Tropical Guava Swirl Cream Cheese
Queso Crema con Guayaba·(keh-so kreh-mah kohn gwah-yah-bah)
Chapter 2 — Cream Cheeses & Schmears: The Emulsified Foundation
This isn't just sweet cream cheese; it's the unapologetic collision of the Ashkenazi deli and the Cuban pastelito, born in Miami and perfected for the modern bagel shop. We are taking dense, pectin-rich guava paste, melting it down with a hit of fresh lime, and folding it into a rigorously aerated, seltzer-whipped schmear. It is an emulsion of two diasporas, perfectly balanced between lactic tang and tropical sugar, and it commands respect.
Before you start
Equipment check.
Ensure your 5-to-7-quart stand mixer is fitted with the whisk attachment. If your kitchen is extremely cold, you may need to start beating the cream cheese with the paddle attachment before switching to the whisk.
Ingredients
- full-fat cream cheese16 oz
- unflavored seltzer water2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 pinch
- guava paste6 oz
- warm water1 1/2 tbsp
- fresh lime juice1 tsp
Method
- 01
Melt the guava paste.
Place the cubed guava paste into a small saucepan over medium-low heat with the warm water and fresh lime juice. Stir continuously with a silicone spatula for 4 to 5 minutes until the pectin bonds break down, mashing any stubborn lumps until you achieve a thick, glossy, jam-like consistency.
- 02
Cool the reduction entirely.
Transfer the melted guava to a shallow bowl and let it sit until it reaches room temperature. This is non-negotiable, as introducing hot guava to aerated cream cheese will melt the milk fats and instantly collapse your schmear into a greasy soup.
- 03
Plasticize the cream cheese.
Place the softened cream cheese and kosher salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start on low to prevent splashing, then rapidly increase to medium-high and whip for exactly 3 minutes before stopping to meticulously scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- 04
Aerate the schmear with seltzer.
Turn the mixer back to high and slowly stream in the ice-cold seltzer water. The carbonation will integrate into the fat matrix, turning the dense cheese into a bright white, voluminous cloud, which you should whip for an additional 2 minutes until it holds peaks.
- 05
Marble the mixture.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and dollop the cooled guava paste over the surface of the whipped cream cheese in distinct pools. Take a large rubber spatula and cut down through the center, folding the mixture over itself, then turn the bowl 90 degrees, repeat exactly one more time, and stop immediately to preserve stark ribbons of deep pink.
Notes
The Miami King sandwich build.
Slice an everything or salt bagel horizontally and apply a generous 3/4-inch thick layer of the guava swirl cream cheese to the bottom half. Press a heavy handful of Cuban shoestring potato sticks directly into the schmear to anchor them, layer with two slices of thick-cut applewood smoked bacon and a runny sunny-side-up egg, crown with the top half, and slice completely in half on a bias.
The scooped alternative.
If you prefer a scooped bagel, use your thumbs to hollow out the dense crumb from the top half of the bagel only to create a structural dome for the runny egg yolk. Do not scoop the bottom, as it must maintain structural integrity to hold the schmear.
Storage protocol.
Pack the finished schmear into 16-ounce plastic deli containers. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the fat to restabilize, and keep it for up to 7 days.