So I was thinking to myself the other day, what am I going to do with the left-over mascarpone cheese I had from making my tiramisu? If you read my previous post, you’ll remember that I picked up a 5 lbs bucket from Smart Foodservice Warehouse. Then it hit me, I like cream cheese dip so why not try something similar with the mascarpone? So talking to my friend Google, I came across a whole bunch of ideas. But somehow a recipe for bourbon caramel popped up. I had an Ah Ha! moment and this dip was born. Enjoy!

Bourbon Caramel Mascarpone Dip

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp corn syrup
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp bourbon, divided 2 Tbsp & 1 Tbsp
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tsp pure vanilla extract
• 16 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temp
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 4 apples, sliced

Directions

In a heavy pot, I like my Le Creuset Dutch oven, bring the sugar, water, corn syrup and pinch of salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cook until it starts to turn golden brown, swirling occasionally. Watch it closes as it can burn pretty quickly. As soon as it’s a nice golden brown, pull it off the heat. Which in the cream and bourbon, watch out as it’ll steam violently. Once it’s calmed down, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Allow it to cool.

In a medium bowl, cream together the mascarpone cheese with the powdered sugar. Add in the remaining Tbsp of bourbon and almost all of the bourbon caramel sauce. I like to leave just a little so I can drizzle it over the top of the dip. Use the sliced apples as you spoon and enjoy!