Hey, y'all! With Derby Season and summer upon us, one thing is sure in my Kentucky household: Benedictine is on the menu. Benedictine was created by Jennie Carter Benedict, a caterer and restaurateur from Derby City (Louisville, KY). She started catering in 1893 and opened a restaurant/tea room called Benedict's in 1900. While Benedictine has received international acclaim in publications, no one does it quite like we do in Kentucky. As such, I'm so thrilled to share my Benedictine Spread recipe with y'all today!
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This post is in partnership with Duke's Mayonnaise. All opinions expressed, as always, are my own. Thank you for supporting those that make JCP Eats possible!
Benedictine Spread: A Kentucky Classic
Benedictine is a deliciously light spread that combines cucumbers with cream cheese + mayonnaise. Many people traditionally used only cream cheese, though the addition of mayonnaise brings the spread to the correct consistency. Originally made as a spread for cucumber sandwiches, I - like many Kentuckians - toss diced cucumbers into the spread. It's perfect for the warm summer months; I most certainly eat it all summer long!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use an American or English Cucumber for this recipe, though I prefer to use English. The skin in thinner, they are usually sweeter, and don't have large seeds.
Many would say cucumber out of instinct. While the skin of the cucumber is green, a traditionally green benedictine spread has green food coloring added. That is purely an aesthetic choice and you can choose to color the spread or not (I do)!
Shopping List: Benedictine Spread
- English Cucumber
- purple onion
- cream cheese
- Duke's Mayonnaise
- hot sauce
- kosher salt
- garlic powder
- green food coloring
- white bread, for serving
How To Make Benedictine Spread
- Remove seeds from cucumber; diced into small pieces.
- Dice onion into small bits (tip: can pulse in a food processor!).
- Add cucumber, onion, cream cheese, Duke's Mayonnaise, hot sauce, kosher salt, and garlic powder into a bowl. Mix until well-combined. Taste and season additionally according to preference.
- Add 3-4 drops of green food coloring; mix + stir. Add until the benedictine has reached your desired level of greenness.
About Duke's Mayonnaise
Duke's is, hands down, the mayonnaise of the American South. It's the most commonly used ingredient in my kitchen and I always have a jar - or four - on deck. The southern legacy of Duke's goes back to Camp Sevier in 1917 and Eugenia Duke (Greenville, SC). Her sandwiches that were sold to army canteens during WWI were so legendary that army vets wrote to Eugenia years later begging for her sandwich recipes and jars of her delectable spread. Because of this, she began bottling it as a product on its own in 1923. Duke's is readily available in supermarkets around the US; you can also order online here.
The Recipe
Kentucky Benedictine Spread
Equipment
- Food Processor for chopping, optional
Ingredients
- 1 English Cucumber diced into small pieces
- ½ purple onion finely chopped
- 1 block cream cheese
- 3 tbsp. Duke's Mayonnaise
- 4-6 dashes hot sauce
- kosher salt to taste
- garlic powder to taste
- 3-4 drops green food coloring if desired for color
Instructions
- Remove seeds from cucumber; diced into small pieces.
- Dice onion into small bits (tip: can pulse in a food processor!).
- Add cucumber, onion, cream cheese, Duke's Mayonnaise, hot sauce, kosher salt, and garlic powder into a bowl. Mix until well-combined. Taste and season additionally according to preference.
- Add 3-4 drops of green food coloring; mix + stir. Add until the benedictine has reached your desired level of greenness.
Nutrition
Y’all come back now, ya hear?
My best,
JC
Keep Up With JCP Eats
Thank you so much for visiting the blog today! I’d love to keep in touch via social media. You can follow my content on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tik Tok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I also author a second website, Notable Kentucky, on which I write about all things of note in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Read Notable Kentucky here.
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