Herb Cheese Dip - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's drip and dip season here in Oregon. Rain and football seem to go hand in hand and those games are a great excuse to make a dip whose roots can be found in Lyons, France. There the dip is made with fromage blanc. Rest easy in the knowledge that cottage cheese will work nearly as well and that the herbs needed to make it can all be found in your neighborhood grocery store. It was originally intended to be used as a dip for raw vegetables, but I've found it to be a wonderful sandwich spread as well. As you scan the recipe ingredients you'll find it to be a healthy and figure friendly addition to your snack repertoire. The recipe, developed by Patricia Wells, is easy to make, but the cheese needs to drain for a day or two before it is served, so wait time will have to be factored into your game plan. This also gives the flavors of the herbs an opportunity to permeate the cheese. If you have a particularly macho crew for game day, you might want to omit the vegetables and serve the dip as a spread on rounds of rye bread that are topped with salami or other deli meats. It would also be wonderful as a spread on thick slices of crusty peasant bread. The dip can be made several days in advance of serving and you probably won't have leftovers to worry about. Here's the recipe.

Herb Cheese Dip...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Patricia Wells

Ingredients:
2 cups full-fat or low-fat cottage cheese
2 shallots, peeled and minced
1 plump, fresh garlic clove, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons fresh chives, snipped with a scissors
3 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, snipped with a scissors
3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, snipped with a scissors
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, carefully stemmed
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 teaspoon best-quality sherry wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Mixed fresh herbs, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1) Place cottage cheese in bowl of a food processor and pulse once, just long enough to break up cheese curds. Add shallots, garlic, chives, tarragon, parsley, and thyme, and process very briefly, pulsing only to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse once again to distribute the seasonings.
2) Transfer mixture to a cheesecloth-lined large sieve set over a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
3) Remove cheese from refrigerator. Discard any liquid that has drained from the sieve. Transfer cheese to bowl of a food processor. Add wine, vinegar, and oil, and pulse to blend. Taste for seasoning. Transfer to a small bowl. Serve at room temperature. Yield: 2 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Blue Cheese and Bacon Dip - Easy Appetizers
Smoked Salmon Cheese Spread - Drick's Rambling Cafe
Hummus - Anja's Food 4 Thought
Taramosalata - Kalofagas
Warm Black Bean Dip - One Perfect Bite
Blue Cheese Dip - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday