Cream cheese is a soft cheese that is made from a combination of milk and heavy cream. Cream cheese tends toward sweetness and is white. It is called "white cheese" in some parts of Europe. Developed in New York in 1872, it was intended as an alternative to other soft cheeses, such as Neufchatel Cheese and Brie.http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-cream-cheese.htm
Cream cheese is often used as an ingredient in appetizers, snacks and dips, as well as spreading on bagels or toast. As a spread on bagels, crackers and raw vegetables it is used as a savory snack with the addition of spices.http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1815,142161-239207,00.html Some recipes also call for it to be used in a sweet food item such as cheesecake, desserts and frosting.http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/cream-cheese-frosting-ii-2/Detail.aspx Cream cheese is also used to give foods a creamy texture such as when it is used in mashed potatoes and sauces.
Cream Cheese History
Ancient Romans and Greeks ate soft cheese and Europe produced some of the first creamy soft cheese.http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcakes.html#creamcheese
The first American cream cheese was made by William Lawrence in 1872. By 1880, Al Reynolds began distributing the cream cheese in tin foil wrappers and called it Philadelphia Brand cream cheese.http://www.google.com/search?q=cream+cheese+history&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=0XJ&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=eUxkTOn-FMGfngelvNiaCg&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=11&ved=0CFQQ5wIwCg Kraft later acquired this company.
Flavored Cream Cheese
Today cream cheese often has flavorings mixed in it by the maker and sold at the store. Some of these flavored cream cheeses are:
- Sundried tomato and basil
- Spinach and artichoke
- Strawberry
- Garden Vegetable
- Chive and Onion
- Salmon
- Pinapple
- Blueberry
- Chocolatehttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3301/is_1_102/ai_72705777/
Lime Gelatin Salad Recipe
To make the cream cheese recipe provided on this video, heat 2 1/2 cups of applesauce, do not boil, add small package of lime flavored jello, regular or sugar-free to applesauce. Mix well. Add 1 cup lemon lime soda, regular or diet. Mix well. Pour into your serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let chill for at least 8 hours or overnight. Take 3 ounces of fat-free or regular cream cheese and chop in small pieces and put in mixing bowl, add 2 cups miniature marshmallows and 1/2 pint of whipping cream and mix well. Put in fridge for 2 hours. Take out marshmallow mixture and beat with electric mixer until light and fully. Place on top of gelatin mixture, which will be a soft gel. Top with a 1/4 cup of chopped pecan and 7 chopped maraschino cherries that have been drained on paper towel.
Jalapeno Poppers
To make these great appetizers take 24 jalapeno pepper (2 lbs.) and cut a slit lengthwise in the pepper. Then scape out the seed and veins, they are what makes the peppers hot. Once done with this step be sure and wash your hand and avoid touching your face and eyes because the heat from the seeds can burn, I recommend rubber gloves. Mix together 1-8 ounce package of Philadelphia cream cheese, softened, 1- 8 ounce package Kraft shredded cheddar cheese and 8 slices of cooked and crumbled Oscar Mayer Bacon, crumbled. Spoon this mixture into your peppers. For breading, roll each pepper in 1/4 cup of flour, then dip into 2 beaten eggs. After dipping into eggs roll pepper in 40 Ritz cracker, finely crushed. Place breaded peppers in a single layer in a shallow pan and refrigerate for about 15 minutes, this firms up the breading before frying. Heat 2 cups of oil to 375 degree and fry peppers for 3 minutes or until your peppers are golden brown. Drain on paper towel and serve warm.
References
Fast Facts
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Contains
At least 33% milkfat
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Served With
Bagels, vegetable or used in cheesecake
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Popular seasoning
Garlic, Chives,Dill, Olives
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Europe
Eats as cheese rather than spread
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Origin
United States in 1872
