jalapeno:

This photo by Evan Janke Photography

This cheese dip, (if you can call it that, it seems a little too refined to share a title with cheddar and beer dip) got rave reviews at a recent party, with multiple recipe requests. It’s been a recipe that I have been tinkering with for sometime. It’s cold, crumbly, zesty and perfect with pita chips and a chaser of Sauvignon Blanc.

.

I tried it with a number of cheeses, but the goat Gouda is clearly the best. Goat Gouda is a recent and beloved Trader Joe’s find. Goat Gouda — I know, who knew right?

For this recipe the food processor is your friend! I figure if you are going to get that baby out of the cupboard, really use it!  Here, I use two different blades to make grating the cheese a snap and get the perfect crumbly texture.

If you don’t have a food processor, use a box grater to grate the cheese and celery.  Then you can put all the ingredients on a cutting board and go over with a sharp knife to incorporate and get the right texture.

Whenever I use lemons in a recipe I always choose Meyer lemons; their juicy flavor is the best. I grow them in my yard, but I understand that they are not as readily available to most of the country.  However, I have been spying them at Trader Joe’s, too.

The jalapeno adds a nice bit of heat. You can check out tips for picking out spicy ones here.

Chilled Goat Gouda Dip

1/2 lb. of goat Gouda cheese

2 celery stalks

2 lemons: zest from 1 lemon and juice of 2 lemons (about 4 tablespoons of juice)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 jalapeno, seeds removed, small dice

 

Peel wax off Gouda and cut into 2-inch square chunks. Wash celery, remove stems and cut into large chucks (three per stalk). Next, in your food processor, with the grater attachment on, grate both cheese and celery into processor bowl. Empty out the cheese and celery mixture to a bowl and switch out grater attachment for the standard mixing blade.

 

 

Add the lemon zest and juice, the salt and the jalapeno to the cheese and celery back into the food processor. Pulse 10-15 times until the mixture comes together, it’ll be somewhat crumbly, smooth.

 

 

Chill for about an hour and serve with your choice of crackers or pita chips.