Liptauer Cheese

Ingredients:

1 cup cottage cheese
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
½ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 baguette, thinly sliced and toasted.

Directions:
1. With the back of a spoon, press the cottage cheese through a fine sieve into a mixing bowl.

2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter on medium speed. Beat in the cottage cheese, paprika, a generous grinding of black pepper, the salt, caraway seeds, mustard, capers, onion and sour cream until it forms a smooth paste.

3. Spoon it into a 1 ½ -cup bowl lined with plastic wrap. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until set. Unmold onto a platter and sprinkle with chives. Serve with baguette slices or crackers. Makes 1 ½ cups.

NOTE: To make a Liptauer dip, stir an extra ¼ cup sour cream into the paste. Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with chives. Serve with crudités.

Serves 8.