Schmear – Once Upon a Chef

Schmear is a Yiddish word that refers to a spread that goes on a bagel. This one has just 3 ingredients, and it will take your bagel brunch up a notch.

Photo by Linda Xiao, Chronicle Books 2022

As you all know, I’m an avid cookbook collector, and right now I’m loving the new Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish (affiliate link) by Cathy Barrow. The book is filled with well-tested recipes and advice on how to achieve bagel brunch perfection – everything from step-by-step guides to making authentic, really good NY bagels (the secret, I learned, is not in the NY water like everyone thinks), to recipes for sweet and savory schmears, and many a nice piece of fish.

For the uninitiated, schmear is a Yiddish word that refers to a spread that goes on a bagel, as in cream cheese. But a schmear is not just any ordinary cream cheese. Cathy writes, “At the breakfast table, it’s perfectly acceptable to serve up a rectangular brick of Philadelphia cream cheese in its original form. It has the same familiarity as a cylinder of canned cranberry sauce on the Thanksgiving table. A bagel brunch, though, deserves a schmear, which is different from that block of cream cheese. It is more spreadable and creamy, and is the vehicle for flavorful additions.” This is Cathy’s basic schmear recipe, along with a delicious variation flavored with chives. With only three ingredients, it’s easy to make, and it will take your bagel brunch to the next level.

What You’ll Need For Schmear

Step-by-Step Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and lemon juice, increasing the speed as the ingredients combine, until fluffy, lightened, and spreadable, just 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively, use a medium mixing bowl and a stiff spoon to combine and then stir and whip vigorously to aerate and lighten the mixture.

If you’d like to make a chive cheese variation, add 1⁄2 tsp fresh lemon juice, 1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh chives, and 1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper.

Stir to combine.

Pack the schmear into a ramekin or two, cover, and chill until ready to serve. The plain schmear will keep for about a week in the refrigerator. The chive cheese will keep for about 2 days before its oniony flavor becomes overpowering.

Photo by Linda Xiao, Chronicle Books 2022

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