Homemade Bleu Cheese Dip

“But you’re eating MOLD! EWWWWWWWWWWWW!”

This is the common reaction to consumption of bleu cheese in my house courtesy of the resident 4th Grader. This may very well be your reaction as well. Bleu Cheese, I think, gets a bad rap. Yes, it’s mold: spores! bacteria! Penicillium! But, as my resident 2nd Grader would tell her sister, “Whatever…bacon is from a pig’s belly, but you still eat it!” She’s right: Bleu Cheese tastes good, so never mind the mold and enjoy!

(And for those of you who just don’t like the taste…that’s ok. At least you’ve tried it and that’s all the matters.)

Homemade Bleu Cheese Dip

The Ingredients:

• 8 oz Cream Cheese – You can use the full fat version or the 1/3 fat version. I use the 1/3 fat, but I never, ever use fat-free because it tastes horrible.
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream – Again, full fat or reduced fat but never fat-free.
• 1 Cup Crumbled Bleu Cheese – There are lots of different kinds of bleu out there: Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Maytag. Find one you like. I prefer Gorgonzola.
• 1/4 tsp White Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 tbs Chopped Chives – Divided (Any newbies out there? “Divided” means that you need 2 total tablespoons of chives but that you will use different measurements out of the total at different times in the recipe.)
• Kosher Salt – You might not need this depending on the cheeses and sour cream that you select.

The Tools:

• Mixing Bowl
• Wooden Spoon
• Measuring Spoons
• Hand Mixer or Counter-Top Mixer

The Action:

• Gather your ingredients:

• Soften the cream cheese by leaving it out for a bit or by putting it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
• Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, bleu cheese, white and black pepper in the mixing bowl.
• Use the wooden spoon to do an initial blend of the ingredients.
• Use your mixer to blend the ingredients until slightly smooth. There will still be bumps of bleu cheese in the mix. Yum.
• Blend in about 1.5 tables spoons of chives. Use the wooden spoon to blend these in. The mixer will tear them up. If you aren’t a huge chives fan, use fewer at the beginning.
• Taste. Do you like it? If not, adjust the seasoning including the chives to your taste. Keep in mind that it’s a good idea to let this sit for a little bit and blend together.
• To serve, sprinkle the remaining chives over the top.

This dip goes really well with Smokey Chipotle Chicken Wings , Quick Garlic Croutons , or as a simple dip for raw vegetables.

Enjoy!

Ali Wechman