Besides the flavour and creaminess of Liptauer, the ultimate cheese spread around, I love the fact that it's easy to make and quick to pull together.
You see, I recently found myself in a bit of a pickle. I had a party-pack of guests coming over and I needed a dip I could prepare quickly without too much fuss to hold over the hungry masses until I rustled up some dinner. So I flipped through a few cookbooks and decided I would adapt a recipe here and there and came up with a rough translation of the Slavic cheese spread. Here's my version for your enjoyment. Oh- and unlike yours truly, try letting his dip sit in your fridge overnight so that the flavours marry and become one (not that my guests seemed to complain, mind you).
Liptauer-esque Cheese Spread (or Dip)
Ingredients:
225 g of cream cheese
4 Tbsp. of crumbled feta cheese
3 Tbsp. of sour cream OR plain yogurt
1 small garlic clove that's been pressed
1 tsp. of finely grated onion OR shallots
1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper
11/2 tsp of sweet paprika
2 Tbsp. of minced fresh parsley
OPTIONAL: diced mini cornichons, capers and/or caraway seeds (Nigella fancies adding these ingredients and perhaps you will too.)
Veggie suggestions: Baby carrots, cucumber spears, radish slices, red, orange or green pepper slices, celery sticks
Freshly sliced baguette rounds or your favourite cubes of good quality, rustic bread (Italian or French). I also like Ficelle for this.
METHOD:In a bowl, mix the cheses and sour cream or yogurt, adding the garlic, onion and spices (and other optional ingredients if you're up to it). Blend well. Let sit covered, in fridge overnight. Transfer to a serving bowl, return to room temperature, drizzle some fantastic olive oil (given this dip's Slavic nature, I like using the fully aromatic Dalmatia Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Split in Croatia- you can find these at many European deli shops). Dress with some parsley and a dusting of sweet paprika and enjoy! Just don't blame me for the garlic breath- you've been warned (but it's SO worth it!).
