Liptauer
Liptauer is a cheese spread from the old Austro-Hungarian empire, its name pointing to Liptov in today's Slovakia — the source of the sheep's cheese it was originally made with. It is a fixture on Viennese heuriger menus: curd cheese beaten with butter, sweet paprika, capers, onion, caraway and mustard, on dark bread with radishes and beer. The paprika gives it its pink colour and carries the flavour, so use fresh, deeply red paprika. The spread takes a quarter of an hour, but an hour in the fridge makes a real difference as the flavours come together.
Your own work in that: 15 min.
- Preparation 15 min
- Chilling 60 min
Step by step
0 / 8 donePrepare
Take the butter and cheese out half an hour ahead — cold butter will not beat smooth with the cheese.
Ingredients: 250 g full-fat curd cheese or bryndza · 130 g butter, soft · 2 tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ½ pcs onion, finely chopped · 1 tbsp capers, chopped · 1 tsp strong mustard · ½ tsp caraway, crushed · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Everything at room temperature.Beat the butter
Beat the butter with a fork or mixer until pale and fluffy.
Ingredients: 250 g full-fat curd cheese or bryndza · 130 g butter, soft · 2 tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ½ pcs onion, finely chopped · 1 tbsp capers, chopped · 1 tsp strong mustard · ½ tsp caraway, crushed · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Add the cheese
Add the curd cheese and beat until smooth. If the cheese is grainy, press it through a sieve first.
Ingredients: 250 g full-fat curd cheese or bryndza · 130 g butter, soft · 2 tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ½ pcs onion, finely chopped · 1 tbsp capers, chopped · 1 tsp strong mustard · ½ tsp caraway, crushed · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Add the paprika
Stir in both paprikas, the mustard and crushed caraway. The mixture turns pink at once.
Ingredients: 250 g full-fat curd cheese or bryndza · 130 g butter, soft · 2 tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ½ pcs onion, finely chopped · 1 tbsp capers, chopped · 1 tsp strong mustard · ½ tsp caraway, crushed · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Paprika turns the spread pink.Add onion and capers
Fold in the finely chopped onion and capers. If the onion is harsh, scald it with boiling water for a minute and drain first.
Ingredients: 250 g full-fat curd cheese or bryndza · 130 g butter, soft · 2 tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ½ pcs onion, finely chopped · 1 tbsp capers, chopped · 1 tsp strong mustard · ½ tsp caraway, crushed · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Season
Season with salt and pepper. Remember that capers and bryndza are salty, so go gently.
Ingredients: 250 g full-fat curd cheese or bryndza · 130 g butter, soft · 2 tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ½ pcs onion, finely chopped · 1 tbsp capers, chopped · 1 tsp strong mustard · ½ tsp caraway, crushed · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Chill
Transfer to a bowl or jar, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Ingredients: 250 g full-fat curd cheese or bryndza · 130 g butter, soft · 2 tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ½ pcs onion, finely chopped · 1 tbsp capers, chopped · 1 tsp strong mustard · ½ tsp caraway, crushed · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Serve
Take it out 15 minutes ahead, scatter with chives and serve with dark rye bread. Add radishes and pickled cucumber if you have them — that is how Vienna serves it.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp chives · 8 pcs rye bread
Dark bread and radishes — the classic pairing.
Before you start
With bryndza
The original uses salty, pungent sheep's bryndza. If you use it, leave out the salt and halve the capers. Bryndza sold outside Slovakia is often drier and saltier, so sieve it and beat it with the butter for longer to get a smooth spread.
A sharper version
Many Viennese places add chopped pickled cucumber, an anchovy or a pinch of chilli. Each changes the character, but the paprika and caraway must stay.
Storage
A spread with curd cheese and raw onion keeps 4 days in the fridge in a closed container. Do not freeze — the cheese separates.