¹ú²ú¸£Àû

Cheese is the great unifier. There is at least one variety of cheese to pair with anything, whether the main dish is a savory dinner or a sweet dessert.

There is a cheese, however, that offers the best of both worlds: a blank, salty canvas, perfect for customization. Enter: feta.

Luckily, the Institute of ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Education Los Angeles is partnered with , where vendor sells some of the best feta cheese around. When Chef-Instructor Robert Bordwell got his hands on some Bulgarian and Turkish feta from Mediterranean Market, he knew what he had to make: whipped feta dip.

For the dip, Chef Robert likes to whip up his cheese in a food processor until it's smooth and creamy. Since feta is so versatile, he chose to make a savory dip, with olive oil poured into the processor as the cheese is whipping, and a sweet version, in which he replaced the olive oil with honey. 

Both dips are slightly salty, but have different flavor notes. They're simple to make, and pair well with any crudité of choice for dipping. In spring, fresh veggies like carrots and cucumber work perfectly alongside the salty, savory version of the dip, and strawberries are perfect for the sweet version.

Chef Robert also encourages people to get creative with the dippers.

"One thing I used to do is take scrap pieces of my cakes, cut them into cubes, soak them in syrup and bake them," Chef Robert says. "You get these bites that look like croutons, but when you go to eat them, they're sweet and perfect for dipping in something like this."

If you'd like to go the extra mile, you can also make Chef Robert's strawberry consommé, a syrupy, bright strawberry broth that he generously poured onto the sweet whipped feta. You can garnish the sweet dip with more honey and fruit of your choice, while the savory dip shines topped with some fresh dill.

If you find yourself with leftover feta, bake it! Chef Robert popped some of his leftover feta into a 500° F oven with some cherry tomatoes, let it bake until it started to bubble, and then pulled out a soft, warm block of cheese perfect for scooping up with some leftover pita or bread.

Overall, whipped feta cheese dip is customizable for anyone's taste and easy to make, so give it a try to share at your next spring gathering. Or, make it just for yourself, and enjoy.

Recipe

Whipped Feta Dip (Sweet and Savory)

Ingredients

For the Savory Whipped Feta Dip:

• 6 ounces feta cheese
• 1/2 ounces dill (fresh)
• 1/2 ounces parsley (fresh)
• 2 ounces lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
• About 1/2 cup olive oil (may need more or less depending on the moisture of the cheese)
• Fresh vegetables of choice, cut into strips

For the Sweet Whipped Feta Dip:

• 6 ounces feta cheese
• 1 ounce honey
• Fruit of choice, cut in half as needed, for dipping

For the Strawberry Consommé:

• 8 ounces of fresh or frozen strawberries (if you want more, 16 ounces of strawberries will yield lots of extra consommé)
• 0.8 ounce granulated sugar (if using 16 ounces of strawberries, increase sugar to 1.6 ounces)

Directions

For the Savory and Sweet Whipped Feta Dips:

1. Crumble feta into food processor. For savory dip, add dill, parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper into food processor. Close the food processor lid.
2. Begin to whip the feta continually in the processor. Stream olive oil or honey through the top opening as the cheese whips, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Once the feta dip is smooth and creamy, remove from the processor and plate alongside crudités of choice.

For the Strawberry Consommé:

1. Place strawberries and sugar in a stainless steel bowl over a pot of boiling water. If you have a bain-marie pot, feel free to use it.
2. Cook the strawberries down until a thin broth gathers at the bottom of the bowl, about 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure to check periodically.
3. Once the strawberries have released their juices, take off of the heat and pour the broth into a separate container. Use to top the whipped feta dip, cakes and ice cream.