What is the difference between cream cheese and creamy cheese?

I usually enjoy the grocery. The new trend in the US to give us healthier and fresher choices was something I thought was a good idea. Here, though they have open air markets twice per week in most communities and everything is fresh here. The bread, the vegies, the meats, the pastries, the desserts and even the cheese is less than a month old, and that is a good thing. There are no preservatives, and food either gets eaten or goes bad. So grocery shopping is pretty much a daily occurrence. I am doing all right for the most part with meat, cheese, juice, canned goods, toilet paper -- note these are all things that are easily identifiable. However, the milk, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, pudding battle is starting to drive me crazy. I can't quite figure out what is yogurt and what is sour cream. I bought some stuff that tastes like a cross between the two, and especially with a little sugar and some fresh strawberries is great - but I wonder what I am eating. It makes the low calorie choice really a conundrum. So, after staring at about 30 different products today, I realized, I am not up to this. I will have to call in help.

Move forward to March 12th and the upcoming St. Patrick's day. Well, in the states that is a great day for beer. Here too, I suppose, but more importantly, it is my husband's saint day, which means he has to take something in to share at work. It is really a lovely tradition - it doesn't get equated with being old, and you get to have a petite fete. So what does he want to take in to work? A Cheesecake! Made with cream cheese and ricotta cheese and butter and chocolate, etc. (See below for the recipe.)

Well now we do have a dilemma. Where do you get "cream cheese" in France? I mean most of the soft cheese is creamy cheese. There are some interesting websites that try to address this issue, and actually further complicate it, but Alyson will love it One Cheese for Each Day and Pat found a blog, written by a French women living in the states who was writing about finding acceptable American substitutions for beloved french ingredients. Estelle suggested in an email to Pat that we use St. Moret cheese instead of cream cheese, and at her suggestion I found Ricotta cheese.


The photo contains some of the products I purchased here to make the substitution for the typical American products you would use to make this recipe.

Here is that cheesecake recipe. It is from the old Quaker Granola cereal box - from back in the 1980s.
1.5 c 100% (Quaker)granola, crushed to 1.3 cups
3 T margarine, melted
2 T packed brown sugar
15 oz. ricotta cheese
16 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 c granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/4 t almond extract
1/2 cup granola
1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate pieces, melted

Heat oven to 350F. Combine crushed cereal, margarine and brown sugar; mix well. Press firmly onto bottom of ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.

Beat cheeses and granulated sugar at medium speed of electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in extract. Reserve 1/4 cup of cheese mixture; pour remaining into prepared crust. Combine remaining 1/2 cup cereal, chocolate and reserved cheese mixture; spoon over cheese filling. Swirl with knife blade to marble. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. (Don't go a second longer.) Reduce heat to 300F. Continue baking until center appears set (about 45 minutes). Cool completely before removing from pan. Chill 6 hours or overnight.

You might want to sprinkle some cereal and drizzle chocolate syrup on the plate.