This is herbal French spread that is usually served as an appetizer with crackers or bread. Whole wheat crackers go well with this spread, as does a nice bottle of Chardonnay (e.g., Saint Veran). The recipe calls for Creme Fraiche. You can usually buy this this, but I like to make my own. In a bind you can use sour cream, but the final product suffers. If you are using dried herbs rather than fresh, substitute 1 tsp of dried herbs per 1 TBL of fresh herbs, dried is always stronger than fresh. To revive the dried herbs, soak in a small amount of boiling water to re-hydrate. Then delicately blend into recipe.
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Fresh white cheese – drained
- 2 oz. Creme Fraiche – you can buy or make your own
- 2 oz Olive oil
- 2 oz White wine – dry and of course French
- 1 Shallot – large, finely diced
- 2 Garlic cloves – mashed or pressed
- 2 TBL Parsley leaves – finely chopped
- 1 TBL Tarragon – finely chopped
- 1 TBL Chives – finely chopped
- 1 TBL Chervil – finely chopped, if unavailable maybe 1 tsp cilantro
- 1 TBL While vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Process
- Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
- Break white cheese into pieces in a bowl and beat with a spoon until a thick paste is formed.
- Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and wine. Add salt and pepper.
- Blend liquid into cheese stirring well.
- Squeeze the chopped shallots in a cheese cloth to extract the juices.
- Add the shallots, garlic, herbs and creme fraiche to the cheese mixture. Stir/beat until the mixture is smooth.
- Place in airtight container in frig at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.
