Goat Cheese & Artichoke Dip

When I saw the email on my cracked out iPhone from "The Meaning of Pie" website, I had to look twice to make sure I was reading it right. Goat Cheese. Artichoke. That could be 2 of my favorite things. I could eat a log of goat cheese in about 10 minutes. And artichoke dip is...well...you know how good that stuff is! My thoughts then turned to one of my best friends, Amy, who loves goat cheese about as much as I do and I instantly knew I would be sharing this kick ass recipe with her! Thank you so much to The Meaning of Pie (www.themeaningofpie.com) for this amazing recipe..and all the other ones too!



Preparation:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, thoroughly drained and squeezed with paper towels
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
5 ounces (give or take) of goat cheese, softened
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Dash of cayenne pepper
Dash of cracked black pepper

Let the cheeses soften a bit and then mix them all together thoroughly, along with the garlic and the peppers, using a fork or an electric mixer.

Squeeze the artichokes with paper towels until you have gotten most of the liquid out of them. You will be surprised at how much water artichokes are holding even after you have drained them. Chop them up coarsely and then add them to the cheese mixture. Gently fold in the artichokes.
Place the mixture into an oven-proof dish. I used an 8-½ inch round shallow baking dish, but you could easily use 2 smaller ramekins or some other dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until it is hot and a little browned on top. Remove from the oven and serve.

This is still wonderful when it is cooled to room temperature. It is also one of those dishes that when served right out of the oven will scorch the roof of your mouth so proceed with caution. I have served it with Carr’s water crackers and it is also fantastic with sea salt seasoned pita chips.