Whipped Goat Cheese and Chile Oil Dip
Description
Spicy, cheesy, delicious – pretty much the perfect appetizer! and Half Baked Harvest also has a version that involves warm olives, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. This tasty goodness is found in Tieghan Gerard’s newest book, ‘Half Baked Harvest – Quick & Cozy’ – and I show below the substitutions that I came up with when I couldn’t find Calabrian chile peppers – enjoy!
Ingredients
Chile Oil
1/3 c. olive oil
1 to 3 T. crushed Calabrian chile peppers, to taste – OR – 2 T. red pepper flakes + 1 t. smoked paprika
14 cloves of garlic, peeled
leaves from ~4 sprigs fresh thyme
leaves from ~4 sprigs fresh oregano
1 t. freshly ground pepper AND 1/2 t. kosher salt
Whipped Cheese
8 oz/250 g cream cheese, room temperature
10 oz/300 g goat cheese, room temperature
2 t. honey
For serving – fresh basil leaves, baguette slices, crackers, vegetables
Instructions
For the chile oil – preheat the oven to 400, and in a small baking dish combine the chile oil ingredients and bake for about 20 minutes until the garlic is soft and golden and the oil is sizzling. Set this aside to cool for several minutes. When it’s safe enough to handle, remove the garlic to a cutting board or small chopper, mince it, and then add it back into the oil.
For the cheese and serving – using your electric mixer (or a food processor), beat the cream cheese for a minute to smooth it out, then scrape down the bowl, add in the goat cheese and honey and beat again. Spoon the cheese mix evenly into a serving dish that will allow it to be spread in a shallow layer, then drizzle on all of the chile oil. Top with basil if you wish and serve it up with crusty bread to your crowd!
