Recipes: Over Cream Cheese

Yes, another over cream cheese.  It's my go-to when I need quick and delicious.  

I had no intention of sampling food this weekend.  All I planned was to wander TFM in search of Stonewall Kitchen's Maple Bacon Aioli.  It has not come in to the store yet, but I saw that one of my favorites - Stonewall Kitchen's Smoky Barbecue Aioli - was a "last chance" item. Fresh Market was no longer going to carry it.  Remember everyone's favorite recipe, Rotisserie Pork with Smoky Barbecue Aioli on White House Rolls?  Fantastic!  Anyway, Friday,  I decided I'd sample it out and took all the product off the shelf.  

Goat Cheese, Shrimp, and Smoky Barbecue Aioli
1 (8 oz.) log goat cheese
1/3 lb. shrimp, chopped
1/3 jar Stonewall Kitchen Smoky 
     Barbecue Aioli

Place goat cheese on a serving plate.  Top with shrimp, then aioli.  Serve.


Cream Cheese, Ham and Smoky Barbecue Aioli
8 oz. TFM cream cheese, softened
2 slices (¼ inch thick) Virginia baked ham, diced
1/3 jar Stonewall Kitchen Smokey Barbecue Aioli

Place cream cheese on a serving plate.  Top with ham, then aioli.  Serve.

My personal favorite was with ham.  Customer's favorite was with shrimp.  Regardless, sold all but 2 jars of Aioli.  Damn!  I wanted to sell out.  In any event, at TFM Midlo, the Stonewall Kitchen Smoky Barbecue Aioli is  no more.

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Since I was not able to sample the Smoky Barbecue Aioli on Saturday and I had diced ham left from Friday I had all Friday night to think "what to sample on Saturday?".  I decided on Stonewall Kitchen Apple Jalapeno Jelly over cream cheese with ham and smoked almonds.  It sounded fun in my mind, but ... Oh, what the heck.

Cream Cheese, Ham, Apple Jalapeno Jelly and Smoked Almonds

16 oz. TFM Cream Cheese, softened

2 slices (¼ inch thick) Virginia baked ham, diced
½  jar Stonewall Kitchen Apple Jalapeno Jelly
Smoked almonds, coarsely chopped

Place cream cheese on a serving plate.  Top with ham, then jelly.  Garnish with almonds.  Serve.

I prepared a quick sample of my recipe/idea and Nicole and I tasted.  It was, in my opinion ... good.  Nicole thought it was ... very good.  The smoked almonds were overpowered by the jelly, but the texture and crunch of the almonds was perfect. (So, use any nut  you would enjoy.) I put the finished dish on my table for sampling and ... who knew ... customers LOVED it.  "Yum" ...  "Delicious" ... "Excellent" ... "Perfect"  I was in shock but thrilled.  This recipe was the favorite of the weekend.