Creole cream cheese facts for kids
Creole cream cheese tart topped with strawberry sorbet
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| Type | Farmer cheese |
|---|---|
| Course | Breakfast |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | New Orleans |
| Invented | 1800s |
| Main ingredients | Skim milk, buttermilk and rennet |
Creole cream cheese is a special kind of farmer cheese that comes from the New Orleans area. It's made from skim milk, buttermilk, and something called rennet. It tastes mild, a little bit tart, and a little bit sweet. People often mix it with cream, sugar, and fruit to enjoy as a dessert. It's also a key ingredient in making delicious Creole cream cheese ice cream.
Traditionally, families ate it for breakfast. They would serve it with cream, fruit, or sugar. You can also put it on toast with butter, salt, and pepper.
Contents
History of Creole Cream Cheese
According to Mauthe's Progress Milk Barn, an artisan dairy, Creole cream cheese started in the 1800s. It was created by people of French background. Instead of making curds in the usual way, they would hang a special mixture called clabber in a mesh bag. They would hang it in a tree and let the liquid, called whey, drain out.
Creole cream cheese was usually served in a bowl. Cream was poured over it. Some people ate it on French bread. Others in the Southern United States enjoyed it on cornbread.
This unique cheese is listed in the Ark of Taste. This is an international list of heritage foods that are in danger of disappearing. The global Slow Food movement keeps this list.
The popularity of Creole cream cheese went down in the second half of the 1900s. It became hard to find. Several dairies in South Louisiana used to sell it. These included Borden's, Gold Seal, and Barbe's. The Gold Seal Creamery was the last factory in New Orleans to make it. It operated from about 1920 to 1986.
The Comeback of Creole Cream Cheese
Recently, Creole cream cheese has become popular again. Chef David Guas, who is from New Orleans, offers it at his Bayou Bakery. His bakery is in Arlington, Virginia. He serves it with buttermilk biscuits and pepper jelly.
The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) featured Creole cream cheese in 2012. It was part of their "Art You Can Eat" demonstrations. Chef Leah Chase showed how to make it. Poppy Tooker has also helped bring this dish back. You can find instructions on how to make it at home in the Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine.
The Mauthe family from McComb, Mississippi also helped bring it back. They run the Progress Milk Barn. They even have a cheesecake recipe using Creole cream cheese.
Creole Cream Cheese Ice Cream
Creole cream cheese ice cream is another special tradition from Louisiana. In the past, the USDA added rules for milk and cheese production. This made it harder to produce the ice cream.
The ice cream flavor used to be available at K&B drugstores. Other past makers include Brown's Dairy in New Orleans.
Today, you can still find this unique ice cream. John Besh offers a Creole cream cheese red velvet ice cream. You can find it at his Soda Shop in the National World War II Museum. Mam's House of Ice in Houston also sells Creole Cream Cheese ice cream.
Baskin-Robbins offered the flavor in 2011 and 2012. In April 2013, Blue Bell Creameries brought the flavor back. They sold it in Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast region. In 2018, they released it again in the Pine Belt area of Mississippi. The New Orleans Ice Cream Company also makes a version of this ice cream.
See also
In Spanish: Queso crema criollo para niños
