It's not just for bagels, you know.
We have almost given up mayonnaise, cheddar, and muenster in favor of a thick layer of cream cheese on many of our sandwiches (and not just our favorite sprouts sandwich pictured above). Wanna know why?
In our opinion, cream cheese pulls double duty. It adds a slight tang, body, and flavor, just like a slice of cheese would do, and it also adds creaminess and moisture, like mayonnaise. Depending on how much you use, it's lower in calories than the other two combined, and bonus: it's tacky enough to keep slippery toppings (like cucumbers or sprouts) in place.
We think cream cheese works best with a vegetable or a turkey sandwich. So don't worry, we're not pushing it on your roast beef or chicken cutlet. And certain sandwiches really need mustard (although we don't mind the taste of cream cheese with mustard). But with some herb turkey and cucumber? Or this sandwich? Divine.
If you're stuck in a rut with the same sandwich every day, try this. We've been eating it for lunch every day for a week and we're not sick of it yet.
Related: How to Grow Your Own Alfalfa Sprouts, Part 1 and Part 2.
(Image: Elizabeth Passarella)
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Along the same lines, lebne is a pretty phenomenal smear on sandwiches.
I LOVE cream cheese. I eat more of it than is probably good for me. I stumbled upon the sandwich idea a while ago but haven't really been using it.
That being said, I think cream cheese studded with finely sliced green onions is amazing with beef. :) And herbed cream cheese with turkey? Divine.
I must admit I was always skeptical of the "less saturated fat than butter" because hardly anyone slathers half an inch of butter onto bread (unlike cream cheese), but when you're replacing both cheese and butter or mayo (or all three!) it really does have fewer calories. Especially if you use neufchatel.
In high school (many years ago), we use to go to an Asian sandwich shop that served roast beef & cream cheese sandwiches on a croissant with lettuce, tomato & pickles too. It was a strange combination but it works and is so tasty, mmmm!
of course you are so right! You can also use it in place of brie or just use brie :) This is one of my favorites: smoked salmon/red roasted pepper/brie sandwich.
Cream cheese, turkey & cranberry relish makes the best sammich ever.
when i was a kid, our go-to sandwich was peanut butter and cream cheese. still a favorite, and more delicious than you might think. it's really just a tangy version of peanut butter and fluff.
When I lived in Montreal, I was a fan of a restaurant that mostly did sandwiches, mostly with cream cheese. It was a revelation.
Cucumber, fresh basil mixed in with some sprouts packed into a pita pocket with a healthy smear of veggie cream cheese. Mmm. One of my favorite quick summer meals.
At one of my favorite sandwhich shops, Jonathan's in Alameda, CA, there is a sandwhich that uses cream cheese that they call the Friendly. It's a veggie sandwich with sprouts, red onions, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, swiss cheese and cream cheese on dark rye. It is heaven and when I miss home, I make it.
In high school my favorite summer lunch was a sandwich with cream cheese, sprouts, avocado, and cucumber and whole grain toast. I haven't had one in years. Maybe I'll make that happen again soon!
ah! you reminded me of a question: what's the difference between cream cheese and nuefchatel? i used to think that neufchatel was just a fancy word for cream cheese, but now i think they might be different. any ideas?
I would use goat cheese for all of the reasons you mentioned. I'm not a big fan of cream cheese. However, when I was a kid my mom used to make peanut butter and cream cheese sandwiches on graham crackers, SO GOOD!
Tuna and cream cheese are also very delicious. I actually like the combo on Portuguese sweet bread with raisins. I know, it doesn't sound very good, but everyone that has dared to try it loves it.
When I was a kid, one of the sandwiches my grandmother would often make for me was a mixture of cream cheese, chopped black olives and walnuts. Sometimes she'd add chopped chives as well. It was in the rotation with other mixed sandwich spreads like egg salad or tuna. She served it with lettuce (butter or iceberg, whichever we had that day) on toasted whole grain bread. It was simple and delicious. I haven't had or thought of this sandwich in ages...thanks for helping me recall this nice memory. :)
@ JDS and BetterBombshell... a local restaurant serves similar sandwiches to the ones you describe, except they grill theirs...resulting in a slight melting of the cream cheese, to a delicious creamy gooeyness. It is one of my favorite summer sandwiches....different every time I make it, depending on the veggies available...but my favorite is with just picked tomatoes, avacado, red onions, fresh, crunchy cukes, and sprouts, on a multi grain bread. Heaven!
oh, and don't forget the Cream cheese on that grilled veggie sandwich that I described above!!!!!!
Yum to all of the above.
My fave is cream cheese, sliced black olives and cuke on pumpernickel. Pump is my favorite bread.
Cream cheese is also divine in corn grits...make ya slap yo momma.
What is that bread? I have sourdough proofing but now I want whatever that is.
This is going to sound odd, but cream cheese & hot genoa salami makes for a great combination. I love it in the morning on an open-faced sandwich topped with a poached egg. Quite indulgent, but once in a while...
@SarahBerneche: Good gracious, that sounds ridiculously good!
I've been using Snofrisk cheese in this fashion lately. Two thick slices of ciabatta, snofrisk, smoked salmon, and radishes.
In addition to this, also think about using chevre; does the same thing (creamy tangy). I've actually be known to do a bagel with a schmear of chevre and chopped sundried tomatoes. Sooooo good.
I always use Toffuti cream cheese in my sandwiches :) It holds all the veggies in, and keeps the bread from getting soggy while waiting in my lunch bag.
Cream Cheese - good stuff.
Cheese - good stuff.
Mayo - good stuff.
Your statement: "Depending on how much you use, it's lower in calories than the other two combined,..." sent me to the fridge to look at the Calories/gram of the three things.
They are close, 3.5c/g - 4.5c/g. Don't get me wrong, they are good things but are so very close on fat content... I felt that you leaving the impression that cream cheese was a significantly lower fat alternative to the other two. If someone needs or wants to reduce fat intake cream cheese is not significantly different from other high-fat sandwich lubes. I guess the "depending on how much you use..." is the punch line.
If you want a thin coating, or are making a half sandwich, then a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese is another option. (Or, well, use two...what can I say?)
Ah, hungry. Need a sandwich now.
Oh, to add:
I go to a restaurant that makes a tasty sandwich of sliced turkey, swiss, red onion, lettuce, tomato and this ranch and poppyseed cream cheese mixture.
I forgot to add that the Friendly sandwich includes slices of cucumber.
Anyway, had a sandwich for dinner last night at a restaurant that I want to share: grilled anadama bread with cream cheese smear, avocado, black beans, salsa and cheddar. Yum, yum!
i tried this for lunch right now. Amazing! Whole wheat bread with cream cheese, alfalfa sprouts, and bell pepper. Not something I thought I'd be into, but I liked it a lot and would definitely make it again.
@kate_kate22 American Neufchâtel typically has 1/3 less fat than American Cream Cheese and tends to be softer.