This dip will become for sure an essential on your entertaining recipes list, because it has it all. It’s creamy, tasty and easy to make while making everybody drool. This Garlic Confit Goat Cheese Dip with Spicy Lemony Olives is ideal all year round, because its ingredients are a-seasonal, and it’s perfect for many occasions. Oh! And it’s a 3 in one dip: a spreadable garlic confit cheese base, homemade toasts and the most delicious olive topping. You will see that when you serve it it will disappear int he blink of an eye!
We’re currently deep into summer, which means hot weather and a lot of dinners with friends, thus in need of recipes that do not require any cooking and that can be prepared in advance. Today’s Garlic Confit Goat Cheese Dip with Spicy Lemony Olives ticks all the boxes.
It does require having made garlic confit in advance though, but you can make a huge batch and use it in so many different recipes. Also, if you don’t feel like making them don’t worry, I’m going to share a couple of alternatives below in the recipe card.
Garlic Confit Goat Cheese Dip Ingredients
It’s amazing how good this garlic confit goat cheese dip is just as it is. It’s super easy to put together and it only calls for 4 ingredients (well, 5 if we count the salt).
- Goat Cheese: it’s the cheese that adds cheesy flavour to this dip. I use a goat cheese variety that crumbles easily since we need it to be soft so that it can be blended properly into the rest of the cheeses. You could also use other cheeses such as Roquefort or blue cheese if you like them better or if it’s what you have on hand.
- Cream Cheese: we need it to add body to the dip as well as creaminess. Goat cheese has a strong flavour so as to make it milder I used cream cheese to balance it, which also helps achieve a smooth and silky texture.
- Quark: with only cream cheese, the dip is very thick, so I wanted to lighten it up without losing the cheesy flavour and I didn’t want to add another fatty element either… So while doing the groceries I spotted quark in the supermarket with 0% fat on the label and I was like “this is it”.
- Garlic confit: I have used my garlic confit for a garlicky touch and it also gives the dip extra depth of flavour depending on the herbs and spices you have added to the confit. If you don’t have garlic confit, you can use raw garlic cloves (without the sprout), roasted garlic or cooked garlic cloves in the micro (maximum power for about 5 minutes).
- Salt: a must.
Spicy Lemony Olives Topping
I know I’ve written it a thousand times already but… toppings can be optional. However, leaving them out will mean that the recipe won’t be exactly the same either. This olive topping that I’m adding today is the cherry on top with its fresh touch of lemon, spring onion and parsley, the spiciness of the chili flakes and the flavour and crunch of the olives.
I have used manzanilla variety olives, because they are neither too strong nor too mild in flavour, and they’re also hard, which provides a counterpoint to the super smooth texture of the dip. If you prefer, you can use another variety that you like better.
On the other hand, so that the topping is not dry, I have combined it with garlic confit oil. Let’s make the most of it!
Homemade Toasts
My grandmother always bought the classic Spanish “barra de cuarto” (250 g bread loaf) . As soon as it started to get stale, she sliced it and baked it to make toasts out of it. She kept them in a glass jar, one of those from quattro stagioni, and I caught her so many times while snacking on them, because there was nothing she liked more than bread (and wine). And well, she came to my mind when I was thinking about the idea of this dip, so I wanted to make these toasts to accompany it in her honor.
They last forever in an airtight container, they are perfect for reusing old bread and they are literally addictive. Oh and you have them ready in just 10 minutes.
Ideas for Using the Garlic Confit Goat Cheese Dip and Spicy Lemony Olives Topping Separately
As mentioned earlier, the 3 components of this recipe are very versatile. When it comes to the toasts I don’t think I can add much, but let me share some ideas for using the dip itself and the olives topping in case you have any leftovers or want to give this recipe a twist.
Garlic Confit Goat Cheese Dip
- As a base of an avocado toast.
- As a toaste base with sliced tomato on top.
- On toast with pickled onion on top, which is perfect for fatty dishes.
- In an omelette or mixed into scrambled eggs. Add a couple of tablespoons when you whisk the eggs.
- As a puff pastry base. As a topping you can use this olive one, pesto or the pistachio one I made here.
Olives Topping
- As a pasta sauce, it’d work so perfectly with spaghetti.
- As a topping for grilled fish, so it’s not so “boring”.
- Mixed into a vegetable or rice salad.
More Incredible Dips
If you make this Garlic Confit Goat Cheese Dip with Spicy Lemony Olives recipe, be sure to leave a comment and rate it. Hearing from you is everything! Oh, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
Garlic Confit Goat Cheese Dip with Spicy Lemony Olives
Ingredients
Toasts
- 1 loaf of bread - sliced
- Olive Oil - preferably extra virgin
Garlic Confit Goat Cheese Dip
- 200 g Cream Cheese
- 150 g of Quark - I use the 0% fat
- 90 g of Goat Cheese - crumbly variety
- 4 garlic confit cloves - (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Olive Topping
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley - finely chopped
- 1 spring onion - finely sliced. Use 2 if they are very small.
- 15 manzanilla olives - pitted and roughly chopped. You can use other olive varieties as long as they are hard.
- Zest of 1 lemon
- A pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes - optional
- Garlic Confit Oil
Instructions
Toasts
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Arrange the slices of bread on the tray, they shouldn’t overlap. Drizzle olive oil on top and bake for 10 minutes until golden and crispy. Depending on the thickness they may take a little more or less time. In the meantime, prepare the rest.
Garlic Confit Goat Cheese Dip
- In a food processor, add the cream cheese, the quark, the goat cheese crumbled and the garlic confit cloves with the salt. Blend until you get a smooth and silky mixture. Set aside.
Olive Topping
- In a bowl mix the parsley, the spring onion, the chopped olives, the salt and the chili flakes if using them. Pour enough garlic confit oil until just covered.
To serve
- Pour the cheese dip into a bowl. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the olive topping and, if the bowl is not wide enough, serve the remaining topping on the side to spoon it over the cheese dip.
- Serve with the toasted bread and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use roasted garlic or you can even use raw garlic, if the latter start with one clove (sprout removed). A quick alternative if you have a microwave is to put the garlic cloves in a bowl, cover it (if you don’t have a microwave-safe lid, you can use plastic wrap) and microwave them at max power in 1-2 minute intervals until they are soft.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @paulasapron on Instagram and hashtag it #paulasapron.