What is cream cheese actually made of?
Most fresh cheeses such as ricotta, quark or mascarpone are made from cow's milk. Unlike conventional cheeses, however, they do not need to mature to achieve their taste and consistency. Instead, they can be eaten immediately after production or used for cooking or baking. To produce cream cheese, the milk is enriched with special lactic acid bacteria. These are also used to produce yogurt or cream. Some types of cream cheese also contain rennet, which is also added during production. Due to its high water content, cream cheese usually does not keep for very long and should therefore be consumed quickly or used for other purposes. Once opened, cream cheese from the supermarket can be used for approx. 1 week.
What types of cream cheese are there?
The number of different types of cream cheese from Kerrygold or other manufacturers is very large. The differences usually lie in the respective consistency, which in turn is influenced by the fat content. The more fat a cream cheese contains, the creamier it is. If you subtract the water it contains, cream cheese has a fat content of around 60 percent in the dry matter. Cottage cheese is a particularly low-fat type of cream cheese. It contains only 20 percent fat in the dry matter. Cream cheese, for example from Kerrygold, is available in many different flavors. Delicious additives such as beet, herbs, salmon or other ingredients are added to the actual cheese mass. Cream cheese tastes delicious on bread or as a dip for potato chips or crackers. In addition to the best-known types of cream cheese such as ricotta, mascarpone, quark and layered or cottage cheese, mozzarella also belongs to this food group. Like cream cheese, mozzarella does not need to mature, but is produced directly. However, it is scalded during preparation, which results in a much firmer consistency than other fresh cheeses. As a result, it is often mistakenly classified as a cheese, but mozzarella is actually a type of cream cheese.
Heavy cream cheese differs from normal cream cheese in terms of the fat content in the dry matter. The fat content of heavy cream cheese is around 60 to 75 percent, which is significantly higher than that of conventional cream cheese. For this reason, heavy cream cheese is particularly popular for preparing sauces or dips or for baking.
Hearty dishes with cream cheese
In savory cuisine, cream cheese is often used to season dishes such as sauces and to give them a creamy consistency. Cream cheese is also very easy to use to make a delicious casserole. It is mixed with eggs and breadcrumbs and poured over the contents of a casserole. After a few minutes in the oven, the tasty and flavorful dish is ready! Cream cheese is also great as a filling for homemade pasta. Ricotta is usually used for this, but other types of cream cheese are also possible. The homemade pasta tastes delicious when other ingredients such as spinach, parmesan or garlic are used in addition to cream cheese. The light and tangy cottage cheese tastes particularly good as an accompaniment to salads. There are also numerous recipes and cooking suggestions that contain cream cheese. This versatile ingredient simply goes down well everywhere and is an excellent accompaniment to most savory dishes.
Delicious desserts with cream cheese
Cream cheese is also very popular for baking and making desserts and sweet dishes. It is particularly important in the preparation of cheesecakes, as it is one of the main ingredients. Another famous example where cream cheese takes center stage is the Italian dessert tiramisu. This requires a lot of mascarpone. Other recipes that contain cream cheese are quark dishes of all kinds or cake slices that contain a cream cheese filling. Cream cheese tastes just as good sweetened as it does seasoned with salt, pepper or herbs.
Making cream cheese yourself
Cream cheese can also be prepared by hand. To do this, heat the milk over a low heat on the stove without boiling it. Gradually add lemon juice while stirring until the milk starts to curdle. The curdled milk is then poured into a cloth placed in the sink or in a pan on a sieve. This drains off the whey and the cream cheese can be eaten or further processed after careful squeezing. If this is too time-consuming, you can make do with a high-quality cream cheese from the supermarket chilled section. This can also be transformed into a delicious snack in just a few simple steps. For example, the cream cheese can be refined with your own spices, herbs or diced tomatoes and enjoyed as a spread on bread or as a tasty accompaniment to jacket potatoes.
Kerrygold cream cheese in many variations
Kerrygold offers a constantly changing range of cream cheeses to suit every taste for all those who love to enjoy cream cheese in ever-changing variations. The delicious varieties can be used as a breakfast spread as well as for filling puff pastry, fresh peppers or other tasty ingredients. There are virtually no limits to your imagination, as cream cheese goes with practically everything. Thanks to the good Irish pasture milk contained in Kerrygold cream cheese, it tastes particularly creamy and contains valuable nutrients that are important for digestion and cell growth. Kerrygold cream cheese products are also ideal for cooking and refining soups, sauces and much more. As a daily companion, cream cheese can help to spice up your diet and try out new flavors and recipes. Most warm and hearty dishes can be refined and made creamier with a dollop of cream cheese, which is much lighter and easier to digest than, for example, whipping cream, which is normally used to refine dishes.
But cream cheese is also a healthy alternative to whipped cream for preparing desserts. It contains significantly more fat and, together with the usually high sugar content of desserts, ensures that the body's nutritional requirements are quickly met after eating such dishes. Kerrygold cream cheese is available in five fresh and different seasonal varieties in the chiller cabinets of many food retailers and supermarkets.