Tag Archives: cream cheese

Ottolenghi’s ‘Very Full Tart’ From Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Timimi

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1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
about 6 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium eggplant, cut into 2-inch dice
salt and black pepper
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch dice
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
11 oz pie crust dough
8 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1/3 cup ricotta
4 1/4 oz feta
7 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 medium eggs
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Use a small serrated knife to cut around the stem of the peppers and lift it out along with the seeds. Shake the peppers to remove all the remaining seeds; discard the stems and seeds. Place the two peppers in a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with a little oil and put on the top shelf in the oven.

Mix the eggplant in a bowl with 4 tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Spread in a large baking pan and place in the oven on the shelf beneath the peppers.

After 12 minutes add the sweet potato dice to the eggplant pan and stir gently. Return to the oven to roast for another 12 minutes. Then add the zucchini to the pan, stir and roast for a further 10 to 12 minutes. At this point the peppers should be brown and the rest of the vegetables cooked. Remove all from the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. Cover the peppers with foil and cool, then peel and tear roughly into strips.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Saute the onions with the bay leaves and some salt for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they turn brown, soft and sweet. Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaves and set aside.

Lightly grease a 9-inch loose-bottomed tart pan. Roll out the pie crust dough to a circle roughly 1/8 inch thick and large enough to line the pan, plus extra to hang over the rim. Carefully line the pan with the dough, pressing it into the corners and leaving the excess hanging over the top edge. Line the dough with a large sheet of parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the paper with the weights, then bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until it turns golden brown. Remove and allow to cool a little.

Scatter the cooked onion over the bottom of the crust and top with the roasted vegetables, arranging them evenly. Scatter half the thyme leaves over. Next, dot the veg with small chunks of both cheeses and then with the tomato halves, cut-side up.

Whisk the eggs and cream in a small bowl with some salt and pepper. Carefully pour this mix into the tart; the top layer of tomatoes and cheese should remain exposed. Scatter the remaining thyme over the top. Place in the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the filling sets and turns golden. Remove and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before releasing the tart from the pan and serving. Serves 4-6

Benedictine Sandwiches, Damaris Phillips

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1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices country wheat bread
2 cups fresh borage petals or microgreens or baby arugula

Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Wrap the grated cucumber in cheesecloth and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible.

Combine the cream cheese and mayonnaise in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the cucumber and red onion and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To assemble the sandwiches, divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between 4 slices of bread. Sprinkle the borage petals over the top, then cover with the remaining four slices of bread and press down firmly. Cut away the crusts. Slice the sandwiches diagonally in half and then diagonally again, to make triangles. Serve.

Pumpkin Strudel, Carla Hall

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1 15-ounce can of Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Allspice
1/4 teaspoon Cloves
1 teaspoon Salt
12 sheets Frozen Phyllo (thawed)
Melted Butter (for brushing)
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Cinnamon
1 cup toasted Pecans (chopped)
1 8-ounce package Cream Cheese (divided into 12 pieces)
Whipped Cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. In a small bowl, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another small bowl combine the granulated sugar and the cinnamon.

Brush one sheet of phyllo with melted butter and lay another sheet of dough on top. Brush generously with melted butter. (Keep remaining phyllo dough covered with a damp dish towel to prevent it from drying out). Sprinkle a generous 2 tablespoons of cinnamon-sugar mixture over the brushed phyllo. Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of pecans.

Cut the phyllo lengthwise to create two long strips. Place a slice of cream cheese about 2 inches from the end of each dough strip. Spoon 1 to 2 well rounded tablespoon of pumpkin mixture on top of the cream cheese (do not overfill or the phyllo will burst when rolled).

To shape, fold the edge closest to the cheese/pumpkin mixture up and over the filling. Fold in sides and roll up to encase filling. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down. Brush with some of the melted butter and top more sugar and nuts. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving with whipped cream. Note: You can use 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice in place of the other spices.

Helpful Tips:
1. Only use a little bit of the clove because the flavor is very strong and can easily overpower the dish.
2. Take care not to roll the strudel too tightly or it will rip while baking.
3. Prepare the strudel ahead of time and freeze until you’re ready to bake.

Brian Boitano’s Pear and Almond Crostata

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1 (8-ounce) package Cream Cheese (softened)
2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour (plus more for dusting)
2 Eggs (divided)1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 (7-ounce) packages of Almond Paste
4 Pears (peeled)
2 tablespoons Raw Sugar
1 pint Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)
1/4 cup sliced Almonds (toasted)
8 fresh Mint sprigs
Divide each package of almond paste into 4 equal portions. Dust a work surface with flour and roll each portion into a 6-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick.
ingredients

Place 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each round. Spread the filling out in an even layer, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the round.
ingredients

Cut each pear in half and remove the seeds and fibrous spine using a paring knife or melon baller. Cut each half into 5 slices. Fan out 5 of the pear slices on top of the filling in the center of a round. Gently fold the edges of the almond paste over the edge of the filling all the way around. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining ingredients, filling both sheets.

