Saturday, May 15, 2010

Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Spread - Pink Saturday





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a new take on an old party favorite. Most folks have been at casual affairs where a brick of cream cheese, covered with pepper jelly, is served to guests. Many of us have prepared it for parties of our own and would agree that it is great football food. It's the essence of simplicity and, as such, is a boon for a busy host or hostess. While it's delicious, I do have a problem with its appearance. Once touched, the offering quickly begins to look like the remains of a massacre. Now I probably have a newfangled version of the "princess and the pea" syndrome, but I hate the way it looks, so, I took it upon myself to make something that would hold up better on the table. The ingredients have been only slightly altered and this new version retains the flavor of the old but is prettier for a longer period of time. It is important to note that the proportion of pepper jelly added to the cheese should not be increased. If that measurement is wrong you'll end up with a dip rather than a spread. The cheese will also need some additional heat added to it as it's whipped. While the recipe calls for cream cheese, you can replace one-third of that with chevre if you'd prefer another layer of flavor in the spread. I have also added additional heat to the mix. While I use Sriracha because I like its finished taste, any hot chili sauce sauce can be used. Just remember the pepper jelly adds heat as well, so go at it carefully. Red pepper jelly and chili sauce will give the spread a salmon hue. If you prefer a colorless spread, a plain pepper jelly can be used. Here's how the spread is assembled.

Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Spread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

1 (10.5-oz.) jar red pepper jelly
12 ounces cream cheese
1 to 2 teaspoons hot chili sauce (i.e. sriracha)

Directions:

1) Place jelly in bowl of a small food processor or blender. Pulse until mixture becomes spreadable. Set aside.
2) Beat cream cheese in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Stir in 1/3 cup pepper jelly and 1 to 2 teaspoons hot chili sauce. Mix well.
3) Turn half of cheese mixture into a small serving bowl. Gently spread 1/3 cup pepper jelly over surface of cheese. Top with remainder of cheese. Spread top with remaining pepper jelly. Serve with rice crackers or another cracker of your choosing.
Yield: 1-1/2 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Liptauer Cheese Spread - One Perfect Bite
Roasted Red Pepper and Sun-Dried Tomato Spread - One Perfect Bite
Pumpkin Butter - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

53 comments :

CC said...

Yummmmmmm...Not only does this look beautiful, I know it tastes just as wonderful as it looks. Thank you Mary for the recipe and Happy Pinks..

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...

This is one of my favorites! You're making my mouth water!

My Little Space said...

Cream cheese with pepper! Sounds pretty refreshing and yummy as a spread. And the colour looks so gorgeous! Yummm.... Have a nice day!
Cheers, Kristy

Regina said...

Happy Pink Saturday Mary!
Love this!

Sara's Sweet Surprise said...

Hello Mary~over the weekend I had a (big time) craving for cream cheese and pepper jelly. Unfortunately the flavor that I wanted was...Harry and Davids pineapple pepper jelly.
Can you adapt this recipe to make a fruit pepper jelly? It's always a winner with cream cheese.
Sweet wishes,
Sara

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Looks utterly divine! Great tweak!!

:)
ButterYum

M. said...

this sounds really interesting.... if it comes to its appearance...have you thought about making it in tiny individual bowls and serving one per person???
It looks pretty anyway. :)
greetings,
M.

Diane said...

My mouth is watering reading this recipe :-) Diane

Unknown said...

I have never even heard of such a treat. It is nice to get straight to the best version!

Angie's Recipes said...

wow Mary you again suprise me with such a lovely pinky Saturday treat!

Deb in Hawaii said...

Very nice! I love how you have altered it and made it much better looking! ;-)

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Hi Mary,
questa crema di formaggio al pepe deve essere veramente deliziosa per un piccolo assaggio con un aperitivo pomerigiano.
Buona giornata.

Allie and Pattie said...

Fabulous idea Mary!! Love this!
xoxo Pattie

PeggyR said...

Happy Pink Saturday girlfriend! My husband would definitely love this. I can't do peppers! Have a great day.

Martha said...

This is going to be my next offering at our Courtland cocktail party (where everyone brings an appetizer) -- same flavor -- better appearance. Thanks!

Deana Sidney said...

I love the way this looks... the color is amazing. Must make pepper jelly, Mary! I did years ago when I had a surfeit of peppers in the garden...it was so good!

Julie said...

This looks beautiful. I love the color! A nice change to the traditional cream cheese appetizer.

Happy Pink Saturday!

Catharina Maria said...

