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Joan B.
January 7, 2018
I've never been enamored of the texture of commercial cream cheese. The stabilizers put me off. It is possible to find cream cheese on the west coast that has no stabilizers, and of course if you make it yourself it will have no stabilizers. The texture is more crumbly, which the stabilizers are there to counteract I suppose, but which I find much more appealing. I've never tried baking with it but highly recommend seeking it out or making it just once to see if you prefer the real deal for spreading on bagels or whatever.
sgoyette
January 2, 2018
Neufchâtel, as tge article you linked says, is similar to Brie, with a mild white rind. In France, cream cheese is "fromage à tartiner", or spreadable cheese. Neufchâtel that one sees in American stores is typically just lower fat cream cheese with a fancy name.
sgoyette
January 2, 2018
I learned this the hard way making carrot cake with friends in France. They bought Neufchâtel - aged, like Brie. I cut out its heart and made frosting anyway.
Catherine L.
January 3, 2018
Interesting! Yes, I'd read that it could be sold very fresh (similar to cream cheese) or aged with a rind like Brie. I've never tried *actual* Neufchatel cheese, but am eager to do so!
Elizabeth
January 2, 2018
Adding lactic acid bacteria causes the pH of the cream to decrease, not increase! Can't wait to try the butternut squash and spice cheesecake.
AntoniaJames
January 2, 2018
Berenbaum's pie crust recipe is terrific. I tried it for the first time over the holidays, strictly following the brief, for a lattice topped pear pie (fruit prep and baking methods adapted from recipes by Stella Parks and Kate McDermott, respectively). It was one of the best pies I've ever made - and I've made quite a few over the years!
Another great use for cream cheese is -- hold on -- mixed with butter and aromatics, either in the form of a traditional liptauer or this riff, what we call "anchovy cheese": https://food52.com/recipes/8098-anchovy-cheese ;o)
Another great use for cream cheese is -- hold on -- mixed with butter and aromatics, either in the form of a traditional liptauer or this riff, what we call "anchovy cheese": https://food52.com/recipes/8098-anchovy-cheese ;o)
See what other Food52 readers are saying.