Cream Cheese by President’s Choice

President's Choice Cream Cheese

I was reviewing some of my recent posts and developed a sense that my blog was beginning to drift into the unique, exotic and more expensive cheeses. Today’s post brings things back to center by exploring a food staple, at least in our home … Cream Cheese.  This is an affordable, and very versatile product.

Cream cheese is a soft white cheese with at least 33% milkfat and a moisture content of no more than 55%. Historical reference to cream cheese can be found going back to 1651 in France and 1754 in England. Cream cheese was first made in the United States in 1872 in New York City. In 1880 Philadelphia Cream Cheese was adopted as a brand name. It has been around a long time.

Cream cheese tastes good by itself. It is used as a spread on toast or bagels. It is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.

In Canada every Tim Horton’s offers a variety of flavoured cream cheeses to compliment their bagels.

Tim Horton's Bagel and Cream Cheese

Tim Horton's Cream Cheeses

Cream cheese is difficult to manufacture. Lactic acid bacteria are added to pasteurized and homogenized cow’s milk to catalyze a fermentation. At a critical point the milk begins to couagulate and the bacteria must be killed with temperature to maintain the cheese at the proper consistency. Guar and carob gums are added as stabilizers to prolong shelf life.

It’s not exotic, it’s not expensive, and it deserves attention simply because it is a delicious cheese.