Whipped Feta – Vadouvan Curry Dip
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Cool Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes | Serves: 4 – 6
The stuff dreams are made of… this dip will make you swoon. It’s creamy, deeply spiced, tangy, and spicy. The spice blend itself is the show-stopper here!
I am collaborating with The Spice and Tea Exchange in Blowing Rock, NC. The store is absolutely amazing! The aromas and flavors are inspiring. The entire store is filled with excellent products, from teas to sugars and salts, to the crafty salt cellars and teapots. Customer service has always been top-notch.
This recipe features Vadouvan Curry Spice Blend. If you like any country’s curries, this will become a favorite. It’s called a “French version of an Indian Masala.” My house smelled ridiculously good while the spice was infusing the tomatoes in my oven. It’s just indescribable. Fenugreek, cardamom, cumin, and mustard are just a few of the ingredients. There is no salt in this blend, so it gives me a blank canvas to easily adjust salt to my tastes.
Curry spices can benefit greatly from a heat source, to bring out the oils and super-duper flavor. My original thought was to add the curry spice blend to the feta, but was then reminded (kitchn.com) that heat will do a world of good for these spices. Since I was already adding heat to the tomatoes, I could easily add the spices to the oil and get the results I desired.
Read more about this spice here.
Please, don’t skimp on the full-fat ingredients, Greek yogurt and sour cream. Fat = flavor. It just does. You will be missing out on texture and flavor if you go with non-fat here.
I started out planning this recipe for 4, but the more I tasted as I prepared this dish, it needed to have generous-sized portions. It. Is. So. Good. This recipe easily doubles, and can be adapted to your tastes. Add more lemon juice for pop and tang, and/or white pepper for some bite. Omit the red pepper flakes if it’s too much heat, but, really, why would you? It’s so delicious!
Charred bread slices are really good for scooping, but naan would be yummy, too. Go for charcoal grilling bread if you can… even better!!
Enjoy!
Whipped Feta - Vadouvan Curry Dip
Ingredients
Roasted Tomatoes:
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, my favorite brand of oil
- 2 teaspoons Vadouvan Curry Spice Blend, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
- Sea salt, to taste
- 8 ounces colorful cherry tomatoes, or cocktail tomatoes
- 2 fresh hot chile peppers, sliced, optional for heat
Whipped Feta:
- 12 ounces block feta cheese, not pre-crumbled, see Notes
- 1 4-ounce canister full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon Finely Ground White Pepper, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- Sea salt, to taste, probably not needed
To Serve:
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flake, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- Toasted or char-grilled bread, sliced
- Naan bread
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In an 8x8” or smaller (I used a 6x6”) baking dish, add the oil, Vadouvan seasoning, and garlic. Taste and add salt as desired. The Vadouvan seasoning does not have salt, so you’ll need to add an ample amount for flavor. Add the tomatoes and chiles if using. Stir to coat the tomatoes.
- Roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes’ skins are loosened and the oil is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and cool.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, crumble the feta into a food processor.
- Add the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, honey, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (lemon juice, salt, and/or pepper). I did not add any salt to the feta mixture. Puree the mixture until smooth, or as smooth as your food processor will get it. You can scrape the mixture into a bowl and use an immersion blender if you’d like a perfectly smooth texture.
- Scrape the mixture into a shallow bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- When the tomatoes are slightly cooled, pour off the flavored oil into a bowl. Allow the tomatoes and oil cool to at least room temperature; they do not have to be cold. The tomatoes should not be any warmer than room temperature or the whipped feta will become too watery.
- Bring the whipped feta out of the refrigerator. Drizzle the oil over the top of the whipped feta. (You can reserve some of the oil for bread dipping if you’d like.) Place the cooled tomatoes and chiles on top. Garnish with cilantro and red pepper flakes.
- Serve with bread(s) of choice.
- Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days.
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