Artichoke Blue Cheese Spread

I have been slightly obsessed with blue cheese recently. Lots of people feel strongly about blue cheese, either hating or loving it. I have to admit that I was never overly fond of it until recent years.

My first exposure to blue cheese was the dressing. I worked at The Cheesecake Factory for several years and tried the blue cheese dressing there. I loved it so much I could have drank it from the gallon-sized plastic containers in the walk-in cooler where it was housed.

My Christmas Eve dinner this year had a comfort food theme: Mac and Cheese, creamed Brussels Sprouts and biscuits – all cheese flavored. For starters, I served even more cheese with this blue cheese and artichoke spread. The recipe, featured in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, can be found at eatwisconsincheese.com.

ingredients.

3 T. seasoned dry breadcrumbs (I used plane Panko)
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 c. blue cheese, crumbled
1 1/3 c. dairy sour cream, divided
3 eggs
3 T. butter
1 large shallot, minced
1 T. minced fresh oregano
1 T. minced fresh marjoram
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 c. chopped artichoke hearts, drained well (I used one can)
quartered artichoke hearts for garnish, if desired

directions.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Refrigerate.
Sauté shallot in butter until tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile beat cream cheese in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Stir in blue cheese and 2/3 cup sour cream. Beat in eggs. Stir shallot into cheese mixture along with herbs and pepper. Fold in artichoke pieces.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Cool 10 minutes.
Gently spread remaining sour cream over top being careful not to tear the top. Garnish with artichoke quarters. Bake 5 more minutes. Cool to room temperature on wire rack. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. To serve, place on serving plate. Carefully run knife around outer edges; remove sides of pan. Serve with mild-flavored crackers or crusty bread.

Looking back on the directions, it’s unclear to me if you’re supposed to serve this appetizer cold, room temperature or reheat. I served it room temperature but feel that it should be a hot dip. I loved everything about this dish except for the texture. It was too quiche-y to me. I felt that it should have been less eggy and more dense. I would try this again and maybe reduce the eggs by one or two and see what happens.

Recipe rating: 