Fresh Cranberry Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip
A beautiful, jewel toned cranberry salsa sits atop a cool and creamy base of whipped cream cheese and goat cheese to make this delicious dip! This easy recipe can be made mostly ahead of time. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips for a great appetizer.
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup cane sugar (see notes)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions, white and green parts
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- juice of half a large lime or juice of one small lime
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (if you are sensitive to spiciness, remove the white ribbing inside the jalapeno and the seeds)
- 1 3 or 4 ounce log goat cheese, softened
- 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
Instructions
- Pulse cranberries 12-15 times in the food processor, to break them up into smaller pieces. You don’t want to go too far and puree them.
- Pour into a large bowl and combine with all other ingredients except the cheeses, stir quite a bit to evenly disperse and coat the cranberries and help the sugar start to dissolve. Let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes to let flavors mingle, even better if you let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. Make-ahead makes it easier!
- Completely rinse out the food processor bowl and add chèvre and cream cheese. Puree for a minute or so, until fluffy and light. Spread onto a plate, creating some cloud-like swoops. Use a fine mesh strainer to drain the liquid from the cranberry mixture, then generously pile the cranberry salsa on top of the softened cheese. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.
Notes
Taste the cranberry salsa once done mixing. If you'd like it a bit sweeter, add more sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time until you find the sweetness you like.