Thursday, May 24, 2012

LYONNAISE GARLIC AND HERB CHEESE USED AS A VEGE DIP
Hubby makes a great vege dip that he shares with his friends every holiday season.  It began as an alternative to all the sweet treats going around the neighborhood, and it is an item that he can make really well without my input.  He uses a base of cream cheese and sour cream and adds minced onion, peppers, garlic, carrots, scallions, and other flavorful vegetables.  To that mixture he adds fresh herbs and seasonings.  This concoction ripens in the fridge for a day allowing all the flavors to come together.  Each year, several neighborhood young men who seem to know when Hubby is putting together his dip,  knock on our door requesting  their own LARGE container of this dip...not to be shared with their families.  I incorporated a couple of hubby’s seasoning ideas to make today’s cheese dip even more flavorful.

The Lyonaise Garlic  and Herb Cheese recipe that I used as a vege dip similar to Hubby’s was perfect for a hot summer day.   My neighbor, Bob, surprised me this morning with an armful of produce from his garden.  Sadly, it is his last picking of the season as the hot Summer temperatures have fried his plants.  He will grow his garden again beginning in the Fall...we are a little backwards from the rest of this country...most of you have a freeze, we have the roasting heat.

Early this morning I set out 2 cups of ricotta cheese in a mesh basket to drain.  Before dipping it out I poured off the liquid that had collected at the top of the container.  At that point, the cheese looked quite dry so I was surprised by all the liquid that had dripped out by the time I was ready to use it.    This neutral flavored ricotta cheese, suggested by Dorie as an alternative to her usual French cheese,  was the foundation for my dip. 

Instead of a shallot, I minced ½ a red onion, which I thought would impart a pretty color as well as savor.  Then I minced a clove of garlic,  splashed in the EVO, and added salt and pepper to taste.

From my garden I added chives, lemon tarragon, and the end of my parsley...it’s now too hot for all but the most heat-hardy items.

Then I tasted the dip.  It was blah...nothing special, even with all the flavorful herbs and minced vegetables.  After resting for an hour, the herbs, garlic, and onion did not impart much exciting flavor.


THIS HERBED CHEESE EASILY COMES TOGETHER
That’s when I used Hubby’s additions of a Tablespoon or two of soy sauce, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and a healthy pinch of cayenne pepper.  These additions did enhance the flavor without detracting from what I think this herb cheese is meant to be.  I later wished I had taken Hubby’s advice and also added minced red pepper which brings a sweetness and more flavor to this type of dish.  (Some of these additions added  more salt.  I might have easily added more “salt to taste” but I had previously added a good portion of salt and wanted something more.)

This herbed cheese can be thinned and used as a salad dressing, or it also goes well with breads or crackers.  I liked the idea of stuffing small tomatoes with this cheese and adding a drizzle of pesto sauce.  This idea sounds interesting to me and I plan to try it next time.  (I have 1/2 a container of Ricotta remaining to be used.)


DELICIOUS WITH FRESH VEGETABLES
This cheese is easy to put together and I can think of several uses, but it needs to be put with foods that are flavorful on their own and just need a condiment added.  For example: I think this cheese would be good spread onto large tortillas instead of commonly used cream cheese spread to begin a wrap.  With added thin sliced meats, cheeses, tomatoes, etc., this would come together in a good combination.  It would also be delicious used as an alternative to humus. Or instead of mayo on a BLT.  Or maybe with a stronger grated cheese added to the mix.  Or bacon.....

I look forward to seeing how you all used this cheese and to see if you made any good flavor additions.

Hope you all have a lovely Memorial weekend that includes good food and family along with honoring those who we appreciate and who we do not forget.

21 comments:

  1. I agree, Kris...it needed a flavor boost! Lucky you with the veggie donation :)

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  2. We used ours as a crudite dip as well :-)
    All those fresh vegetables look lovely. Have a great holiday & stay cool...

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  3. I didn't find this very exciting either. Try it with sour cream or goat cheese I just think the base of the ricotta is too dull.

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  4. I'd like to try it on pizza... and sub goat cheese like Diane did. I'm sure it'd be amazing! :)

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  5. Sorry this one fell a bit flat for you. Some of this week's posts actually have me wondering if the culprit could be different brands of ricotta. Maybe it's just me, but I really like the flavor of ricotta cheese, even before you start adding herbs and spices to it. It's not an overpowering flavor, but the one I buy also couldn't be described as bland. I wonder if some brands are milder. Just a thought, it could be a contributing factor to the differing opinions this week.

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  6. Your husbands dip sounds delicious! I'm going to use your suggestions to jazz up my leftover dip tomorrow. I too thought this one needed a little something else. What beautiful veggies. Can't believe your growing season is over, I still have baby tomato plants on my windowsill ;)

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  7. WOW! I thought mine was a bit bland also... but then we had just had a lasagna too... well, well love your effort!

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  8. it definitely did not have strong flavor - but I enjoyed it

    have a wonderful weekend

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  9. Krissy, I think we all found this wanting. A great base and good idea but lacking in flavor. Boursin seems to be tastier. I like all the additions you made, compliments of your husband. And, really, Krissy, why mess with a good think. I like the idea of him being on Holiday Veggie Dip-Patrol. No need to differ from that. I think with the ideas you've provided and with the comments of others, I am going to tinker with this recipe and come up with something special, more to my liking. I also think I will make my own ricotta.

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  10. I think I like your husband's dip better, even though mine was tasty. I wonder if it could be the brand of ricotta
    that was used. I do love your presentation with all those lovely veggies. Have a great holiday weekend.

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  11. I love your husband's variation. I grated the shallots and the garlic and distributed the oniony juices through the cheese. It definitely helped! The cheese was also way tastier after another twelve hours in the fridge.

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  12. For whatever reason, this recipe needs A LOT of salt. I just love the way you served this surrounded by fresh veggies. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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  13. I like your version - this definitely could benefit from more add-ins! I hope you'll feature your husband's dip at Christmastime.

    Thanks for the kind wishes & have a wonderful holiday weekend!

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  14. Your platter of veggies and dip looks beautiful, Kris, and just the perfect dish to serve winter or summer. I only added some lemon juice and zest to this (I know - I didn't like it with bananas, but I still do love my lemon juice) :). I hope you have a wonderful Memorial weekend!

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  15. Kris, Your version of this did sounds delicious! That platter looks so pretty filled with all those fresh veggies and cheese spread! A lovely presentation! Enjoy your Memorial weekend!

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  16. Everything looks so wonderful! I served mine with vegetables as well as crackers. I didn't add too much salt, and we liked the flavors with the salty crackers... so maybe next time. Luckily I get to bring herbs home from Sedona, but I know what you mean! Of course, what that also meant was I added a lot more (and different types), so maybe that helped out. Your additions sound good too - what can't use a bit of cayenne??

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  17. Your veggies make this cheese look so good!

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  18. I like the sound of your changes, and how amazing does this dip look with all of those bright, colourful veges.

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  19. Your veggie plate looks absolutely beautiful! I think the brand of ricotta must make a real difference because mine had no liquid on the top and barely anything at all came out after almost 5 hours of draining. I think this recipe is perfect for experimentation and your husband's additions sound great!

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  20. I could see where this could be a bit bland but I love the idea of using it as a blank slate to play around with. Your veggie plate looks gorgeous!

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  21. Your great big green plate with all those fresh and delicious looking veggies looks so appetizing and wonderful. I think adding a few different and new flavors to Dorie`s herb cheese was a good idea, playing around with recipes is what creative cooking and baking is all about and from the way you described it, I am sure that your dip tasted delicious! Well done!

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