In yesterday’s post about bagelmaking, I mentioned briefly the bagel shop that I love so dearly. There are three locations of my beloved bagelry in town, but my most frequented is 1/4 block away from my office building. You walk in the door and are shuttled into a quick-moving line full of some townies and a TON of college students. You walk right past a million incredible desserts (s’mores bars!) and stand directly in front of the most glorious wall of freshly made bagels. A young college girl looks up over the counter and asks for your order. If I’m feeling healthy, it goes something like this:
Eleven grain. Toasted. With roasted red pepper.
But more often than not, it goes like this:
Asiago. Toasted. With roasted red pepper.
The Asiago bagel is life-changing. Cheesy, chewy and a total white-flour gut bomb. It is so incredible that it is worth the extra $0.75 I have to pay to get it in my mouth.
Regardless of the bagel of choice though, did you notice the constant up there? Roasted red pepper. Which, in non-bagel shop speak, translates to roasted red pepper parmesan cream cheese. A mouthful to say in a fast-moving bagel line, but how could I pass that up?
My favorite cream cheese got me thinking about generating my very own flavored cream cheeses. How hard could it be? What I found was that they were fun, easy and endlessly customizable. I have visions of serving brunch with a pile of bagels and a plethora of various homemade flavored cream cheeses.
But that would require me to entertain. And not be the recluse I am. Oh, and to clear the pseudo-photo studio I have constantly set up on my kitchen table.
Brunch vision squashed.
Anyway.
Today, I’m sharing my recipes for twoβroasted red pepper and parmesan and honey almond, but I highly recommend you expand and share! The only thing to keep in mind is texture. Too watery of an add-in does not a good cream cheese make. Start off slow with any add-ins that might make the cream cheese runny. You can always add more.
Babyface and I may, or may not have just polished off the last of the roasted red pepper parmesan cream cheese with crackers last night. Dipable!
Honey Almond Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1-8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch of Salt
Directions
- Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until well combined and slightly fluffy.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour to meld flavors and allow cream cheese to set back up.
Roasted Red Pepper Parmesan Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1-8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1-8 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained OR 1 red pepper, roasted, deseeded and peeled
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Pinch of Salt
Directions
- Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until well combined and slightly fluffy.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour to meld flavors and allow cream cheese to set back up.
What’s your favorite way to eat a bagel?
Roasted Red Pepper… MMMM! That looks sooo easy, too!
It was SO easy!
This got me thinking…veggie on the bottom yogurt. With red pepper of course. I wonder if anyone’s ever tried to make/sell/market that before. Your flavor CC combos sound rad! Maple walnut would be good too. : )
Oooh! That sounds interesting! You could package it with a single serving of carrots or crackers for dipping!
oh bbc, how i love you. i’ll be so sad when i have to move to my new office building where bbc is not within walking distance.
hard to pick a favorite when there are so many fabulous options. blueberry, toasted, little bit of butter. egg & cheddar on eleven grain. pretzel, toasted, veggie.
I just splurged on a sugar bomb. why do i insist on eating the entire thing knowing that it’s way too much. every time!
I’ve never had the pretzel one, but I always want to try it. But the Asiago just always wins. π
Let me know if you ever replicate BBC’s Artichoke Gouda Schmear! Nothing even close to BBC in central Florida!