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.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 4 cups

　　18 ounces cream cheese

　　2 1/4 cups cottage cheese

　　4 to 5 tablespoons capers

　　8 cornichons, chopped

　　3 teaspoons paprika

　　Pinch of salt

　　Good grating of black pepper

　　2 teaspoons caraway seeds

　　2 teaspoons French mustard

　　1 to 2 tablespoons flavorless vegetable oil

　　Fat pinch of paprika

　　

Step 1

1. Beat the cream cheese and cottage cheese together until they are very smooth. Add the capers, cornichons, paprika, salt, pepper, caraway seeds, and mustard. Mix together well and turn into a 1-quart bowl lined with plastic wrap for easier unmolding later. Smooth the top with a spatula and cover with the overhanging plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator to set.

　　

Step 2

2. When it has become cold enough to turn out — a few hours should do it — unwrap the folded-over plastic wrap on top, place a plate over the now uncovered bowl, turn it over, and unmold. Pull the plastic wrap off and drizzle over a rust-red ooze made by mixing the oil with the paprika.

　　

Step 3

**3.**Serve this with bread or poppy-seed bagels, gherkins, and, if you like, some chopped red onions.

　　Mom's Tip

　　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.

　　Excerpted from Mom's Secret Recipe File by Chris Styler. Copyright ©2004 by Chris Styler. All Rights Reserved.Published by Hyperion.