Quick little appetizer spread.
I made this appetizer last night when friends came over. It’s always a winner.
Don’t we all have those “go to” recipes when we want a quick tried and true lip smacking recipe? I know I do. I have to omit that I love making recipes that need a lot of ingredients, take a long time to make, and I’m complaining by the time I’m done because I’ve been in the kitchen all day, my legs hurt and I’m ready to go to bed before I even have a bite of what I have prepared. But, 99% of the time it is well worth all the trouble. This recipe will not keep you in the kitchen long and you will be sitting with your feet up relaxing before your guests arrive.
Don’t know why I haven’t posted this before now because I have been making this spread for about 15 years and with little change to the original recipe. Back on one of our birthday’s, my sister and I went to Napa to celebrate one of our “big ones”. We each took a friend instead of our husbands and had a great time in all the wineries. Not that it would not have been fun with our husbands, but it was a lot cheaper to not take them and we just needed some sister time.
On that visit to Domaine Chandon, as we sat out under their beautiful trees taking in the surroundings, enjoying a glass of champagne, and pondering where we were going for dinner that night, we were brought a dish of this cheesy spread with some fresh baguette slices. My sister and I both immediate asked for the recipe (twin thing, we are on the same wave length on just about everything we do), and the person immediately appeared with a printed copy. Evidently everyone likes the spread so much, they graciously share the recipe. I have tweaked it just a little from the original version. I add more walnuts than it calls for and I also make extra of the parsley/chive/walnut mixture to sprinkle on top and I also drizzle some good olive oil over the top. I usually serve this with baguette slices but a nice cracker would probably be just as good. (I vote for the baguette slices though.)
One other thing I’m thinking of trying the next time I make this spread is to add some chopped dried apricots to the mixture which will add a little sweetness and will make an already great recipe even better. You can add more blue cheese (which I sometimes do) if you want more of a “bite” to the spread. Also, roast the nuts in the microwave for a few minutes before adding them to the mixture; it really makes a difference.
Domaine Chandon Blue Cheese Spread
Ingredients
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 2 oz. blue cheese crumbled
- 1 Tbsp. chopped walnuts 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley (I use 2
- 1 Tbsp. chopped chives I use 2
- Baguette slices
- Olive oil optional
- chopped apricots optional
Instructions
- Mix the softened cream cheese and blue cheese until thoroughly mixed. Toast the walnuts, chop and add the parsley and chives. Mix the nuts and herbs with the softened cheese mixture. If you are going to add the apricots, add them now. Put the spread on serving dish. I usually have extra of the nut and herb mixture and sprinkle some of this over the cheese and drizzle with a little olive oil. Serve with baguette slices or crackers.
2 Comments
Rusty Spur
February 19, 2012 at 9:10 amSherry, Al and I had the same wonderful experience at Domaine Chandon, so long ago tastings were free … and I also asked for the spread recipe. Can’t wait to try you apricot variation. We’ve eaten a lot of the spread over the years and enjoy it as much in The Texas Hill Country. The wineries along SH290 are the second most visited wine region in America (the clever public relations folks must lump Napa, Sonoma, etc., into one region).
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July 7, 2015 at 5:01 am[…] FROM THE PAST: This Domaine Chandon Blue Cheese Spread is the quickest spread you will ever through […]