Cremă de Brânză cu Mărar și Ceapă Verde
Cremă de Brânză cu Mărar și Ceapă Verde·(kre-muh de broon-zuh koo muh-rar shee chah-puh ver-deh)
Cămara Copilăriei (The Weeknight Pantry & Spreads)
In a Romanian home, the sharp, verdant scent of fresh dill and scallions hitting cool dairy is the smell of Saturday mornings and honest, unapologetic snacking. For a diaspora kid in an American suburb, it’s a visceral memory easily ruined by industrial cream cheese. True cremă de brânză isn't a gummy paste extruded from a plastic tub. It’s built on the crumbly, vibrant texture of fresh farmer’s cheese, cut with rich cultured cream, and mashed together by hand. The secret a Romanian grandmother knows is to aggressively drain the cheese, spike it with a little brined feta for a deep, savory punch, and keep the food processor in the cupboard.
Before you start
Aggressively drain the base cheese.
Water is the enemy of this emulsion. If using American whole-milk ricotta in place of farmer's cheese, you must let it drain in a fine-mesh sieve lined with paper towels for at least thirty minutes.
Ingredients
- farmer's cheese12 oz
- sheep's milk feta in brine4 oz
- crème fraîche1/2 cup
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- scallions4 med
- fresh dill1/2 cup
- kosher salt1 pinch
- black pepper1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Mash the drained farmer's cheese against the sides of a medium bowl using the back of a sturdy fork.
For an exceptionally luxurious, smooth texture without the gummy downside of a food processor, you can push the cheese through a fine wire-mesh sieve into the bowl first.
- 02
Crumble the feta directly into the bowl, then add the softened butter and crème fraîche.
Continue to mash and vigorously stir with your fork until the mixture comes together into a cohesive, spreadable paste that still looks rustic.
- 03
Fold in the finely chopped scallions and fresh dill.
Mix until the vibrant green specks are evenly distributed throughout the stark white cheese.
- 04
Season to taste with salt and pepper, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes.
The feta brings its own salt, so taste before aggressively seasoning. Resting allows the sharp allium oils from the scallions to permeate the dairy fats, mellowing their bite.
Notes
Serve generously over thick slices of crusty peasant bread.
It is traditionally flanked on a wooden board by wedges of ripe tomatoes, crisp radishes, and perhaps a slice of smoked bacon. It also makes a brilliant, quick stuffing for halved bell peppers.
From Cook Romanian in America.