Savory Cream Cheese Log

I made cream cheese from scratch and do not recommend it, as it takes a long time to do and the most likely results would only be equal to Philadelphia cream cheese you could buy in any supermarket. However, I had about 6 ounces of cream cheese to use up and decided to make a cream cheese log similar to what I saw in a YouTube video. I used an 8 oz brick of cream cheese combined with what I made. Using store bought cream cheese you can duplicate this in about an hour. It pairs well with sliced tomatoes and bagels.

Ingredients

• 12 Oz Philadelphia cream cheese (1 1/2 8-ounce bricks)

• 2 oz plain Greek yogurt

• 2 TBSP butter

• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

• 2 handfuls of fresh basil leaves (just the leaves), washed and blotted dry on paper towels

• 2 Oz pine nuts

• (optional) 6 anchovies

Directions

• Put the cream cheese, yogurt, butter, and olive oil in a food processor and run it until very smooth and creamy. Add more butter or olive oil, if needed. This will be lighter and creamier than the whipped cream cheese you could buy in a grocery store.

• Crumple up a sheet of wax paper, flatten it back out, and spread some olive oil over the center third (or spray with olive oil cooking spray).

• Scoop out the cream cheese and make a 2 inch thick log in the center of the wax paper, roll it up to make it cylindrical, and freeze for at least half an hour. It doesn’t have to be frozen, just firm.

• Meanwhile, chop up the pine nuts and anchovies with a sharp knife.

• After half an hour or so, remove the cream cheese log from the freezer, unroll it.

• With a sharp knife, cut 2 slits lengthwise the whole length so you can insert the filling. Cut only about halfway through.

• Press the pine nuts, anchovy pieces, and basil into the slit, evenly distributing them, then reseal the log by re-wrapping it in the wax paper.

• You may slice out sections of the log and use them immediately. Return the log to the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours before using again (it keeps better and retains its shape better in the freezer).