Looking to build out a showstopping cheese board for your holiday guests? Grab the biggest board you’ve got, track down some baguettes, crackers, pickled vegetables, olives, jam and edible flowers — and then whip up these two dip recipes for some seriously rich, cheesy snacking bites.
These delicious dips are just some of the 60 recipes in San Francisco food stylist Bebe Black Carminito’s new cookbook, “The Curated Board: Inspired Platters & Spreads for Any Occasion” (Abrams, $25).
(Find more of Carminito’s entertaining tips and the how-tos for an antipasti platter here.)
Makes 2 cups
2 cups whole-milk ricotta
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano, divided use
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Grated zest of 1 orange or lemon
Garlic salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Hot honey or regular honey, for drizzling
1 fresh rosemary sprig, for garnish
Flaky salt, for sprinkling
Crackers, crostini or baguette slices, for serving
Drain the ricotta: Line a large fine-mesh sieve with two layers of damp cheesecloth and place over a medium bowl. Add the ricotta and fold the ends of the cheesecloth over it. Weigh the cheese down with a heavy bowl. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight. Discard the drained liquid (whey) or use it in soups or to make bread.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-cup baking dish.
In a medium bowl, combine the drained ricotta, the 1/4 cup Pecorino, the olive oil, Italian seasoning, orange zest, salt and black pepper to taste and red pepper flakes, if using. Mix with a rubber spatula until blended. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Scrape into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons Pecorino.
Place the baking dish on a small sheet pan and bake until slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Place under the broiler about 5 inches from the heat source and broil until bubbling slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then drizzle with olive oil and hot honey. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and a sprinkle of flaky salt.
Serve warm or at room temperature with crackers, crostini, or baguette slices. For food styling points, if you have a kitchen blowtorch, use it instead of your broiler to slightly brown and caramelize the top of the dip.
But don’t stop there. Round out the flavor offerings on your cheese board with this Millionaire Dip, also known as Neiman Marcus Dip, so-called for its richness. Developed and created for the original Neiman Marcus restaurant in Texas in the 1950s by chef and foodwriter Helen Corbitt, this dip includes bacon and cheddar cheese, but it also adds green chiles, Carminito says.
Makes 2 cups
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon slivered almonds
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
5 green onions, green and pale green parts only, thinly sliced, divided use
One 4-ounce can diced Hatch green chiles, drained well
1/2 teaspoon pimenton (smoked paprika) plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Crackers or sliced bread, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the almonds on a small baking sheet and toast in the oven, stirring once or twice, until lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise and Monterey Jack cheese. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Fold in 4 of the green onions and all the green chiles. Season with the pimenton, garlic salt and pepper. Fold in all but 1 tablespoon of the almonds.
Spoon the dip into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. To serve, sprinkle with the remaining almonds and green onion and dust lightly with a little more pimenton.
Next: Assemble your board.
A variety of colorful cheeses with different textures and flavors, such as a blue cheese like Stilton or Gorgonzola, a flower-and-herb-laced fresh goat cheese, and an aged cheddar
Seasonal crudites such as cucumber spears, mini sweet peppers, thinly sliced radishes, Sungold cherry tomatoes and zucchini ribbons
Fresh figs, grapes or other seasonal fruits
Dried fruits, such as apricots
Roasted sesame-coated almonds or quicos (giant crunchy corn)
Sliced seeded baguette or crostini
Crackers, cheese coins or cheese straws
Pickled vegetables, such as curried cauliflower pickles
Olives, such as Castelvetrano
Hot honey, honeycomb, mango chutney or strawberry-fig jam
Edible flowers, such as squash blossoms and micro-marigolds (optional)
Place the Green Chile Millionaire Dip and the Baked Ricotta on the board, then arrange the cheeses alongside, including cheese knives for slicing and spreading. Fill the gaps on the board with the seasonal crudites and fresh and dried fruits. Scatter the almonds and quicos throughout the board. Arrange the baguette or crostini slices along with the crackers, cheese coins or cheese straws on a plate or another small board. In other little vessels, add the pickled vegetables, olives, extra almonds, hot honey with a dipper, honeycomb and jam. Decorate with edible flowers to add a great pop of color.
— Courtesy Bebe Black Carminito, “The Curated Board: Inspired Platters & Spreads for Any Occasion” (Abrams, $25)
