Cream Cheese Spread

I grabbed some rosemary in the last produce basket we got. I keep running into recipes that call for fresh rosemary and I either have to substitute dried or punt on them because they really seem to hinge on the fresh rosemary. This wasn't one of the recipes I'd had in mind when I got the rosemary, but it looked tasty and I had a lot of cream cheese to use up, so I figured I'd give it a go.

I'm really pleased with the result. And TF and the Kidlet both seem to like it as well. I'd love to try to other flavours sometime as well. The olive and scallion really sings to me and I think the Kidlet would be very enthusiastic about the cinnamon and brown sugar version. And, of course, I think everyone would like the smoked salmon and chive one!

Honey and Rosemary Cream Cheese Spread

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2019

Ingredients

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary

Directions

1. Combine everything and mix well.¹
2. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

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Variations

Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley²
• 1/4 c. fresh basil
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic

Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Smoked Salmon and Chive Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 60g sliced cold-smoked salmon³
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh chives
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Olive and Scallion Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients

• 180g cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives, patted dry
• 2 tsp. olive brine
• 4 scallions, minced

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¹ Cook's Country says to use a food processor, but I managed just fine with a spoon. Just make sure your cream cheese is good and soft so you can mix it easily. ^Back
2 If you're using a food processor, you can just put the leaves into it whole. If you're mixing by hand, you'll need to mince them very fine first. ^Back
3 For use in a food processor, just tear it into chunks (4-5cm is fine). If mixing by hand, mince as finely as possible before adding it to the cream cheese. ^Back