If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m definitely a little on the cheesy side and can’t help but make some color coordinated foods for holidays! And being the good Irish girls we are – we won’t let St. Patrick’s Day go by without at least a couple “green” posts! 😉 If you’re looking to add a little green to your menu tomorrow – you must make this delicious appetizer! While it’s not Irish, it’s amazing taste will more than make up for that fact. I fell in love with whipped feta and basically want it all the time, with and on everything – and paired with this basil olive oil, it’s just soo good.Basil Olive Oil
1 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cup basil leaves
1 small clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Blanch basil leaves for about 20 seconds. Drain and transfer basil to a bowl of ice water. Let sit for about a minute in the ice water, then drain and gently squeeze out extra water.
Place basil in food processor along with the garlic, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and salt & pepper. Pulse until well mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add remaining 3/4 cup olive oil and pulse until mixed.
Whipped Feta
6 oz crumbled feta
2 oz cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel)
3-4 teaspoons of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
In a food processor, whip together feta, cream cheese, olive oil and salt & pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy (drizzle in more olive oil if you’d like a creamier consistency), about 3-5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
For the Crostini
baguette, sliced & toasted
Spread whipped feta on toasted baguette slices. Drizzle with basil olive oil. Feast!
Here’s a few more “green” recipes to get you ready for tomorrow: Irish Beer Cheese Fondue | Milk & Cereal Cookies | Mint Cookies ‘n Cream Ice Cream Sandwiches | Clover Cubes | Homemade Shamrock Shakes
-Manda