Benedictine Spread Recipes

Steps:

• Process cucumber chunks in a food processor until finely chopped. Put chopped cucumber and white onion in a piece of cheesecloth and twist to squeeze into a bowl as much liquid as possible from the vegetables, reserving the liquid.
• Assure the food processor bowl is dry before returning cucumber and onion mixture to the food processor. Add cream cheese, dill, hot pepper sauce, green food coloring, and cayenne pepper. Process the mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor bowl a few times to make sure everything is integrated. If too thick, add reserved liquid a teaspoon at a time.

Steps:

• Grate the unpeeled cucumbers on a box grater. Wrap in a kitchen towel and wring out any excess liquid.
• Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and hot sauce in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cucumbers, chives, parsley, dill and scallions and pulse, stopping to scrape down the sides several times, until pale green and almost smooth. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
• Spread the Benedictine on the zucchini and squash slices and garnish with reserved dill fronds.

Steps:

• To get the juice, peel and grate a cucumber, then wrap in a clean dish towel and squeeze juice into a dish.
• Discard pulp.
• Do the same for the onion.
• Mix all ingredients with a fork until well blended. Using a blender will make the spread too runny.

Steps:

• Place cream cheese in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Wrap cucumber in cheesecloth, then squeeze out and discard juice. Add cucumber to cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Wrap onions in cheesecloth and squeeze juice into cream cheese mixture, then discard onions. Mix mayonnaise and Tabasco sauce into cream cheese mixture. Season to taste with salt, then add 1 drop food coloring and mix well. Serve on thinly sliced white sandwich bread, topped with another slice of bread, trimmed, and cut into finger sandwiches.

Steps:

• Grate cucumber and drain in a fine mesh sieve. Combine cucumber, cream cheese, onion, salt, mayonnaise, sour cream and food coloring (if using) in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and add chopped dill. Taste for seasoning. Serve with crudite.

Steps:

• Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Allow to drain in a layer of cheesecloth in a mesh strainer fitted over a bowl. Squeeze to remove excess liquid.
• Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl and mix with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the cucumber and onion and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Steps:

• Finely grind cucumber pulp. Place in a piece of cheesecloth and press out juice until pulp is fairly dry. In a mixing bowl mash cheese with a fork. Work cucumber pulp into cheese, add onion, salt and Tabasco sauce. Add enough mayonaise to make a smooth, easy to spread filling. Add just enough food coloring to make cheese a pale green.