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Kentucky Benedictine spread
Cucumber and cream cheese spread
Pale green cucumber and cream cheese spread from Louisville
Benedictine was created by Louisville caterer Jennie Benedict around 1900 and is still spread on crustless tea sandwiches at Kentucky Derby parties and church luncheons all over the state. Grated cucumber and onion are squeezed dry and beaten into cream cheese, so the spread is cool, fresh and mildly oniony, traditionally tinted the palest green. Serve on white bread or as a dip with crackers and celery. Chef's tip: squeeze the cucumber in a clean tea towel until no more drips come out; wet cucumber makes it runny.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 1 cucumberpeeled, deseeded and finely grated
- ½ small onionfinely grated
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheesesoft
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh dill (optional)chopped
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Put the 1 cucumber and ½ small onion in a clean tea towel and squeeze hard over the sink until almost dry.
5 minStep 2: Beat the 8 oz full-fat cream cheese and 2 tbsp mayonnaise until smooth, then mix in the cucumber, onion, ¼ tsp salt, 1 pinch cayenne pepper and 1 tbsp fresh dill.
3 minStep 3: A common mistake is adding food colouring to make it bright green; a little squeezed cucumber juice gives the traditional pale tint. Chill for 1 hour before serving; it keeps 3 days.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kentucky Benedictine spread take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
- What can I use instead of small onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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