Three cheese and pickle dip

Portion size: Serves 4-6 as a starter
Prep time 10 min. Cook time 10 min
Difficulty: easy

Gluten-free

Vegetarian

Emily Gussin

Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

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This gloriously gooey three-cheese dip is somewhere between dip and fondue. Here’s why it’s the perfect easy starter or sharing snack for cheese lovers…

Triple cheese hit: Sharp cheddar, cream cheese and smoky scamorza are a winning combination in this silky, richly-flavoured dip.
Simple starter: This quick dish is ready in just 20 minutes and serves 4-6… as long as you manage to resist eating it before hand.
Balance it out: The pile of much-needed pickles cuts through the rich, oozy cheese.

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Ingredients

200g full-fat cream cheese
300ml soured cream
30g pickled jalapeños, plus 1 tbsp of their liquid
100g scamorza (See Know-how), coarsely grated
100g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
30g cornichons, chopped
5g dill, chopped
Crackers to serve

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Method

Put the cream cheese and soured cream in a large pan over a medium heat and use a balloon whisk to mix until melted and combined. Stir in the pickle liquid and season with salt and pepper. Add the scamorza and two thirds of the cheddar, then mix until starting to melt.
Heat the grill to medium. Pour the mixture into an oven dish or cast-iron frying pan about 20cm in diameter, then scatter over the remaining cheese. Put under the grill for 3-4 minutes until a golden crust has formed on top and it’s bubbling at the edges. Pile the cornichons, pickled jalapeños and dill on top and serve straightaway with salty crackers for dipping.

Nutrition

312kcals Calories
28g (18g saturated) Fat
11g Protein
3.4g (3.2g sugars) Carbs
trace Fibre
1.1g Salt

Cook smarter

Scamorza is a smoked cheese with a distinct pear shape. It’s a curd cheese like mozzarella, which is then smoked, making it drier and firmer. You’ll find it in large supermarkets, cheese shops and Italian delis. Use any leftover scamorza in the same way as you would mozzarella – in pasta, on top of risotto or in a toasted sandwich.