Whipped Feta with Roasted Tomatoes
About this Recipe
By: Rachel
Like many Americans, I grew up eating the dry-packed, crumbled feta that was easily accessible in most grocery stores. It was not very flavorful or interesting, but when you have never tasted anything better, you cannot know that there is anything better.
Fast-forward to my twenties, when I was staying in a small French town in Normandy. The farmers’ market came to set up three days each week, with an extra-large market on Saturdays. In addition to fruits, vegetables, and fresh eggs, all kinds of local specialities were available—dry apple cider, crème fraîche, oysters, duck, and more.
There was also a cheesemonger with more kinds of cheese than I had ever seen. He had blue-veined Rocquefort; small wheels of Camembert and Brie; giant wheels of Raclette for melting over an open flame. There were wedges of Petit Basque, which I would later learn that you should eat on a baguette with fresh cherry jam.
He also had beautiful jars of white cheese floating in golden olive oil. “What is that one?” I asked the cheesemonger (who was also gorgeous, kind of like a Greek god, and I definitely wanted to engage him in conversation).
The cheesemonger (whose name, I kid you not, was Marius—and right in the middle of my Les Misérables phase!), cracked open a jar, plucked out a generous chunk of feta, and handed it to me, olive oil running down his beautiful fingers.
French feta is a little milder than Greek feta, and creamier. You can use either in this recipe, just use the best feta you can find—any feta handed to you straight from the jar by a cheesemonger is sure to be exceptional, just like the feta Marius sold.
The tomatoes that top the whipped feta are roasted until candy-sweet with fresh herbs and garlic. To really make this dish unforgettable, use freshly-picked tomatoes from your garden, the garden of a generous neighbor, or head to your local farmers’ market during the late summer months.
Whipped Feta with Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients
For the roasted tomatoes
- 2 cups (300g) cherry tomatoes
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the whipped feta
- 8 ounces (225g) good-quality feta cheese, cut into large chunks
- ⅓ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Herbs of choice for garnish (I like mint or basil)
- Maldon salt
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
- Preheat the oven to 300°F or 275°F convection (150°C or 135°C convection).
Step 2
- Line a large sheet pan with parchment, and distribute the tomatoes and garlic evenly over the top. Drizzle generously with olive oil, and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Roast for 1-½ hours, depending on the size of your tomatoes, or until the tomatoes are ready to burst. Remove from the oven, and set aside.
Step 3
- To a food processor, add the feta cheese, Greek yogurt, and 2 tablespoons olive oil, and process until smooth.
Step 4
- Spread over a serving platter, and top with roasted tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with maldon salt and garnish with herbs. Serve with warm flatbread.
Beverage Pairing
By: Olivia
The beauty of roasted tomatoes is how the roasting brings out the tomato’s sugars and deep flavors. This, paired with the creamy whipped feta, means you can play with a lot of different wine pairings. You could drink a high-acid red wine that isn’t overly tannic like a Barbera, Zinfandel, or Southern Rhône blends from Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. For white wine, you’ll want something high-acid without oak, so you can grab a Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino, or Albariño. If you really want to luxuriate, this summer stater could be enjoyed with a nice glass of Prosecco too.
