Watercress Cream Cheese Recipes

WATERCRESS DIP

Steps:

• In a food processor or blender, combine the first seven ingredients. Cover and process until finely chopped. Add cream cheese; process until creamy and blended. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with chips.

WATERCRESS CREAM CHEESE

Steps:

• Stir cream cheese and watercress in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

COLD CREAM OF WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan with olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and the watercress stems only and saute until wilted, about 10 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock and potatoes and season well with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare an ice water bath by partially filling your largest mixing bowl with ice cubes and water.
• In batches to avoid overfilling and splattering, ladle the soup into a blender or food processor, adding some of the creme fraiche and watercress leaves with each batch and reserving about 2 dozen whole leaves for a garnish. Puree each batch and transfer to a fine-meshed strainer held over a large mixing bowl that fits inside the ice water bath, using a rubber spatula to press the puree through the strainer. Taste the puree, adjust the seasonings, if necessary, with more salt and pepper, and stir in the lemon juice.
• Place the bowl of soup inside the ice water bath and chill it until cool, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Remove the bowl of soup from the ice water bath, dry its underside, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
• Before serving, taste the soup. If it is too thick, thin it with a little cold milk, chicken stock, or water, to a thick, creamy consistency. Adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Ladle into chilled bowls and decoratively garnish each serving with a few of the reserved watercress leaves.

GRILLED CHEESE AND WATERCRESS

Steps:

• Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. Make 4 sandwiches of sliced cheese, chopped greens and relish, distributing the ingredients evenly among them. Butter the outsides of the sammies with softened butter and cook in preheated pan until golden and cheese has melted.

HAM AND WATERCRESS CREPES

Steps:

• Make crêpes:
• Blend all crêpe ingredients except butter in a blender until smooth. Chill batter 30 minutes.
• Brush a 10-inch nonstick skillet with some butter, then heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Holding skillet off heat, pour in 1/4 cup batter, immediately swirling and tilting to create a thin, even layer. (If batter sets before skillet is coated, reduce heat slightly. Next crêpe will be better.) Return skillet to heat and cook until just set and pale golden around edges, 10 to 15 seconds.
• Flip crêpe carefully and cook until underside is just cooked through and pale golden, about 20 seconds more. Transfer crêpe to a large plate. Make 4 more with remaining batter (5 more if first crêpe stuck to skillet), buttering skillet each time and stacking crêpes on plate as made.
• Make cheese filling and assemble crêpes:
• Stir together cream cheese, butter, shallot, cumin, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth.
• Put 1 crêpe on a work surface and spread with 3 tablespoons cheese filling. Fold 3 ham slices in half crosswise and put over lower half of crêpe. Scatter 1/4 cup watercress over ham. Starting at end with ham, tightly roll up crêpe, enclosing ham and watercress, to form an 8-inch log. Make 4 more logs in same manner. Cut each log crosswise into 6 pieces.

WATERCRESS SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut 2 inches from the stems of the watercress. In a food processor, combine the watercress, egg yolk, lemon juice and salt and pepper. While processing drizzle in the olive oil. Keep sauce cool until serving. Place a dab of sauce aside each quail. Garnish plates with watercress.

WATERCRESS, RADISH AND CREAM-CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Wash and cut the radishes into wafer-thin slices. Spread the cream cheese on the slices of bread. Press 3 sprigs of watercress into the cream cheese on each slice of bread. Top each with a few slices of radish and salt lightly. Serve open-faced.

CREAM OF WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter and sauté onion until transparent.
• Add potato, watercress, milk and stock.
• Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes
• Blend in a processor.
• Add cream and seasoning. Heat if needed.

CHEESE & WATERCRESS SCRAMBLE

Steps:

• Split the soda farls and put them in a toaster or under the grill to toast on both sides. Meanwhile, beat together the eggs and milk with a good sprinkling of salt and some black pepper. Grate the cheese.
• Heat the butter in a small-to-medium-sized frying pan (preferably non-stick) and when melted add the tomatoes and cook them for about 3 minutes over a fairly high heat, shaking the pan occasionally until they start to soften and the skins split.
• Pour the eggs into the pan and leave them undisturbed for about 10 seconds. Stir and leave to settle again, then stir again until the eggs are almost scrambled. Sprinkle in the cheese, roughly chop and add the watercress, then take from the heat. Butter the farls and put on serving plates, pile the scramble on top and serve straight away.

WATERCRESS SPREAD

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend on high speed until smooth.

GOAT CHEESE AND WATERCRESS SANDWICHES

Steps:

• 1. In a medium bowl, fold chopped watercress leaves into goat cheese. Season to taste with salt. Spread mixture evenly over eight slices of bread. Top with remaining eight slices. Butter edges of sandwiches. Cut diagonally in half to make sixteen triangles.
• 2. Place walnuts on a plate. Dip buttered edges of sandwiches into nuts. Arrange sandwiches on a platter. Garnish with watercress sprigs.
• Sandwiches can be made up to four hours ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.