Update: The winner of the Sam’s Club giveaway is Barbara N. Nice start to a Monday, eh, Barb? Check your email for details.
I have a list of foods that are complete kryptonite for me — I have zero self-control around them. Today’s recipe combines seven of those favorites, which makes it about as close to perfection as I can imagine.
At the moment my kryptonite list includes:
- Cream cheese
- Dill
- Lemon
- Smoked fish
- Smoked salmon
- Bagels
- Everything bagels
- Pumpernickel
- Pumpernickel everything bagels (Black Russian bagels)
- Biscuits
- Gravy
- Feta
- Garlic-stuffed kalamata olives
Because I live out in the boonies, some of those ingredients aren’t always easy to find. When I do find them, I get a little frantic — the woman in Wegman’s stuffing Black Russian bagels into her bakery bag was me. The Sam’s Club shopper clutching smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, fresh dill and lemons? Also me. I even grabbed a boneless leg of lamb because it sounded so good. Thankfully Sam’s Club stocks almost everything I want (they just don’t always carry Black Russian bagels).
Do I like flavored cream cheese? Obsessed is the word. I adore cream cheese when it’s fully infused with herbs and citrus, with garden vegetables and garlic, or even with a touch of maple and cinnamon. My absolute favorite version is a light lemon cream cheese studded with chopped fresh dill, parsley and green onion. It’s fresh, bright and totally addictive.
Yes, I sometimes lose my head over cream cheese. It’s a sickness I’m not trying too hard to cure.
The great thing is that although I could probably eat an entire batch in one sitting, this spread stores well. Tightly sealed in the refrigerator, it actually improves over a day or two and keeps for about a week. I won’t pretend I never sneak a taste straight from the container, but it’s easy to portion out for sandwiches, dips and more.
If you’re watching calories, swap Neufchâtel (commonly sold as low-fat or 1/3-less-fat cream cheese) for full-fat cream cheese. The texture and flavor remain creamy and satisfying while trimming fat — a win for healthier eating without sacrificing taste.
This Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese is perfect on my favorite toasted Black Russian bagel with flaked smoked salmon, capers and a pinch of fresh dill, but it’s not limited to bagels. Use it on a roasted turkey or chicken breast sandwich with baby spinach and black olives, as a vegetable dip, spread on toast, on a bun for grilled turkey burgers, or on flatbread for a lamb wrap. The bright, creamy, dill-forward spread complements a wide variety of dishes.
Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese and the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich | {GIVEAWAY!}
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
For the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese:
- 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon, to taste
- 1/3 cup minced fresh dill, lightly packed
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, loosely packed
- 2 tablespoons minced green onions (green part only)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich:
- 1 pumpernickel everything bagel or your preferred savory bagel
- 1 teaspoon softened butter
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese
- 1/4 cup flaked or 2 thin slices smoked salmon
- 5 to 10 pickled capers, drained
- Fresh dill, to taste
Instructions
To Make the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese:
- Add the cream cheese, lemon zest, the juice of 1/2 a lemon (start with this), dill, parsley and green onions to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk. Beat on high with a hand mixer or stand mixer until fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired, then season with salt and pepper. Scrape the bowl and mix on high another 30 seconds until fully incorporated. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate at least an hour before using; it will keep up to a week.
To Make the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich:
- Slice the bagel and spread 1/2 teaspoon softened butter on each cut surface. Broil just until the butter is bubbly and the bagel is toasted on top. Remove and let cool until comfortable to handle.
- Spread about 2 tablespoons of the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese on the bottom half of the bagel. Layer on the smoked salmon, add capers to taste and fresh dill if desired. Top with the bagel crown and enjoy.
Nutritional information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use with your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
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Now a giveaway!
Sam’s Club contacted me before the holidays to offer a giveaway to a reader. With everything that was happening here, I didn’t publish the post in time, but Sam’s Club kindly allowed me to run the giveaway anyway. I rely on Sam’s Club for big-family essentials like paper towels, toilet paper, juice boxes, competitive pricing on fresh meats and a wide selection of produce and dairy. For the giveaway I’m offering a Modern Cocktail Holiday Mixer Party Pack — a non-alcoholic mixer set that includes Margarita, Martini and Berrytini mixers plus Champagne toppers and finishing salts and sugars. Just add your preferred liquor.
To enter, leave a comment below telling me how your holidays went. Did you visit family or stay home? I’d love to hear.
The winner will be chosen at random and notified by Monday, January 14th, 2013.
Disclosure: This contest is open only to U.S. residents due to shipping restrictions. Sam’s Club provided a membership and covered my food costs for the recipe, and is providing the prize, but all opinions are my own.