Recipe: FarmShare Cheese Spread

A few weeks ago, I shared this simple and tasty recipe with participants in a cheese tasting workshop I led for The Agrarian Collective. It's so easy and so good, I thought you might enjoy it too.

This is an easy one to throw together when you need a little something to top a cracker or your Sunday morning bagel. It also makes an interesting addition to a cheese board. Best of all, it's one of those recipes that isn't really a recipe at all, just a couple of ingredients, some loose instructions, and suggestions for creative flavorings that you can play with all year long as available ingredients change with the seasons. And aren't these the best kind of recipes?

As for ingredients, I always make this with fresh, Cleveland-made chèvre from Lake Erie Creamery. I used homemade butter made with some extra Snowville Cream I had on hand but of course any butter will do. You could season it with salt and stop right there. But it's much more fun to flavor it up with your own unique and seasonal combination of herbs, fruits, and spices. This time of year, I play with spicy curry blends, smoked paprika, and citrus zest. Or maybe dried apricots and cherries, flavored or smoked salts, and black pepper. Come spring, I'll snip fresh herbs like chives or chervil, always the first up. Early summer additions include spring onions and minced garlic scapes. And as the summer and fall harvests kick in, you can have fun adding just about anything, cherry tomatoes, garlic (of course) or roasted garlic, fresh basil, and more. One of my favorite summer batches featured a few teaspoons of homemade pesto. Have some fun with heartier mix-ins too. Nuts, capers, olives, baby shrimp, and smoked salmon all make lovely additions.

FarmShare Cheese Spread

4 oz. butter, softened
4 oz. Lake Erie Creamery fromage blanc or chèvre, at room temperature
fresh or dried herbs and seasonings to taste
salt to taste

Mix the softened butter and cheese together in a food processor or by hand using a wooden spoon until combined. Add flavorings and salt to taste. Mix again to incorporate. Taste and adjust if necessary.

Serve on toasted bread or your favorite crackers.