whipped rosemary feta with toasted garlicky pine nuts and hot honey.
nutty and creamy with a hint of spice, this whipped feta will keep guests going back for more.
Makes: 24 crostini Prep time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes jump to recipe.
Fluffy, light cheese with lots of garlic and warm crusty bread? Yeah, that doesn’t sound bad at all.
If you’ve never tried whipped feta, you’re in for a treat: blending for a few seconds transforms crumbly cheeses into fluffy, creamy dips and spreads like this one. Add herbs, garlic, and lemon, and you have this divine creamy concoction that can be used on anything from french fries to peaches.
It’s also super easy to whip up (pun intended). You just need a halfway-decent blender.
How to toast perfect crostini
There are a handful of ways to toast bread, but there are some particularly good ways I’d recommend. For the best, most crunchy, satisfying crostini, I highly recommend doing it this way:
Heat olive oil in a non stick skillet over medium heat. Heat enough oil to coat the bottom, and then some. When you place the bread in the oil, the oil should surround the bread.
Heat the oil until it’s shimmering (it will feel very hot when you hold your palm over the skillet). Try not to let it get to smoking (it can turn bitter).
Use very fresh bread — it should be squishy when you give it a squeeze. Mine was actually labelled as “French bread”, so it was softer than the typical baguette.
Add the bread, working in batches as needed. Place them flat into the oil and don’t touch them until you can see gold on the edges.
Flip the bread, add more oil if needed, and repeat on the second side.
Remove from the heat.
Doing it this way fries the bread rather than toasting it, so you have this crunchy-airy exterior and a fluffy, moist inside.
You can store the crostinis for 1-2 days before serving. I highly recommend making these fresh before serving so that the crostinis are warm and the bread is soft, but they’ll stay crunchy and fresh for about 2 days if needed — just be sure to store in an airtight container or bag.
Making this ahead
I work a lot better on my own (it has everything to do with me getting distracted), so when I have guests over I prefer to have as much prepped ahead of time as possible. Crostinis are a little hard to do this with, but not impossible.
Whip the feta: The feta can be whipped and stored for up to a week ahead of time (awesome). The only thing is that it loses some of its airiness / fluffy quality when it hits the fridge. Worse, it thickens a bit. If you’re just smearing it on crostinis, this won’t matter. If you’re serving as a dip and want to return some of the fluff to the feta, quickly blend it again or whisk it in a bowl until it becomes airy.
Toast the crostini: As I mentioned, the crostini can be toasted ahead of time and stored for a day or so. Now, I’ll warn you, this does risk the bread getting stale, so I wouldn’t push it further than a day or two. You can’t rewarm the bread (without drying it out), so remember that these will be served cold.
Toast the pine nuts: I’m conflicted if I should even suggest to do this part ahead of time: Not only does it make the kitchen smell amazing, but it only takes about 30 seconds and tastes much better warmed. Technically, you can make the toasted nut mixture and store it at room temp for a day, but I really think you’re better off making it fresh. To save time, you can mince the garlic ahead.
I usually cut my bread at an angle so the crostinis are more oblong.
whipped rosemary feta ingredients
feta: There’s no reason to use the big block of feta unless it’s on sale. Even then, you’ll want to crumble it into the blender before using. Instead, opt for the crumbled, full-fat feta. Reduced fat will work fine if you need it, but the full-fat will be creamier. You’ll just need one container (6 ounces) to make about a cup and a half of dip.
garlic: This is one time I suggest not overdoing the garlic (at least, not in the feta). It quickly overpowers the dip. Use 2 medium cloves or one giant one and taste. For the topping, use as much as you want — I recommend 3-4 medium cloves so as not to totally overpower the nuts.
rosemary: Rosemary is the way to go here, but you can swap for thyme if needed. I love fresh because it’s more fragrant and herby than the dried, but you can definitely swap for dried in a pinch. Start with 1 tablespoon rosemary and go from there.
greek yogurt: This is a key ingredient here. This is what makes whipped feta so creamy and smooth. More yogurt = smoother feta. Note that it does have some tang to it, so more yogurt also = less feta flavor. I’d recommend 5% milkfat here for creamier results. You can also use regular yogurt, if desired.
milk: This is just to get the blades running smoothly — you just need a splash of liquid and I think milk is the best. You can also use half & half, heavy cream, water, or olive oil. Water will thin the feta and olive oil will add a little bit of a nutty flavor. Use what you have on hand, don’t overthink it (it’s just a splash).
lemon juice: Don’t skip this, it’s going to lift all that heavy flavor and balance the garlic. Use just half a lemon (about an ounce of juice).
crusty bread: You want something about the width of a baguette — about 3-4 inches across — and crusty. I used a baguette-sized French bread, which was a little softer. You can also make this with crackers or pita.
pine nuts: Pine nuts match the feta really well, but if you can’t get your hands on any, swap for walnuts. I buy my pine nuts at the Italian market or the bulk grain section, where I can weigh out what I need. This helps saves on cost!
olive oil: You’ll want a lot of it for toasting and then again in the nutty topping. You want the topping to be like a sauce (it’s meant to replicate chili crisp). Have a decent amount of good olive oil ready to go.
hot honey: Grab your favorite hot honey for this, and don’t be afraid to make it hot. If you don’t have hot honey in the pantry, you should. It makes everything better. I was recently sent a few bottles from AR’s Hot Southern Honey and highly recommend it - the mild is noticeably spicy with a pleasant tingle.
whipped feta should be sauce-like with small clumps. If big chunks remain, keep blending.
What the nuts and garlic should look like toasted
whipped rosemary feta pairing options
This is, of course, meant to be an appetizer, so I recommend serving alongside other small bites such as:
gravlax and crackers
cumin shrimp (delicious on top of feta and toasted bread)
candied cashews
mini hasselback potatoes (spread with feta)
lamb skewers
beef tenderloin crostini
turkey meatballs
you can serve them already prepared, like so, or in a bowl with the toasted crostinis