This looks yummy and I think for my husband too .
Have a nice weekend !
p.s there is a give-away at my blog ;o)
Love from the Netherlands ♥RINI♥

Carol at Serendipity said...

Good idea! It is just such sure hit when served but it really does get messy. Thanks, Mary and Happy Pink Saturday!

Carol

Jacalyn @ rmebathproducts.com said...

Gosh, that is soooo pretty, almost too good to eat!

Happy PS,
Jacalyn

bj said...

Thanks a million for this...like you, I love the taste of the brick of cream cheese with the jelly but it DOES look less appealing the further along it goes.
xo bj

Joanne said...

Sometimes aesthetics really make or break a meal! I wouldn't want to feel like I was eating blood. No matter how good it tasted.

This is definitely really pretty to look at and a beautiful combination of flavors! I love the chevre idea!

suesueb said...

A great idea! I love serving pepper jelly but you're right, it always ends up looking a mess. Thanks for the recipe and Happy pink week!!

dana said...

Brilliant idea, Mary! I often realized the brick of cream cheese and jelly did get messy, but NEVER did the thought of it looking like a "massacre" enter my brain. :)
HOWEVER, I will always hear that term in my head when I see a mangled cream cheese and pepper jelly dish!! :) I love your revamped idea for a favorite treat!!

Hope you're having a wonderful PS!! L, Dana

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

What an incredibly clever solution.:o) I agree, I've never cared for the appearance of the cream cheese bricks at parties as they just don't look appetizing after a while anymore. I'm making note of yours though!

Rachel said...

pepper and cream cheese..how novel!

nanny said...

Makes my mouth water...I love those flavors!!!

Unknown said...

Delicios cream cheese!

Happy Pink Saturday!

Hugs
Charo

nocton4 said...

Mary .. you are amazing, so many wonderful dishes .. spolit for choice
x

Unknown said...

Not gonna lie, I have never had red pepper jelly, but it looks DELISH!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Sara, you might want to give this recipe a try.

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Pineapple-Pepper-Jelly-133862

I hope it is what you are looking for.

Valérie said...

Not having been raised in a "superbowl" culture, I've actually never had this... But I can imagine it must taste wonderful, and it looks so pretty!

Susan C said...

What a brilliant idea and great way to elevate a classic.

Alicia Foodycat said...

I would love that! I am a huge fan of the old cream cheese and sweet chilli sauce.

Julie said...

Sounds like a wonderful combination!

Martha@A Sense of Humor is Essential said...

Yum, this looks great! Thank you for the recipe and also the smile re.your inspiration to not make this spread look like a massacre. Happy P.S.

Sweet Southern Prep said...

Now this is what I'm talking about. YUM!

Alexandra said...

Pretty and easy! And so unique.

I like it!

Penny said...

This looks so much better than the brick and jelly. Brilliant.

Ana Powell said...

Gosh, it looks awesome.
Lovely dip ♥

terrid614 said...

mary! thank you so much for stopping by dessertordiet! i truly enjoyed your sweet comments regarding my blog! i hope you come back for more!!
p.s. i love pepper jelly! we eat this with cream cheese and crackers all the time! have a wonderful weekend~terri xoxo

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

A great improvement on a classic!

Anonymous said...

OOO so interesting?!
Happy Pink Saturday!

Unknown said...

Sounds GREAT!!! and the colors are BEAUTIFUL!!! AWESOME!!! for a summer party.
Geri

scrambledhenfruit said...

Beautiful! I also love the cream cheese/pepper jelly combo, but it never even crossed my mind to make it more visually appealing. What a great idea! Betty

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

Mine is the much less sophisticated dump and dip version, but this one sounds fantastic!

Sushma Mallya said...

Cant resist these, so yummy.

PranisKitchen said...

wow superb mary..what a delicious jelly .best for the pinky saturday.very simple and so yummy..thanks for sharing

Sutapa said...

Yummylicious! Mouthwatering!
With such a treat I want my every Saturday to go pink!
Happy Pink Saturday Mary!
Have a lovely weekend!

Beverly said...

What a great idea. And, you are so right that the original version soon looks like a massacre.

Thank you, Mary, and Happy Pink Saturday.

Laura said...

Mary thanks for stopping by my cooking blog, I am sure I have taken some of your recipes and made them before, I follow you as well! Thanks for commenting, I hope to finish up with my move and be back up and running soon!

Karen said...

This is a great idea, Mary. I agree that once touched, the old standby does look rather gross. LOL

Sueb said...

Great reconstruct of a old time messy appy. Thanks!!

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