ISO additions to cream cheese or quark

[taxlady]

I've made another batch of quark. I'm getting tired of making it taste like Boursin (chives, parsley, garlic, salt). I'm almost out of olives, so my other standby: olives and chopped walnuts, is out for the moment.

What do you like adding to cream cheese or quark?

 

[joesfolk]

I love walnuts and cream cheese. Haven't made quark, though I have wanted to try. Green onions, imitation crab and ranch seasoning make a great crab spread. (almost forgot the sour cream.)

 

[Alix]

Smoked salmon!!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

apricot preserves

 

[merstar]

Smoked salmon!!

Ditto!

Some other good additions to cream cheese:
Scallions
Roasted red peppers
Sundried tomatoes

For sweet spreads:
Orange zest and honey
Cranberry Pecan Spread:
Pecan Cranberry Spread Recipe - Food.com - 99081

 

[joesfolk]

Oh, and raspberry jam.

 

[babetoo]

spiced pepper jelly, it is to die for. can only find it on line, not in my stores here.,

 

[Alix]

Had one with coconut and pineapple chunks, it was tasty but a bit weird. IMO, nothing tops smoked salmon. MMMMMMM! That reminds me, I'd better dig that slab out of the freezer for the smoker!

 

[taxlady]

spiced pepper jelly, it is to die for. can only find it on line, not in my stores here.,

I get that from my mummy-in-law. She makes it herself. It is wonderful with cream cheese or quark.

I'm really hoping for more ideas for savoury things to mix into the quark. I often don't want something sweet.

 

[bethzaring]

I make a really mild flavored chevre and like to season it with:

horseradish and grated cheddar cheese and a bit of kosher salt and sugar

sprimp and sour cream

chopped walnuts and crushed pineapple

and this is the favorite for parties:

1 lb. cheese
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 T. dried minced onion
1 t. chili powder
1 t. kosher salt
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1/4 t. hot pepper, (or use a hot chili powder)

 

[taxlady]

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions. Keep 'em coming.

Is there a way for me to link to this in my user CP, so I can find later?

 

[freshlyfrugal]

Holiday Ham Dip

1 can of deviled Ham (or 3.5 oz Ham leftovers pureed in Quisinart)
1/2 Cup canned Pineapple
2T Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard
1 teasp. ground clove
8 oz Quark or Cream Cheese

Nice as a cracker spread or for Ruffled Potato Chips.

Can you share how you make Quark?

 

[Sprout]

Fresh or dried dill and chopped (firm) tomato or cucumber

Sundried tomato and basil or oregano

rosemary

your favorite salsa (homemade or jarred)

mince some leftover cooked chicken and add a few drops of liquid smoke flavoring (or smoke the chicken), add with minced sauteed mushrooms and onion, and finely chopped walnuts. You could substitute bacon for the smoke-flavored chicken, but it gets a bit salty. great on crackers, bagels, in omelets, or to stuff mushroom caps.

 

[taxlady]

...

You could substitute bacon for the smoke-flavored chicken, but it gets a bit salty.

...

That makes it perfect with quark, because it doesn't have an salt. Many of the savoury flavours need salt added to taste right.

I guess that also makes quark a good idea for someone on a low sodium diet.

 

[mudbug]

all right, I'll bite. what's quark?

 

[taxlady]

all right, I'll bite. what's quark?

Quark is a fresh cheese made from soured milk. It's a great substitute for cream cheese as a spread. Germans make cheese cake with it.

I was googling for quark when I found this site.

 

[taxlady]

...

Can you share how you make Quark?

I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you on this.

I take a litre of milk and add two tablespoons of sour cream or cultured buttermilk, or sour milk from previous batch. I let it sit at room temperature for a day or three - the culture grows quicker in summer. When it is thick it is sour milk. I cover the sour milk, could be a dish towel or a plate, and then put it in the oven at around 100-150 degrees F. It usually takes about two to three hours for the curd to separate from the whey. The curd floats on top of the greenish whey. Then I line a colander with a clean piece of fabric and filter the whey out. I let it sit and drip in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. The curds are the quark. Be sure the colander is non-reactive. A rusty old sieve has been known give you grey quark. I usually get about 300 grams of quark from a litre of milk.

If the quark is too dry, add some milk or cream.

 

[retiredguy]

I nuke a bar of Philadelphia cream cheese for about 40 seconds to soften it up. Before serving it's topped off with 1/4 inch of horseradish before serving with crackers.