Whipped Feta Dip With Brandy & Fig Glaze

So I decided to make this dip on a day that I knew that I would be going to my favorite restaurant for dinner and I needed to conserve precious stomach space. My first mistake was thinking that I have any self control. My second mistake was making such a God damn delicious dip. I'm sure you can see where this story is going. That's right. I gorged myself on the dip and was not at all hungry for dinner. A real rookie move, but definitely worth it.

Whipped Feta Dip with Brandy & Fig Glaze

Serves: 4

Active Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

For The Whipped Feta Dip:

• 6 oz. feta cheese
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

For The Brandy & Fig Glaze:

• 1/4 cup dried figs, chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 cup dried prunes, chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

DIRECTIONS:

For The Whipped Feta Dip:

1. Add the feta cheese, cream cheese, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the bowl of a food processor.
2. Pulse until the dip is smooth.

For Brandy & Fig Glaze:

1. In a bowl, combine the figs, prunes, brandy, apricot preserves and smoked paprika. Whisk until smooth.
2. Add the mixture to a pan over medium heat and allow it to simmer until it has thickened slightly (about 3 minutes.)
3. Allow the glaze to cool for about 5-10 minutes and then top the feta dip with the brandy and fig glaze and serve!

Merlot

MY RECOMMENDATION:

Flora & Stone Merlot- Find it at Aldi

WHY IT WORKS:

• Merlot is the ugly stepsister of Cabernet Sauvignon. People are so mean to her, but really she is beautiful and just needs a better haircut, cute clothes, and to lose the ugly glasses.
• Back in the day, Merlot was all the rage and then for some reason the U.S. turned on it and decided that it is no longer fashionable and is only good for mixing into red blends. But guess what? It is still delicious all on its own!
• Merlot is a fruit forward, full bodied, high tannin wine. The kind of wine that will stain your teeth.
• This wine has a lot of dark fruit notes such as plum, dark cherries, and you guessed it: fig!
• I love this Merlot with the feta dip because the fruit notes in the wine compliment the brandy and fig glaze. Usually feta does not pair as well with full bodied red wines because tannic wine can bring out the sharp saltiness of the feta, but by adding the brandy and fig glaze, it ties the whole thing together in a beautiful way.