Whisk together the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl until well blended. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each crostata with the egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake the crostatas until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve each crostata on a plate with a small scoop of ice cream, if desired, and garnished with sliced almonds and mint.

Helpful Tip:
1. Try this recipe with different fruit or berries. When using berries, combine with cornstarch to thicken the excess liquid.

Killer Key Lime Pie – Serves 8, Terry

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1 block of cream cheese 8-ounce — softened
1 can of sweetened condensed milk 14-ounce
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup of Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice
1 graham cracker crust  9-inch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat softened cream cheese until creamy (by hand or mixer). Add sweetened condensed milk, and beat to mix. Add egg yolks, and beat to mix well. Add lime juice, and beat again.

Pour filling into crust and smooth over. Set filled pie on baking sheet and place in pre-heated oven.
Bake 10 minutes, until filling begins to set.

Remove pie, cool on rack briefly at room temperature, then place in  refrigerator and chill at least an hour until well set.

Note: “The key to this recipe is the juice,” Tipton says. “Do not use regular lime juice.” Tipton says he has found it in several stores in the valley, sometimes in the ‘mixers’ section’ often next to Rose’s lime juice.  Do not use Rose’s.“

Cream of tomato soup, based on allrecipes.com recipe

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here’s my version
3 tbsp butter
3/4 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tbsp flour
6 – 8c tomato juice
3/4 tsp basil
salt and pepper
1 1/2 c milk or to taste
+/- 1/4 c heavy cream

melt butter in heavy dutch oven, add onions cook gently until translucent, add garlic and cook a few min more. Add flour cook for a min or two. Add tomato juice,salt, pepper and basil. Cook for 12-15 min. Add milk and cream, heat through. Serve with grated parm or romano and crackers.

NOTE:  I like my tomato soup smooth so I ended up running it through a sieve.

 

Smoked salmon and cream cheese spread

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2-8oz packages softened cream cheese, use twice as much as salmon
8 oz smoked salmon, finely chopped
3 green onion, finely chopped
1/4. cup sour cream
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp prepared horseradish
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 c finely chopped walnuts
1/4 c parsley

Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl, stir well.

Shape salmon-cream cheese mixture into 3 balls.  Combine chopped walnuts and chopped parsley, roll balls in mixture.  Cover and chill at least 4 hrs.  Serve with assorted crackers.

DMV note-I used leftover salmon and guess at the amounts as I only had a little bit of salmon.  I mixed in the parsly, didn’t mess with the ball method.  Used as a spread, very tasty.

 

Tomato and Smoked Salmon Pasta

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Top Tomato 2012 finalist Mehan Dossani says this dish reminds her of a bagel with lox and tomato. It comes together in less than 20 minutes, and it’s her go-to recipe when she has leftover smoked salmon in the fridge. For the pasta, she is partial to perciatelli (long, hollow tubes), but you can use your preferred variety.

  • 8 ounces dried pasta, such as perciatelli
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, preferably a fruity variety
  • 1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, put through a garlic press or very finely chopped and pressed with the side of a knife blade
  • 2 medium to large ripe tomatoes (12 to 16 ounces), coarsely chopped, with their juices
  • 1 ounce cream cheese
  • 8 ounces smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup torn or chopped basil leaves, packed
  • Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta, cook according to the package directions and drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for about 10 seconds, then add the tomatoes and their juices. Increase the heat to medium-high; cook the tomatoes for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften, then use a wooden spoon to break up the pieces and mash them down a little. When the tomatoes and their liquid begin to bubble gently around the edges of the skillet, cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese, stirring until it has melted. Add the smoked salmon, season with pepper to taste and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.

Add the drained pasta to the sauce, toss to coat and let the pasta soak in the sauce for a moment. Stir in the basil, sprinkle with Parmesan to taste and serve.

2 to 4 servings

Pots de Creme – Patty Foust

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1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups scalded heavy cream (table cream or blend of 3/4 cup half and half and 1/2 cup whipping cream)
2 egg yokes
3 Tablespoons brandy, Cointreau, etc. * optional

Use blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour mixture into ramikins or pot de creme containers. Makes 6.
Cover with saran or foil to prevent skin from forming.
Chill until firm, several hours. Serve.

The heat of the scalded cream “cooks” the egg yolks to prevent bacterial problems.

Smoked Oyster Pate – Helen Krafsur

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3 oz. pkg. softened cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice add a bit of grated peel too
1/8 tsp. dill weed
3-3/4 oz. tin smoked oysters
1 tbs. chopped parsley

1 hard-cooked egg yolk for garnish

Blend cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and dill until smooth. Remove oysters from tin and mash with a fork. Fold into cheese mixture, add parsley. Chill. garnish with egg yolk and parsley and serve with bagel chips or crackers.

Note: I did not add egg yolk.