"CreamCheese" news and stories

Cream cheese is certainly not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking "artisanal" cheese. However, where there are bagels, and sometimes lox, this fresh, creamy spread is ubiquitous. It usually comes in a plastic container with the name of a large industrial brand name, like Breakstone's Temp Tee and Philadelphia (in Spanish "queso Filadelfia" is translated as "cream cheese"). With that kind of supermarket pedigree, it's hard to believe cream cheese could be artisanal. And yet, after tasting Champlain Valley Creamery's denser (it's not whipped) and richer organic cream cheese, we now know that yes, indeed, it can -- and it makes a big difference in flavor and texture.

What exactly makes the production of Champlain Valley Creamery's cream cheese distinct from its industrial counterparts? To start with, the organic milk used to make the cheese comes from Journey's Hope Farm, a neighboring dairy. Using organic cow's milk from crossbred Jerseys and Holsteins that yield milk with high butterfat produces a tastier milky flavor in the cheese; a slight tang that can also be enjoyed with the creamery's other cheeses (try Champlain Valley Triple Cream).

I love the variety of cakes that you all add to the Slashfood Flickr pool. We get birthday cakes and cupcakes, heart-shaped ones and ones decorated with animals sculpted from fondant. This particular cake uses deviled food cake, cream cheese and crushed Oreo cookies to achieve this fluffy effect. It looks like an easy one to assemble and would be perfect for those of you who struggle getting your frosting just right.

Thanks ginnerobot, for adding your photo to the pool!

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These cream cheese penguins are clearly taking a death march to someone's mouth. They are so cute that there is no way that that they wouldn't be the hit of any party. They were made by blogger Sweet & Sticky who proudly says that they were the only dish that everyone completely finished off at her family get-together.

To further raise the level of cuteness of these little guys, commenter Karly said that she made these penguins with a cheeseball igloo!

These would be a perfect way to cool down on one of the remaining hot days of summer or to complete a winter scene during the holidays.

For complete instructions on how to make the penguins, visit Sweet & Sticky.

Several months ago, my cousin lent me a stack of old recipes that had belonged to her mother. In that pile was a brochure from the Philadelphia Cream Cheese company. It looks like it's from the late fifties or early sixties and contains 44 recipes that use cream cheese (preferably Philadelphia Brand). The one pictured above isn't particularly seasonable, but for some reason sort of appealed to me. I guess because it's the time of year to start thinking about holiday pies.

There is not a decent bagel to be had in all of Portland, Ore. Yeah, that's right, I said it. I lived two blocks from a bagel shop and in the year and a half that I lived there, I went there once, and once only. They were ter.ri.ble. If it's not boiled, it's not a bagel. (Sorry Noah's.) I like dense, chewy bagels, not fluffy, cakey bagels. I know there are those that will say that there are no decent bagels to be had outside of  New York. If you live there, and eat bagels there, lucky you! (Try not to rub it in too much.)

Now that we are back in San Francisco, I woke up early this morning and headed to one of my favorite bagel places, House of Bagels on Geary. I bought a baker's dozen of assorted bagels for $6.75 and loaded up on whitefish salad (my fave), chopped liver with hard-boiled eggs, locally-made cream cheese, and lox. Then, I came home, made a pot of dark-roasted, Caffé Trieste coffee (San Francisco's own), and invited some friends over. One particularly great friend had the forethought to stop for champagne and O.J. along the way. A bagel and a mimosa later, we headed out for a walk.  Finally, a decent bagel. What a perfect way to start a sunny Sunday.