Möhren-Frischkäse-Aufstrich (carrot cream cheese spread)
A carrot spread built on finely grated raw carrot rather than cooked, salted briefly first to draw out excess moisture, since raw carrot keeps a fresher, sweeter flavour than cooked carrot ever develops, but only if the extra water is dealt with before mixing. Squeezing the salted carrot dry by hand is what keeps the finished spread thick enough to hold on bread instead of weeping liquid.
Prep15 min
Rest10 min
Servings4
Christoph's carrot cream cheese spread, the raw carrot salted and squeezed dry so the finished spread stays thick.
Ingredients
Units
Temperature
Servings
Spread
- 250 g carrot, finely grated rounded
- 5 g fine salt, for salting the carrot rounded
- 200 g cream cheese rounded
- 1 garlic clove, grated rounded
- 10 g fresh chives rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Toss the grated carrot with the salt and let sit in a sieve for 10 minutes.
- Squeeze the salted carrot firmly by hand to remove as much liquid as possible.
- Combine the squeezed carrot, cream cheese, garlic and chives in a bowl. Mix thoroughly.
- Season with salt to taste. Chill before serving.
Notes
- Salt and squeeze the carrot before mixing. Raw carrot releases a surprising amount of water once salted; skipping this step leaves the spread too loose and prone to weeping liquid within an hour.
- Use raw carrot, not cooked. Raw carrot keeps a fresher, sweeter flavour that cooked carrot loses; the salting step is what makes raw carrot workable in a spread.
- Squeeze firmly by hand, not just a light press. A thorough squeeze is what actually gets the spread thick enough to hold a spoon upright.
- It keeps for 4 days in the fridge, though it’s best within the first 2 days while the carrot still has some crunch.
Ingredient substitutions
- Cream cheese can be quark for a lighter, tangier version.
- Chives can be swapped for finely chopped parsley or dill.
- A pinch of ground cumin adds a subtle warmth.
From Christoph Mayer