Served with pumpernickel fingers and rye squares, this cool, creamy, refreshing dip is a Kentucky Derby classic. It does take a bit of time to grate the cucumber and onion and wring out the water, but it’s well worth it. I look forward to using this “dip” as a spread on sandwiches, too. It’d be a delicious spread on Jewish rye with tender slices of roast beef…or spread on a nutty multigrain bread and layered with fresh vegetables.
There are other ideas you could try with this, such as hollowing out the middle of a pumpernickel loaf and serving it in the bread “bowl” or adding some dill. I actually had a pumpernickel loaf, but it was too large to be adequately filled with the amount of dip this recipe makes – which is about two cups. I didn’t manage to get a great photo of the dip before setting it out on the food table, but we had baskets of pumpernickel fingers and also rye tea sandwich squares.
Benedictine Dip (adapted from Chow.com)
Ingredients:
- 1 large English cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and seeded
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 Tbs. Tabasco Green Jalapeño Pepper Sauce
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- Grate cucumber and onion on the large holes of a box grater. Squeeze both with your hands to remove as much moisture as possible. Place in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and press several times with a rubber spatula to drain the last of the water; set aside for 5 minutes.
- Place cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth, about 1 minute. Press on cucumber-onion mixture once more to drain out any remaining water, and then add to the cream cheese. Add remaining ingredients, season with freshly ground black pepper, and stir until well combined. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Serve with toasted bread fingers, fresh vegetables, or as a spread on sandwiches.
Rants, Raves, and Rations 