We have some friends that are the quintessential dinner hosts. They are great at creating a memorable feast and experience. Last year, Andrew served a whipped feta dip with an olive tapenade that was incredible. I had heard of whipped feta and I love feta. I also love olives, but I had not yet tried it. Andrew did an awesome job and I fell in love with what he did.
So I decided to make my own. After some trial and error, I knew what I liked in the dip and settled on a final recipe. I have made this quite a few times since. I can say that it is a popular appetizer that disappears quickly. I have been asked for the recipe many times, so I figured it was time to publish.
Please give it a try and let me know your thoughts!
Ingredients
Feta Cheese - The best feta for this is block sheep feta sold in a brine. I really like the feta sold at Costco for this.
Cream Cheese - I like the flavor profile that this adds, along with the additional creaminess.
Sour cream – This adds a nice tang and additional creaminess.
Lemon– I use both zest and juice. This adds a really nice pop of freshness and brightness.
Garlic
Instructions
Zest lemon and add to bowl of food processor
Juice half of lemon into food processor bowl
Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor bowl. Make sure the feta, cream cheese and sour cream are cold.
Blend on high for 4-5 minutes until the dip is creamy and smooth. Make sure to scrap the side of the bowl a few times.
If you do not have a food processor, I assume this will also work in a blender.
Serving Suggestions
Serving Ware
In the picture, I served this on a slate cheese board. I just spooned it on and swiped it with a spoon to create a bit of a valley to hold toppings.
I have also served this in a large flat bowl.
Toppings
My favorite topping is mixed olives. I generally chop up both kalamata and Spanish queen olives in a fairly large chop. You can certainly do this in a food processor, however, I do like rather large chunks and prefer to cut them by hand. I then also mix in a finely ground olive tapenade that I purchase at my local grocery store.
Sun dried tomato pesto is also an excellent and flavorful topping. I often make my own (Let me know if you would like my recipe), but I also always keep some store bought on hand because it makes a great pasta sauce for a quick dinner. Our favorite brand is Filippo Berio.
Basil Pesto really changes it up and adds a freshness. My recipe is in this pizza sauces post.
A simple drizzle of a quality extra virgin olive oil will allow the dip to stand on its own.
Chopped up roasted red bell peppers also make a great topping.
Additional Serving Thoughts
Our preferred pairing for the dip is Pita triangles. I really like pita as it does not distract from the flavors of the dip and also does not crumble.
You can also use crackers or crostini, just make sure that they are mild in flavor. I love a seeded cracker, but it just does not work here.
Note:
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