Posted By Vicky on October 8, 2009

Awhile back, I ran across a really tasty Mascarpone dip at Whole Foods. I’ve been wanting to take a stab at my own Mascarpone dip ever since, and tonight I finally did.

Ingredients
4 oz Neufchatel cheese
4 oz Mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp skim milk
4 tbsp Splenda
6 oz low fat Greek yogurt (2%)
1/2 c pureed fresh strawberries
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 – 1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions

• Beat Neufchatel and Mascarpone with milk until fluffy. Add Splenda and continue to beat.
• Add Greek yogurt, lemon, and almond extract.  Continue to beat until smooth and consistent.
• Beat or fold in strawberry puree.

I challenge you to not lick the bowl.

I recommend you sample this recipe, along the way, so that you can adjust ingredients to your liking for both taste and consistency.  I’m the sort of freak who will simply eat this with a spoon.  For guests, I would put out fresh fruit and graham crackers.  Another option is to use it as a dressing for a nice fruit salad.

You want the type of Neufchatel cheese that’s stocked next to the cream cheese at your grocery store.  Indeed, did you know that real Neufchatel cheese is from France and significantly different. According to Wikipedia, though, cream cheese was invented by someone who goofed up whilst trying to make the French kind in New York. So, it seems French Neufchatel is somewhat of a roundabout ancestor to the Philly stuff you’re about to toss into this dip.

If you adore almonds, almond paste, Marzipan, etc., go ahead and put in the full 1/2 tsp of almond extract.  If you do not like almonds, you should leave it out completely.  Personally, I think the almond extract is what makes this dip so special.  However, I’m sure it would be a pleasant dip either way.  If you are undecided, start with 1/4 tsp and sneak a sample.

Any kind of strawberries will work.  I treated myself to some long stemmed beauties I was lucky enough to happen upon.  I washed them, hulled them, and then I pureed them in a miniature food processor.   Along the way, I wondered if simply slicing them then folding them into the dip would make for a nice icebox pie filling.  If you don’t feel like fooling with strawberries, replace them and the Greek yogurt with 6 oz of light strawberry yogurt.

Strawberry Mascarpone Dip

Find this recipe in my SparkRecipes recipe box.

Categories: General
Tags: Dessert, Dip, Low Carb, Low Sugar, Under 10 Carbs