Whipped Feta with Herb Oil

I could give you this recipe with no narrative.  Read the above title to yourself…yup…it’s as delicious as it sounds. (I’ll give a little narrative anyway, ’cause I know you love reading ’em…right?)

Whipped feta and I go together like milk and cookies, Jell-o and jiggle, coffee and donuts, a wink and a smile, peanut butter and jelly (insert your favorite combination here).  A match made in heaven!  I slather this stuff on anything and everything.  In this recipe, I pair it with a delicious herb oil.  Eat the whipped feta by itself, in a sandwich, on pizza, on a burger, with crudites as a dip, in these delicious cucumber canapes, or on top of a Greek salad.  You get the drift.  This can go with just about anything.

Last week I walked out of work and went straight to the grocery store.  Before I knew it, I was spooning this whipped gold straight from the bowl of the food processor into my mouth.

Normal behavior when dealing with whipped feta.

Ingredients for the Whipped Feta:

• 8 oz block feta cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• A pinch of salt, optional

Ingredients for Herb Oil:

• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

First, make the whipped feta.  Combine feta cheese and cream cheese in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until cheeses are well blended.  Add olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper. Pulse again until whipped and smooth.  Adjust seasoning to your taste, add salt if necessary (I did not add salt to mine).  Transfer to serving bowl and reserve.  Note: Whipped feta will last up to 1 week in your refrigerator.

Next, make the herb oil.  Combine basil, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until ingredients are roughly chopped and combined.  With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil until herb oil comes together and is emulsified.  Note: Herb oil will last up to 3 days in your refrigerator (be sure to bring herb oil to room temperature before you use leftovers).  Leftover herb oil is wonderful tossed with warm pasta, and also makes a wonderful addition to a vinaigrette.

Drizzle the top of your whipped feta with the herb oil (as much or as little as you would like).

Serve immediately with fresh baguette toasts (I often times top mine with a slice of tomato, not pictured), or one of the many ways indicated above.