Creating Christmas Meal Using Philadelphia Cream Cheese
December 11, 2014
When I started using Philadelphia Cream Cheese many years back, I see it only as a baking staple. My first bake using Philadelphia Cream Cheese was Blueberry Cheesecake. But subsequently, I realize the soft and mild tasting Philadelphia Cream Cheese is actually very versatile! With 60 percent less fat than butter or margarine, Philadelphia Cream Cheese is a delicious alternative for spreading, cooking or entertaining.
It can be added to any dish from sweet to savoury and everything in between. Newbie cooks can try adding it to basic dishes like pasta sauces, mashed potato and dips as an easy way to add a luxurious, creamy dimension. More experienced and adventurous cooks are encouraged to use Philly in creative ways to enhance the flavours of their cooking. E.g. sauces to accompany meats, stuffing for roasts, all kinds of bakes (cookies, muffins, cheesecakes) and desserts (puddings, parfaits, etc)
In this blogpost, I share with you 3 simple Christmas recipes that you can create at home using Philadelphia Cream Cheese. You can view more recipes from either www.phillycom.au or www.philadelphia.co.uk ENJOY!
Consisting of many tiny granules made from steamed and dried durum wheat, cous cous has become a popular alternative to rice and pasta. I have started to replace white rice with cous cous. It has a light fluffy texture which is a little bland in flavour but which readily soaks up the flavours of other ingredients. Cous cous is readily available from supermarkets and is very quick and convenient. All you have to do is to add it to boiling water to create light fluffy grains. In this vegetarian recipe, I use red peppers and zucchini to bring flavours to cous cous. Red and green – perfect for Christmas!
Ingredients
- 4 red peppers
- 60 g couscous
- 200 g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- 80 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 zucchini
- 1 bread loaf sliced
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Cut the peppers in half lengthways, removing seeds and stalk and place onto a baking tray.
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Place the couscous into a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to just cover, leave for 5 minutes for the grains to swell and all of the liquid to be absorbed.
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Mix Philadelphia Cream Cheese with the tomatoes, cous cous and zucchini. Spoon into the peppers and bake for 20 minutes until the peppers are cooked through and lightly browned. Serve with bread.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Philadelphia Website
This homemade chicken goujons recipe is one of the best easy children’s recipes for busy mums. Tender chunks of chicken is coated with Philadelphia Cream Cheese which gives some moisture to the meat. If you don’t have an oven at home, deep fry it too golden brown.
Ingredients
- 60 g breadcrumbs
- 15 g chopped hazelnut
- 60 g Philadephia Cream Cheese
- some chives mined
- 240 g mini chicken breast fillets
- salad leaves for garnish
Instructions
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Preheat oven at 200 °C. Place the hazelnut into a processor and make into fine crumbs. Add in breadcrumbs and process again to mix together.
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Mix Philadelphia Cream Cheese with chives. Spread it evenly over the surface of the chicken and then coat well with the breadcrumb mixture.
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Place onto a lightly oiled baking tray and cook in an oven for approx 15- 20 minutes until golden and chicken is firm to the touch. Serve with salad.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Philadelphia Website
This brownie recipe makes wonderfully dense and fudgey chocolate brownies which are delicious all by themselves. My friends commented that it is more like chocolate bars! Very simple recipe, you can get it done within an hour. For an elegant dessert, add dried cherries to the batter. Have fun!
Ingredients
- 120 g butter
- 125 g dark chocolate chopped
- 180 g brown sugar
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 50 g plain flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 180 g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- 40 g caster sugar
Instructions
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Combine butter, chocolate and brown sugar in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until the chocolate and butter have melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the eggs.
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Add flour, cocoa and baking powder and stir until well combined. Pour into a greased and lined rectangular tin.
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Beat Philadelphia Cream Cheese and caster sugar until smooth and creamy. Spoon randomly over chocolate mixture and swirl with the tip of a knife. Bake at 180 °C for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Philadelphia Website
