The World Table

An interactive culinary compendium: recipes, lexicon and study

Kentucky · Starter

Benedictine Spread

  • Easy
  • 20 min
  • roughly 2 of 4 for cost
  • Vegetarian

rich · bright Leads with richness that coats and comforts, acid holding everything up to the light.

Ingredients

  • 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, grated
  • 250g cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbsp grated onion
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • Salt and white pepper
  • A drop of green food coloring (traditional, optional)
  • White bread, crusts off

Equipment

Grater / zester

Allergen screen

Found: gluten · dairy · egg

Screened for: gluten, dairy, egg, nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, molluscs, soy, sesame, celery, mustard, lupin, alcohol. Not screened: sulphites.

Screened by keyword from the ingredient list, not reviewed by a person; check every label for what the list cannot show.

Method

  1. Grate the cucumber and onion, then squeeze both hard in a cloth to remove all their water: this is the crucial step.
  2. Beat the cream cheese smooth with the mayonnaise and lemon.
  3. Fold in the drained cucumber and onion.
  4. Season with salt and white pepper, and tint the palest green if you want the traditional look.
  5. Chill an hour. Spread on crustless white bread for tea sandwiches, or serve as a dip.

At the Table

The Pour
Alpine white (dry Riesling, Grüner)
Also Right
Champagne: bubbles scrub richness
From the Taps
Bière de garde
Zero-Proof
Sparkling apple

Melted cheese coats; acid and carbonation scrub: high-cut whites and Champagne keep the fondue from winning.

Saved on this device and kept across visits: export from My Menu to move them.

Film school

This dish, cooked on camera Search films of Benedictine Spread Search YouTube: J. Kenji López-Alt on Benedictine Spread A YouTube search for J. Kenji López-Alt and this dish. No affiliation.