Nigella Lawson
If we're talking about family favorites, I couldn't leave liptauer out. It was the deli counter delicacy of my childhood and another eating item I'd all but forgotten about. But something made me remember it, and from taste-memory and some notes from the kitchen book inherited by my friend Olivia from her mother, I tried my hand at making it myself. I can confidently and categorically state that it's not some sentimental yearning that makes me want to see its comeback. You don't need to go in for the retro-molding here, just mix the ingredients and plonk them in a bowl if you like; but whatever, this glorious cream cheese, caper, caraway seed, and paprika combination, spread over sour black bread or — if you don't have the genetic taste for it — over slices of any dark or brown bread that you can get from the supermarket, is rhapsodically unbeatable.
I put a couple of cans on top of the liptauer to press it down while it's chilling. I don't feel it's crucial; I think I do this because my mother was always putting pâtés and such in the refrigerator with weights on.
Recipe notes
Back to topSee Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
Mother's Day Recipes From the World's Top Chefs
Even these culinary stars learned a thing or two from Mom
