Creamy goat cheese dip will upgrade your snack board
Serve it with as a stand-alone dip or as an inspiring starting point for a big, fabulous, Instagram-worthy platter.
Snack boards have become an art form, or maybe even a competitive sport, with images of elaborate, decoratively laid feasts popping up regularly on Instagram.
So, consider this elegant, creamy cheese dip as a centerpiece for your next snack board. What could be more perfect for summer gatherings? They are casual but look visually impressive, and don’t require any cooking, which allows the host to show off a little without working too hard.
While snack boards are more varied than the traditional charcuterie arrangements from which they stem, as far as I can tell, most are still centered on meat and cheese. The opportunity is ripe to branch out further, to add more color, more crunch, to build them to accommodate a spectrum of dietary needs and preferences by shifting their focus toward plants, such as seasonal fresh and dried fruit, raw and blanched vegetables, nuts, and olives and beans. I’m not suggesting eliminating the meat and cheese entirely — I’m the first to dig into the prosciutto, and my recipe here is a cheese dip — I am just encouraging looking beyond the meat and cheese basics to ratchet up visual appeal, variety, and healthfulness.
Creamy Goat Cheese Dip
Total time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces regular or reduced-fat chevre (fresh goat cheese) at room temperature
3 tablespoons whole or reduced-fat milk, plus more as needed
½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon fine salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl of a food processor or mini-chopper, combine the goat cheese and milk and process until smooth and creamy. Add 1 tablespoon more milk for a thinner dip, if desired.
Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the parsley, thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
Serve, or refrigerate until needed for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
From cookbook author and registered nutritionist dietitian Ellie Krieger.