Liptauer?

[ziggles]

I am in search of the best recipe for liptauer spread. My experience with this stuff is relatively limited, but really amazing. I first encountered this (and related spreads) at Dano's Heuriger on Seneca Lake (Finger Lakes of NY). I highly recommend this place if you're ever in the area: www.danosonseneca.com

Anyway, ever since my first (and many subsequent) visits, I have wanted to make Liptauer. I decided to do it for a party this weekend and have been searching for recipes, but there is such a diversity. I found one by Nigella Lawson, but I'm a tad skeptical of her use of cottage cheese:http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/...

Does anyone have a foolproof recipe for this great spread? I was hoping to avoid using anchovies to make it vegetarian, but if these are essential, so be it.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[DockPotato]

Lipto cheese is, I understand, a Hungarian feta type cheese made from sheep's milk. Elsewhere is it known as Brinsli?

I've not tried the real thing. Mostly I use cream cheese. Goat or sheep feta will get me there too.

Google "Korozott" and you will find a wealth of recipes. I distilled them into this version which draws no complaints.

Bring to room temperature and cream together in a bowl until well blended:
* 8 oz sheep Feta cheese or goat Feta cheese or plain cream cheese
* 1/2 cup soft butter
* 3 tbs. thick sour cream
Then mix in to the above:
* 2 mashed anchovy fillets
* 1 tsp mashed capers
* 2 tbs beer
Add to cheese mixture and blend ingredients thoroughly:
* 1 tbs finely chopped onion
* 1 tbs dry mustard
* 1 1/2 - 2 tbs Hungarian sweet paprika
* 1 tsp. caraway seeds smashed or bruised to release flavor
* 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste

Can be eaten immediately, but best to let flavors mingle overnight.

[draughtmanus]

Liptauer has long been a fixture of various Central European cuisines, but it actually originated in Slovakia, hence the name "Liptauer", the German name for the region "Liptov".

I mention this as more than a mere curiosity, for the Liptauer made in Slovakia is a different beast altogether, due to the inclusion of the tangy and flavorful Slovak soft cheese "bryndza" ("bremsen" in German, . If you can find it, it really does take the dish to a new level. If you can't, I recommend substituting a mix of cream cheese or ricotta with a soft, salty feta. This is my usual recipe:

- 1/2 lb. (200 grams) bryndza or ricotta/feta mix
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt (more or less, depending on desired creaminess)
- 1 tbs sweet paprika (or more, depending on how flavorful/colorful your paprika is)
- 1 tsp bruised caraway seeds
- salt to taste

The inclusion of the tangy bryndza removes the needs for pickles or anchovies. This is especially excellent with dark rye bread, radishes, and beer.

Incidentally, the Slovak name for Liptauer is "Šmirkas" (sounds like shmear-kahs)

[ChristinaMason]

By the way, I think you could sub. for the anchovy paste with a splash of vegetarian fish sauce, Bragg's amino acids, or soy sauce. I suspect you could even omit it without missing it too much. The recipe doesn't call for much.

[sagestrat]

Yum. I forgot about this, and it's the perfect time around the holidays to make some. I've always used Nigella's recipe with good results--as long as there are pumpernickel bagels around.

[Gio]

There's a pretty good recipe at The Spendid Tables site:
http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/...

It's adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe....

[ChristinaMason]

Ok, I adjusted the German recipe and blogged it here: http://culinspiration.wordpress.com/2...

I can highly recommend!

[ziggles]

wow christina....this is way more detail than I ever hoped for! thanks for trying the recipe and providing all of the great background info on your blog!

[ChristinaMason]

LOL, maybe TMI on the first kiss thing. Anyway, I hope you try it and like the recipe. It's very very similar to what I had in Austria and recently at a restaurant here in Germany. Please post a comment about how it goes!

[ChristinaMason]

50 g Butter
250 g Quark (available at Whole Foods; if you can't find it, sub fromage blanc or 2 parts ricotta and 1 part sour cream)
½ Onion, finely minced
50 g Pickles, finely minced (in Germany they are sweet-sour, so perhaps combine equal amounts dill and bread and butter pickles)
1.5 Tbsp. Sweet Hungarian Paprika
1 tsp. German mustard
1 tsp. Anchovy paste or finely minced anchovies, optional
1 tsp. Tomato paste, optional
1 tsp. Capers, chopped, optional
1 tsp. Chives, snipped, optional
1 pinch Cayenne, optional
½ Clove garlic, minced, optional
Salt & pepper, to taste

Mix the butter and quark and fold in the remaining ingredients. Serve with soft pretzels or German rye bread. The recipe notes that Liptauer was originally made in Austria using farmer's cheese made from goat's milk. If you can find that, give it a shot!

Source: translated from http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/648871...

[ChristinaMason]

p.s. my friend is hosting a beer and pretzel party tomorrow night, and I think I'll bring Liptauer. So I'll try this recipe and let you know whether it's good!

[bushwickgirl]

It seems cottage cheese is a key ingredient in Liptauer but you can sub farmer's cheese easily 1:1.
Why not try smoked paprika instead of regular?

[Nyleve]

Smoked paprika is a Spanish product - Hungarians wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole. My parents were Hungarian and so I know from judgemental.

[bushwickgirl]

Just a suggestion...Actually, I don't know what I was thinking, it was 4am and something about a sub for the anchovies, which the OP wanted to possibly avoid. Not that smoked paprika is any kind of sub for anchovies, LOL.

[ChristinaMason]

teehee. i wondered.

[Nyleve]

Forgiven. I'm not anywhere near as Hungarocentric as my mother was.

[todao]

You don't necessarily need to use anchovies in Liptauer spread, just increase the amount of capers slightly. You can also forget about the paprika (if it's in your recipe) and add color (and a bit of unique flavor) using saffron. Saffron is not unusual for other Hungarian recipes so it shouldn't violate too many purist ideas of how to prepare this one.

[ChristinaMason]

Sorry, Hungarian paprika is a key ingredient and primary flavor note in this spread. That's like saying you could sub Ovaltine for chocolate in hot chocolate: it just shouldn't be done!

I found a recipe in German that looks authentic for Austro-Hungarian Liptauer. Please hang on while I translate it for you :)