I watch a lot of cooking shows but rarely recreate the recipes I see – they’re either too fussy or don’t appeal to me. This weekend, however, I caught Damaris Phillips whip up a batch of Benedictine spread and was compelled to follow suit immediately.
I’m not much for cucumber and cream cheese tea sandwiches, so don’t ask why I was drawn to this concoction made of essentially the same ingredients. Perhaps Damaris’ Southern charm sold me on the Kentucky favorite. Or I was captivated by the thought of slathering it on leftover bread from Friday night’s bruschetta dinner.
While most Benedictine spread recipes call for a touch of mayonnaise and green food coloring, my version features ricotta in lieu of these components. The result? An ultra creamy and refreshing condiment you can feel good about consuming. Traditionally stuffed between slices of white bread, I prefer to smear it on toasted Italian batard or crackers.
Recipe adapted from Food Network.
- 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons ricotta
- 1 tablespoon finely diced red onion
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Grate the cucumber using the large holes of a box grater. Wrap the grated cucumber in cheesecloth and squeeze to remove as much liquid as you can. (See notes)
- Place the cream cheese and ricotta in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer on high speed until smooth.
- Add the cucumber and onion and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Scoop spread into a bowl and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve on toasted bread or with crackers.
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