Why is your husband so concerned about how much cream cheese you put on your bagel? You’re eating the bagel, so you can put however much cream cheese you want on it. The only time it should be an issue is if you’re almost out of cream cheese and he wants a bagel too and if you put 1/4" of cream cheese on your bagel there won’t be enough for his. Then it would make sense for him to get nosy about how much cream cheese is on your bagel. Otherwise I think he’s being an ass.
I used to get bagels at a now-closed deli that put a huge scoop of cream cheese on bagels. I do like cream cheese, but that was a bit much. It was probably at least 1/2" of cream cheese, maybe more. But that’s better than having a bagel with not enough cream cheese. I also like bagels very toasty. So that’s my vote–very toasted (but not quite burnt) with lots of cream cheese. But I live in the south, so maybe my opinion doesn’t count.
Note: Make sure we keep up the story that gefilte fish is disgusting so that they don’t do horrible things to that also.
I am from New York. I never toast bagels. If you can’t get them hot from the bagel store, but them in the toaster oven, whole, at 350 for about five minutes, and let them sit for a minute after turning off the heat to crisp up the skin. Then cut with a serrated butter knife, never a sharp knife so you get a nice uneven surface. Then put on cream cheese, not a think layer but not a quarter inch. (Delis put on too much out of guilt for charging too much for the bagel.) And nova lox if you have it. Or if you are lucky, whitefish.
I was at Murray’s a couple months back, and they filled that sucker up with cream cheese, sandwich style. I think they whip it, or something, because it’s somewhat lighter than what you get when you buy Philadelphia brand.
As a jalapeno addict I have to ask, where do you get jalapeno-cheese bagels and jalapeno cream cheese? Or at least can recommend a brand? I have never seen either of these at my local grocery stores. The bagels only come in a few flavors like onion or cinnamon-raisin, and cream cheese is only strawberry or chives.
I’ve gotten in a argument at bakeries before, where I wonder if I start to sound like Five Easy Pieces.
Me “I’d like a sesame bagel with cream cheese”
Down Counter: “Sesame with a schmear”
Me “No, Not a schmear, a layer of cream cheese detectable without a electron microscope. Start with a decent glob, then smush it around, none of this worthless schmear stuff.”
Him ‘A schmear is cream cheese’
Me "It’s not a matter of constitution, it’s a matter of application’.
Toasted medium, buttered, with lots of cream cheese, topped either with strawberry jam or smoked salmon. If the latter, I like to drizzle a little lemon juice over it and sprinkle on some dried dill as well. And I eat the whole damned thing in one go! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! :o
In Moscow, Russia, believe it or not, there used to be a Canadian Bagel Co. that sold bagels of all kinds; jalapeno cheese bagels (made with chunks of cheddar, probably) sound like something that would have been on their menu.
As for the cream cheese … how hard can it be to make at home? Take a spoonful of chopped jalapenos, mix them in with your tub of Philly, and viola!*
*Yes, this is an intentional misspelling. Humor! Arh-arh!
If I’m out and about, I usually get my bagel double-toasted because otherwise what you get is a slightly-warmed-but-not-crunchy bagel-- the absolute worst of all worlds! I don’t like sloppy, melty cream cheese so I prefer that on the side, so I can dole out a bit with each bite.
It’s even hard to get a real New York bagel here in New York anymore. Bagels these days are basically big rolls with a hole in the middle. A real bagel is small, dense, and very, very chewy.
If you poke a roll hard with your finger, it should spring back. If you poke a bagel hard with your finger, you might hurt your finger.
When I was in college, I worked for a while in a bakery. I remember the way they used to boil bagels in a large cauldron before putting them in the oven to bake.
I used to pick a couple out of the cauldron every morning and eat them that way with lots of butter for my breakfast. They were soft and chewy and delicious!
Real water bagels seem hard to find anywhere. I’ve had reasonable facsimiles without the hot water rising, but most have turned into something bagel-ish in shape, but not the real McCoy.
I don’t find a particular advantage to the purple stuff, although it’s usually milder, but not always. I’ll eat gefilte fish with anything a little spicy on it, or even without.
it’s true, it is disgusting, and no one should get the idea that it will ever be a popular dish or try to modify it to make it more appealing. Seriously, food scientists and marketers, don’t bother, it’s just awful, don’t even try, no one will ever eat that stuff.
Plain bagel toasted to a golden brown, thick schmeer of cream cheese, capers, and smoked salmon (lox in N.Alberta being a little tricky to come by) with a light squeeze of lemon. Heaven on a plate.
If you can get salmon you can make lox. Dry cure lox is as simple as can be, get a cut of salmon loin (the whole thing if you want), coat with a thick layer of coarse salt on both sides, wrap in plastic and keep in your fridge (or outside in N. Alberta in the summertime :)) for 48 hours, turning it over after 24 hours. Rinse off the salt, then soak in cold clean water, changing it every 15-30 minutes for an hour or two. A little longer if it’s a thick cut. Slice off a little piece to taste as it goes, but don’t leave too long or it goes wet and mushy. Rewrap in plastic and let it sit in the fridge for another 24 hours.
Hmm, never considered DIY. I’ve made gravlax before which I guess is almost the same. I have to admit I do like the smoky flavour offsetting the sweet of the cream cheese though.
