Liptauer Cheese Spread - Blue Monday

This may look familiar. It is Arva castle and from its highest parapet there is a view of Lipto, home of Liptauer cheese spread. It's also the site where the old vampire film Nosferatu was filmed.





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know that early exposure helps us develop an affinity for certain foods. It's the only plausible explanation for my love of Central European food. I had my first taste of Liptauer cheese at the age of 4 and we've had an improbable love affair ever since. Lipto is a fresh Hungarian cheese that's made with sheep's milk. It has a very soft consistency, but it's so mild that it's almost flavorless. That's taken care of by the addition of herbs and seeds and spices that are used to flavor the food of the region. A little paprika, a few capers and a spoonful of caraway seeds help move the bland to "bingo." When we lived in Chicago, Lipto cheese was just a bus ride away. It became harder to find in the suburbs of New Jersey and I haven't been able to find it at all where we now live. This cheese spread is popular in Slovakia and Italy , where it's called Spuma di formaggio all'ungherese, as well as in Austria and Hungary. It's almost effortless to make and it's wonderful for those occasions where beer is the beverage of choice. Liptauer cheese spread can be made with any soft cheese. Cottage cheese, cream cheese, quark, and soft goat or sheep cheese are all great substitutes for Lipto. The cheese is mixed with sour cream, butter, and finely chopped onions. Spices like ground paprika, fresh parsley, and bruised caraway seeds are added to the mix along with mustard and anchovies. The cheese is served with crackers or dark breads such as rye or pumpernickel. Some folks serve it with vegetables and others use it to stuff vegetables. All in all, it's an amazingly versatile spread. If you add two or three extra tablespoons of sour cream to the mix, it becomes a dip that's not at all bad with chips or pretzels. Liptauer takes 10 minutes to assemble, but it's flavor improves if it's allowed to sit for a few hours before serving. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Here's the recipe.

Liptauer Cheese Spread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
8 oz. of Lipto or cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup soft butter, softened
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 mashed anchovy fillets or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon capers
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds smashed or bruised to release flavor
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Combine cream cheese, butter, sour cream and anchovies in a small bowl. Mix well to combine.
2) Add capers, minced onions, mustard, paprika, caraway seeds and salt. Mix well.
3) Form a smooth mound. Make slight indentations in mound using tines of a fork. Sprinkle with paprika.
4) Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish as desired. Yield 1-3/4 cups.

You might also want to try:
Choosy Beggars - Spinach and White Bean Dip
Grow.Cook.Eat. - Baba Ganoush
The Perfect Pantry - Herbed Cheese Spread

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

Hot Mulled Cranberry and Apple Cider - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's been a very good week and, if you'll forgive the pun, "everything's coming up roses" for One Perfect Bite. Saveur has given us another nod and our recipe for Pumpkin Butter is featured on their site. I also have to thank the folks at FriendsEAT.com for listing One Perfect Bite as one of their choices for the top 25 foodie blogs. I'm thrilled to be included in the company of such fabulous food bloggers. Click here to view the 25 blogs they've featured on their site. You and I know I don't belong there, but let's keep that our little secret and hope they don't catch on. Now it's back to work. I wanted to make some special, yet simple, today and this recipe came to mind. It's a slightly different take on the mulled cider that's served so often at this time of year. As you can see, it's a thing of beauty and I'm happy to report it's also delicious. Cider is a relative of wine and it was common in England well before the birth of Christ. As a matter of fact, there was a time when English peasants, pagans of course, considered apple trees to be sacred and worshipped them. That might be explained by the fact that the cider they drank was allowed to ferment and had alcohol in it. Fast forward with me to America and the founding of the New England colonies. Apple cider was enormously popular here as well. It was a favorite drink of the pilgrims who would denounce hard spirits while they sipped their cider, which was allowed to ferment and, of course, had alcohol in it. Who knew? Today's recipe combines a sparkling apple cider, cranberry juice and a few mulling spices. It gets an assist from a small amount of brandy which takes it up a notch or two. There are no tricks or special tips to making a good mulled cider. The only caution is to never let it boil and to be sure to strain the finished cider through cheese cloth or a coffee filter. The cider can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. I always warm it before serving.Here's the recipe for an almost effortless holiday treat.

Hot Mulled Cranberry and Apple Cider...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 bottle (25.4-oz.) sparkling apple cider
1-1/2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
Garnish: Apple slices and fresh cranberries

Directions:
1) Combine cider, cranberry juice, sugar, brandy, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon stick, lemon zest and orange zest in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, just to combine flavors; do not boil.
2) Strain and serve warm. Garnish with apple slices and cranberries if desired.
Yield: 6 servings.

You might also like these cider recipes:
Savory Sweet Life - Spiced Hot Apple Cider
Delish - Fireside Mulled Cider
The Way the Cookie Crumbles - Mulled Cider

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound