DIP ESSENTIALS: SPRINGTIME CUCUMBER DIP

Dip Essentials: Springtime Cucumber Dip image

I played about with this recipe until I achieved the goal of a light Springtime dip for crackers, veggies, or any number of yummy items... You could even use it as a sauce over fish. It has a bright, piquant flavor that goes so well with Springtime. One of my guests said that they could eat it with a spoon. So, you ready......

Provided by Andy Anderson !

Categories Dips

Time 20m

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

PLAN/PURCHASE
1 large english cucumber
2 oz crème fraiche
2 oz mayonnaise
4 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 clove baked (not raw) garlic, or more, if you like garlic
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 pinch paprika, or to taste
salt, kosher variety, to taste
white pepper, freshly ground, to taste
1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Steps:

1. PREP/PREPARE
2. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
3. Peel and seed the cucumber, and then grate on the large holes of a grater.
4. Place the grated cucumber between paper towels, and press out as much moisture as possible.
5. Chef's Note: Alternately, you could place the grated cucumber into a kitchen towel, and squeeze the excess moisture out (that is my preferred method).
6. Chef's Tip: If you don't remove the excess moisture from the cucumber, the dip will be too runny.
7. Add the cucumber, crème fraiche, mayonnaise, cream cheese, baked garlic, and lemon juice to a food processor fitted with an S-blade.
8. Chef's Note: When I used all crème fraiche, the fat content when combined with the cream cheese was a bit much; however, when I just used mayo, the taste was not what I wanted... So, I split the difference... 50% mayo, 50% crème fraiche. It's fun playing about with recipes.
9. Give the mixture a few 1-second pulses until the mixture is completely blended and smooth.
10. Add the cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper, and then blend and taste.
11. Season and blend a few more times, until you achieve the correct proportion of spices.
12. Chef's Note: You're the chef... spice it the way you want it.
13. Chef's Tip: All the spices you add to this dip will intensify over time. So, keep that in mind when seasoning.
14. Remove from the blender, place into a bowl, and then fold in the chopped dill.
15. Cover and place in the refrigerator for an hour or two before serving.
16. PLATE/PRESENT
17. This dip is very versatile... It can be served with various types of crackers or veggies; even drizzled over a nice piece of sautéed fish. Enjoy.
18. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.