The Lighter Side of Křenovou Pěnou (Horseradish Cream), an UnRecipe Recipe

In Prague last year, my husband (Poppa Trix) and I became addicted to a relatively simple dish: Prague ham with horseradish cream. This has proven to be a bit of a problem for two reasons: 1. Until recently, we despaired of finding a fair approximation for Prague ham in these parts, and 2. What with the cream cheese and whipped heavy cream, that horseradish cream is seriously fattening. Not that I usually obsess about that sort of thing, but ... I can't stop eating the stuff. Completely powerless.

The first problem was solved by a discovery I made at the recent Fancy Foods Show in DC. While nibbling on some delicious pork products at the Principe de San Daniele booth, one in particular reminded me of the papery-thin, perfectly (lightly) salted slices of cured goodness we had in Prague. No coincidence, as it turned out. The company rep told me that Principe is located in Trieste, which was once part of the Austro- Hungarian Empire, and is in fact the world's main producer of Prague ham. In the U.S., it's known as beech wood smoked ham. Score!

And now to solve the problem of the calorie bomb that is horseradish cream. I began with this very strong, very fresh Austrian horseradish, which I acquired at what turned out to be the fabulously inspiring Fancy Food Show:

Look at those happy Austrians.

Rather than cream cheese, I used quark, a light and tangy European white cheese, and in place of gobs of whipped heavy cream, I used a sparing amount of creme fraiche for a touch of sweetness. The proportions were roughly 8 ounces of quark, a few tablespoons of creme fraiche, and 5 or 6 very healthy handfuls of grated horseradish.

The result? In flavor, this was very like what I enjoyed in Prague, but a bit thinner and less fluffy, due to the lack of whipped heavy cream. That's a compromise I'm willing to accept, although making schinkenrolle like we had in Vienna was admittedly a bit tougher with my version, as you can see the horseradish cream beginning to spread out of its hammy confines:

Perhaps if I wake up 10 pounds thinner someday (it could happen) I will make myself a small trough of the cream cheese and heavy cream version, but until that day, this is a satisfying alternative in its own right.