Black pepper gets taken for granted. Grind a little, and flavors pop. But grind a lot and your taste buds explode. Its earthy taste and spicy tingle will turn mild, soft cheese into fireworks. Whip up Pepper Cheese Pot to spread on crusty bread or crackers and you’ll see why pepper was once called Black Gold. The smooth creaminess punctuated by tiny crunches of spice will delight your guests.
This Recipephany favorite comes from Elinor Lipman, a longtime source of so many classics. It goes back to our roommate days, when smart recipes using kitchen staples stretched our food budget. We’d drop actual cash—a ten-spot apiece—into a jar for weekly groceries. And if we spent wisely, we’d have a few bucks left over for a dinner out. But that was long ago—before she set her wit to the pages of best-seller rom-com novels and shrewd essays.
You can use a blender, food processor, mini-prep, or electric mixer to blend the cheeses. Or for exercise, whip by hand. Elinor recommends a mortar and pestle for the pepper garnish on top, but we just use a coarse grind.
But no matter how you mix your Pepper Cheese Pot, prepare for a delicious blast from the ancient King of Spices.
Pepper Cheese Pot from Elinor Lipman
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 4 ounces feta cheese
- A heaping tablespoon of cottage cheese (creamed smooth) or Greek-style yogurt
- About 1¼ teaspoons of fresh, coarsely ground black pepper
- Whip cream cheese, feta cheese, and cottage cheese or yogurt until smooth.
- Mix in about ¾ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- Spoon into a serving dish. Top with remaining ½ teaspoon of ground pepper.
- Let sit in the fridge for several hours.
- Serve with crusty bread or crackers.
- The cheese spread freezes well. So you can divide it between two ramekins, serve one and freeze the other.
