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Photograph of Liptauer - Sweet Paprika spiced Cheese Spread

Liptauer - Sweet Paprika Spiced Cheese Spread

A ridiculously moreish sweet paprika spiced cheese spread packed with gherkins, capers, caraway seeds, onions and mustard. Serves 4

Course Breakfast, dip, Lunch, Snack
Cuisine Austrian, Hungarian
Keyword capers, cheese spread, gherkins, paprika
Prep Time 10 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

Core ingredients:

  • 250g cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 40g/2 tablespoons sour cream or crème fraiche
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika – ideally Hungarian
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, whole or ground
  • 1¼ teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or red onion
  • 30g/5 cocktail gherkins, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and chopped

Optional extras:

  • ½ red pepper, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped anchovies
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (not traditional but delicious!)

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Finely chop the red onion/shallot, gherkins and capers.

  3. The caraway seeds can be served whole or make them into a powder using a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.

  4. Make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature and then beat, with an electric whisk until light and fluffy.

  5. Add the sour cream, paprika, caraway seeds, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper and beat again until mixed.

  6. Fold in the chopped red onion/shallot, gherkins and capers.

  7. Also fold in any additional ingredients – I have added finely chopped parsley and red pepper.

  8. Store in the fridge and serve:

    - on bread, ideally rye, pumpernickel, Kürbiskernbrot, (which is a light rye bread with pumpkin seeds) or bagels

    - as a dip with crackers and/or vegetable sticks 

    - as a filling for tomatoes, cooked mushrooms, celery or hard boiled eggs. (See Recipe Notes)

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • chopping board and knife
  • spice/coffee grinder or mortar and pestle, if necessary
  • electric whisk and mixing bowl

With hard boiled eggs:

Halve, remove the yolks, mash and mix with some liptauer and then spoon back into the egg whites.