Rethinking Cream Cheese Has Never Been So Easy

(This article appeared in the Winter 2020 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)

Sponsored by Savencia Cheese USA

Savencia Cheese USA asks you to rethink cream cheese with its new Smithfield Pourable Cream Cheese, a revolutionary product that is ready to use right out of the refrigerator. It is a product created with chefs in mind, because it was created by chefs, and they understand how valuable it is to save time in the kitchen. The prep work required for most cream cheese applications is significantly reduced, because there is no need for the cream cheese to be at room temperature to be fluid. It whips up beautifully, as partner at Food Startup Help and chef instructor Kathryn Gordon can attest after firsthand experience with the product. “There is no need to let your cream cheese sit out of hours and hours in advance,” she says, because it is pourable consistency even when refrigerator cold. There are no worries about straining out lumps either, making applications like cheesecake a breeze to create. No more messy sieves or beating endlessly to make cream cheese smooth. “You whisk your eggs and vanilla and sugar, and literally just add the cream cheese and you’re ready to go in your pans.  You have space savings and definitely labor savings.”  In pastry kitchens that face large volumes of products in small spaces, the benefit of saving significant prep time and space is invaluable.

Cheesecakes are just the beginning of the many applications possible with Smithfield Pourable Cream Cheese. Imagine not having to wait for hours at risk of a health code violation to wait for cream cheese to be spreadable, or wasting time waiting for an ice cream base to cool in order to churn it.  Because it is fluid and has a similar viscosity to many traditional bases when making ice cream, “you can just get going,” Chef Gordon notes. “The ice cream machine doesn’t over churn it, there are no funny textures.”   She has created simple mousse-like desserts that take to quenelle beautifully, and suggests experimenting with such applications as crème brûlée and pastry creams. The Pourable Cream Cheese can be infused as well, reacting best to strong flavors such as Earl Grey tea that can handle a thicker dairy product. And of course, traditional cream cheese applications such as frosting are just as simple and faster than block cream cheese, getting that carrot cake out to the pastry case faster and allowing a chef to move on to other tasks.

It can easily be used in conjunction with or as a substitute for any other similar thick dairy product such as sour cream, crème fraiche or mascarpone in recipes, which makes savory applications just as easy as sweet. Chef Gordon said simple savory dip recipes whipped with a paddle attachment in a mixer become a pipeable, spreadable consistency in no time. Crudité platters or crostini can get an upgrade in just a few minutes with a few herbs and a stir of the spatula. She said it’s “brilliant for hors d’oeuvres,” and because it takes to flavors so well, it would be adaptable to whatever savory combinations a chef may have in mind. Adding it to sauces is another creative idea. “It blends in as well as cream or butter,” she says. “It takes to flavor and stirring so easily.” Pourable Cream Cheese can be used for endless applications, making it versatile on either side of the kitchen right out of the refrigerator.

Smithfield products are made with all-natural ingredients, no fillers or additives. In fact, the Pourable Cream Cheese has identical ingredients to a traditional cream cheese, so it eliminates the concern of adding to an ingredient list or possibly affecting the recipe flavor or consistency. Chef Gordon also notes that because it doesn’t have any additives, Pourable Cream Cheese can be whipped at high speed and yet still avoids the gummy texture that some commercial-grade cream cheeses often end up having because of their additives. “I think it’s actually way easier to work with,” she concludes. All kitchens look for ways to save time and space, as well as look for versatile products that can spark creativity. Why not try a product that does all three and rethink cream cheese with Smithfield Pourable Cream Cheese?