Benedictine Spread
Benedictine Spread! This Kentucky Derby classic is a cool, creamy spread used for tea sandwiches or served with pumpernickel toasts. It can also be thinned out with extra some sour cream or mayo to form a dipping consistency for crudites, chips, or crackers.
Servings: 1 cup
Ingredients
- 1 large English cucumber peeled, halved, seeded and grated
- ¼ cup medium white onion grated
- 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream {or Greek yogurt}
- 1 tablespoon Tabasco Green Jalapeño Pepper Sauce or regular hot sauce
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place grated cucumber and onion in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Press down to drain of excess water. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and let sit for 15 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator, pressing every so often to drain. {Alternatively, you can place the grated mixture in the center of a clean kitchen towel and twist to wring out as much water as possible.} Discard liquid.
- In the bowl of a mixer {or in a regular bowl with a wooden spoon}, combine drained cucumber, onion, cream cheese, sour cream and Tabasco. Beat until well combined.
- Taste and add salt to your liking. {Start with less & work your way up.}
- Scoop into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight if desired.
- Serve with pumpernickel toasts, veggies, or crackers.
Notes
- Benedictine usually calls for peeled cucumber, but I forgot to peel mine before grating. With English cucumbers, peeling is optional since they typically come wrapped, without a waxy coating, and have a thinner skin.
- I grate my veggies & cheeses using my food processor grating disk, but you can do it by hand using a box grater as well. {But who would want to?}
- Using Green Jalapeno Tabasco Sauce will help achieve that green tint that Benedictine is known for. I prefer this to using food coloring, but if you want to use a drop of green food coloring, go for it. This one is made without artificial colorants.