Your Buffalo Chicken Dip Craves A Scoop Of Mascarpone Cheese

The party doesn't start until the dip hits the table. Is this a controversial take? Maybe, but it's also one that's hard to argue. From salsa and guacamole to tzatziki and spinach-artichoke dip, a bowl of something scoopable is almost always a crowd-pleaser and can bring your friends and family flocking to the appetizer table like elephants around a watering hole.

But how do you pick the perfect dip? It's your call, of course, but if you want to impress your guests (and yourself), you might want to go with something bubbly, creamy, aromatic, and spicy. Given these criteria, one recipe immediately comes to mind: Buffalo chicken dip. If you've ever been to a graduation party or game-day celebration, you're likely familiar with this spicy blend of chicken, cheese, and hot sauce.

Buffalo chicken dip is good — maybe even great — but to make Buffalo chicken dip extraordinary, you need to add a scoop of mascarpone cheese. When paired with cream cheese, the mascarpone adds a level of richness and decadence that will vault this dip into the upper echelons of mouth-watering appetizers and finger foods.

Buffalo chicken dip requires a little more effort than just opening a jar of salsa or mashing up a few avocados, but any extra effort is generously rewarded in taste, texture, and flavor. That being said, the basic formula for the dip is pretty straightforward: Preheat the oven; mix cooked chicken (shredded or cubed), cream cheese, and hot sauce; spread the mixture into a baking dish; top with bleu cheese crumbles; and bake until golden brown and bubbly. However, many variations exist that build upon the basic Buffalo chicken framework. You can also incorporate ranch dressing, sour cream, yogurt, garlic, green onion, chipotle sauce, pickled jalapeños, or cheddar cheese to give your dip an extra blast of spice, smoke, or tang.

But adding a scoop of mascarpone cheese will take your Buffalo chicken dip to a whole new level. Unlike cream cheese, which is made from whole milk, mascarpone is made from heavy cream, giving it a higher fat content and creamier consistency, as well as a flavor that's less tart and slightly sweeter than cream cheese. Using a blend of these two soft and spreadable cheeses tempers the acidic heat of the hot sauce and results in a Buffalo chicken dip that's smooth, inviting, and opulent — just like every appetizer should be.

Mascarpone cheese can be found in most supermarkets around the country. Its pale color, creamy texture, and place in the dairy cooler would make one believe that it can be interchanged with other soft cheeses, but mascarpone has a history that's totally its own. Like many gastronomic gems, mascarpone cheese hails from Italy, specifically the northern end of the peninsula, between the cities of Abbiategrasso and Lodi, near Milan. Because it's made from heavy cream, mascarpone has a fat content between 60% to 75%, which is significantly higher than both cream cheese and ricotta, and is actually more similar to butter.

Mascarpone can easily be made in your home kitchen. It requires only two ingredients: heavy cream and an acid, which can be anything from lemon juice to citric acid to cream of tartar to vinegar. Simply bring the cream to a simmer and add your acid of choice. Once the mixture thickens, let it cool before transporting the semi-soft curd to a cheesecloth, where it can drain in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, you'll find a soft, buttery, subtlety-sweet cheese that has a place in everything from risotto to tiramisu to the best darn Buffalo chicken dip you'll ever treat your guests to.