons of ice cream and more ... slices of ice cream. I had to attack it with a massive knife even after leaving it out on the side for a bit.

The recipe says double cream because the very high fat content makes it softer despite no churning. Mascapone has almost the same fat content, but does not pour. I'm sure I remember double cream being pourable. Which I suppose is why it's in ml and no mg in the ingredient list.

[HanSolo]

Not sure where you are, but double cream is also known as heavy cream in US ( and maybe Aus too)

[HanSolo]

I think coconut milk also makes good (vegan!) ice cream.

[Atomik]

I'm in Italy.

I've found a translation of the name, but nowhere selling it.

[antimatter]

I don't know what you should do but found this recipe. I would try to mimic proportions.
They are also using heavy cream.

www.thingsimadetoday.com/2014/04/17/mascarpone-ice-cream/

[NickMyLipple]

They do sell it in Italy. I used to buy it in Esselunga with no issues, but it's UHT rather than fresh. It's in the aisle with the cartons of UHT milk!

[Begentleimnewhere]

HanSolo, heavy cream in the US is not double cream. It's much thinner and pours like milk. Double cream is so much denser. If you drop a dollop of double cream into a mug of hot chocolate --not that I've ever done that-- it doesn't dissolve right away. You have to really mix it until it breaks into chunks and eventually dissolves. Heavy cream would just mix in. There is no double cream available in the US, at least not in mainstream grocery stores.

[HanSolo]

Oops- sorry

[Atomik]

Nick

It wasn't labelled panna cucina was it ? That is very dense but the actual fat content can be as low as 22% and I couldn't find any with a fat content higher than 36% . I think double cream is nearer 50%

Mind you, Esselunga do deliver so worth a pootle on the site to see.

Hans I can get little tins of coconut milk where they hide the curry powder... would that do, or does it have to be fresh ?

anti That helps, thank you. I could just do a cup of mascapone for every cup of condensed milk. Ha! That should work. Maybe. Or a cup of condensed milk, a cup of mascapone and half a cup of bog standard cream so it isn't too gloopy ? Cos they have eggs to liquid things up a bit in that one.

[NickMyLipple]

Yeah, it's Panna Cucina. I had no idea about the fat difference, mind!! I just used it as I would double cream!

[Atomik]

Nick

Me too. I was all excited with my recipe, thinking "we have thick cream !" ... and then the comments went on about fat content, I checked my little brick... and there was some face falling.

Seems really unfair condensed milk gets imported but double cream doesn't get made. Bleeding cows everywhere where I live.

Still, the mascarpone experiment may remove the need for real double cream on site, and the panna cucina is lovely for squirting on cake my healthy oats.

I'll try it tomorrow, and report back. Possibly in a rather sickly state from a bit too much "testing".

[Atomik]

psst Nick ... you haven't seen Sherry anywhere have you ? I've been wanting to make a sherry trifle for yonks, but not even Esselungua have it.

I have no idea why I want a sherry trifle so badly. Just a bad case of food nostalgia and panettone fatigue I think.

[JamNan]

This table of fat content for various types of cream might help

[Atomik]

Thanks Jam That confirms that Mascarpone is about halfway between double cream and clotted cream. So I'm thinking I shouldn't thin it too much.

Now just need to send DH and DS to the supermarket.

Was going to go myself but discovered a fab Italian/American cooking blog and have Romanase, turnip and potato soup on the go. Smells nicer than anything I have ever made so I'm feeling too protective to leave it here all by itself. Plus it is trying to snow while we still have fog. Which is deeply unfair and making me cross. Shall stay inside and ignore the insane weather. And then eat my own body weight in extremely high fat ice cream

... all in the name of checking if mascapone will work for those trapped helplessly in double cream deserts.

[JamNan]

1mg =1ml

The secret is to not let ice crystals form so you have to keep whipping/churning the mixture as it freezes so that the water content amalgamates with the fat globules, otherwise it goes solid.

Wishes I had a Magimix gelato

[Allalonenow]

I doubt you will find sherry in Italy, but try a Marsala or a Vin Santo which will give you a similar flavour. Or one of the fab Italian liqueurs of course.

[FreeButtonBee]

What's the blog called, Atomik?

[Atomik]

Free it's this one, this is the soup I just made I am deeply over excited that DS is begging for more... when it contains 99% evil vegetables I was cooking it for the freezer but nt sure enough will survive by the time it's cooled to be worth the bother of finding a plastic container that still has a lid.

Jam ... but it promised I didn't have to whip it in and out of the freezer and beat the crap out of it several time. It said beat the crap out of it, put in freezer, wait (impatiently) then eat. Did they lie to me ?

Allalone Is Marasala similar ? Fab. There's tonnes of that in the supermarket. That might save me a bomb becuase I'm looking at mail order sherry and the delivery charge costs more than the bottle. All I have to do now is brace myself to make scary custard. Eggs and hob heat, when scrambled is not the desired result, makes me feel a bit flop-sweaty.

[janethegirl2]

1g is 1ml.

[antimatter]

switch over to bain-marie when cooking your custard!

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

you can make cream with milk and butter....my ma used to have a cream maker, but I think you can use a blender instead.

I am off to google!

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

looks like 4oz unsalted butter, to 4 floz milk...melt together, do not boil and then through the cream maker. BUT am sure I read somewhere you could whizz it up by pouring it slowly into a blender, leave to cool and iirc you can whip it too

[Atomik]

antimatter Bain Marie is advanced cooking ! I am distinctly ... baby steps novice cook. Thought I'd try this one which says it's easy I was encouraged by the comments cos people have subbed milk, so our "looks like double cream... but isn't" panna cucina shouldn't be a problem as a sub. Just worried by eggs and heat due to bad memories of O level Domestic Science and Mrs. Bull shaking her head at me in disbelief.

Ton My mum had a cream maker on her Kenwood back in the 70s. She would make cream with unsalted butter, but to be honest it tasted a bit funny. Not like the nice stuff you got from the supermarket in a pot. Although if the mascapone doesn't work out I'll give cream making a go rather than give up. I have promised the resident Italians homemade ice cream (that does not require a carving knife to eat) and one way or another I am going to produce it.

jane that's what I love about the metric system. It makes sense. But my imperial trained mind doesn't usually trust my assumption until somebody else confirms it. I get worries in my head that 1g of lead would take up less volume than 1g of feathers and so the measure need to be adjusted according to ingredient. But I am not cooking with lead or feathers. And food probably doesn't have such a huge variability between weight and volume. At least I'm not having to deal with cups. Fecking hate cups, am never sure if I am supposed to level things off and bang all the air out or not.

[janethegirl2]

I hate dealing with the American cups of flour or sugar and sticks of butter, what size is a stick?