Connie’s notes
A lovely dip with three components: cream cheese flavored with roasted garlic and dill; a sauce made with butter, honey, chili and lemon juice; and roasted tomatoes.
Is this an appetizer or a snack? Either. It can even be served with cocktail drinks.
Just how complicated is the cooking process? Just because the dish has three components doesn’t mean it’s a complicated project. It’s not, really.
Tip: You may use a toaster oven, an air fryer or a regular oven to roast the tomatoes and garlic. If using a regular oven, make sure you preheat it.
Ingredients
Roasted tomatoes
- 300 grams cherry tomatoes (10.5 oz)
- olive oil
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
Cheese
- 4 to 5 cloves roasted garlic peeled and mashed
- 1 cup cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons roughly chopped dill divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup Japanese mayo (we use Kewpie)
- ¼ cup sour cream
Sauce
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 pinch chili flakes
- 2 to 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
Roast the tomatoes and garlic
- Rinse the cherry tomatoes and dry with a kitchen towel.
- Place the tomatoes in a bowl, pierce each one with a thin knife, drizzle in a little olive oil and toss well.
- Sprinkle in the lemon pepper seasoning and toss to coat each tomato.
- Spread the tomatoes on a baking tray and add the garlic cloves.
- Roast the tomatoes and garlic at 350F for 20 minutes (see notes).
Prep the cream cheese
- Peel the roasted garlic and mash into a paste.
- Whisk the cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth. Fold in half of the dill and all of the garlic.
- Whisk the mayo and sour cream together then fold into the cream cheese mixture.
- Scrape the cream cheese into a large shallow bowl or two medium shallow bowls.
Make the sauce
- Melt the butter in a pan and sprinkle in the chili flakes.
- When the butter turns a shade of light brown, stir in the honey and lemon juice.
- Spread the roasted cherry tomatoes in the simmering sauce, toss a few times and wait just until the tomatoes plump up and the skins lose their wrinkly appearance.
Assemble
- Scoop out the tomatoes and drop gently on top of the cream cheese.
- Drizzle the sauce over the tomatoes and cheese.
- Sprinkle in the remaining dill and, optionally, chili flakes.
- Serve with bread or crackers.
Beef tongue with lemongrass chili sauce
