Eats: Horseradish-Cheese Spread

Hello! I don't recall horseradish being used much as a condiment when I was growing up, as my parents seemed to have a preference for mild-tasting foods. But somewhere along the way I acquired a taste for this pungent flavoring. 

From time to time I've purchased commercial versions of cheese spreads flavored with horseradish; just something to have on hand for a quick snack along with crackers. A couple of years ago I decided to try making this spread at home and turned to the Internet for a good recipe. 

I ended up using one of the simpler ones, which called for Velveeta cheese, horseradish and a few other ingredients. The recipe is named after a well-known cheese spread that originated in a Michigan restaurant called Win Schuler's. 

Win Schuler's Bar Cheese Spread (adapted from an unknown source)

1 pound Velveeta, cubed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 ounces prepared horseradish
8 drops Tabasco sauce, or to taste (I used more)
4 drops Worcestershire sauce, or to taste (I used more)

Melt Velveeta, then combine with remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste. Place in covered storage container and refrigerate until of spreading consistency. Serve with crackers, pretzels, etc. 

That's it. The recipe didn't mention how long the cheese spread would keep, but when I made it with commercial Velveeta, it seemed to keep forever. Supposedly, DIY Velveeta is supposed to be good for one month, so I'm guessing that's the optimal storage time for a spread made with it as well. Thus, I only made half of the above recipe.

MY DIY Velveeta worked fine, although the softness factor affected the consistency of the spread. Even after chilling for several hours, it was still more like a dip than a spread. However, I came to realize that the mistake was mine and not the DIY Velveeta recipe's. You see, I used unflavored gelatin that came from a bulk package and evidently wasn't careful enough when I weighed it out on my kitchen scale. I remeasured unflavored gelatin on the scale yesterday and learned that because of my previous error, I'd used less than half the amount of unflavored gelatin in my Velveeta clone. No wonder it had turned out too soft! 

Oh well, it still makes a good grilled cheese sandwich, and also made a tasty bar cheese spread (even if a bit on the thin side):

I don't think I've had the Win Schuler's product, so I don't know how close the recipe is to the real thing, but as a horseradish lover, it's good enough for me!