Sponsored: 4 cosy winter recipes with mascarpone

Mascarpone is an essential ingredient in any Italian household and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes to enhance flavour without overwhelming it. Mascarpone is delicious stirred into a soup, adds rich indulgence to pasta sauces and pairs beautifully with cocoa or coffee in desserts.

Mascarpone is the star ingredient in tiramisu, a famous Italian dessert that consists of layers of espresso-soaked biscuits, brandy, chocolate and mascarpone, a stellar end to a fabulous meal. It can also be used to thicken puddings and dessert creams and can be served with fruit or syrup for an elegantly simple finale to a meal.

Whether you buy mascarpone to use in a dish or use on its own, it will raise your creation to new culinary heights.

Here are four delicious recipes using mascarpone cheese:
Fragrant spice and verjuice poached pears with pistachio mascarpone
Kahlua-drenched tiramisu with mascarpone topped with delicate chocolate shavings
Mascarpone and pumpkin risotto with ground nutmeg
Organic spaghetti enrobed in mascarpone and gorgonzola carbonara