Basil Cheese Loaf
This has been a favorite with guests and very easy to make. I pack into two small loaf dishes and freeze one for later use.
This has been a favorite with guests and very easy to make. I pack into two small loaf dishes and freeze one for later use.
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 package cream cheese room temperature
- 4 ounces roquefort cheese room temperature
- 1 cup fresh spinach loosely packed
- 3/4 cup italian parsley loosely packed
- 1/4 cup fresh basil loosely packed
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic minced
- 1/4 c vegetable oil
- 1/4 c walnuts finely chopped
- 1 cup parmesan freshly grated
- Carbohydrate 26.347455 g
- Cholesterol 283.56 mg
- Fat 148.79305 g
- Fiber 5.92004996156692 g
- Protein 76.848065 g
- Saturated Fat 60.15202237975 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (461g)
- Sodium 4186.282 mg
- Sugar 20.4274050384331 g
- Trans Fat 9.31829137754998 g
- Calories 1716 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine the cream cheese and Roquefort in a bowl, and mix until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine the spinach, parsley, basil, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. With the motor running, slowly drizzle the oil through the feed tube; continue processing until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the walnuts and Parmesan, and mix thoroughly.
- Line a 5 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving extra wrap hanging over the sides.
- Spread one third of the cheese mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Next, spread half the pesto mixture, and arrange a layer of sun-dried tomatoes on top. Repeat the cheese, pesto, and tomato layers. Finish with the remaining third of the cheese mixture. Cover with the overhanging plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- To serve, allow the loaf to come just to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Invert it onto a platter, and provide a cheese-slicing knife. Have a basket of crackers and bread nearby.
Home cooks often skip bringing the cream cheese and Roquefort to room temperature before mixing, which leaves stubborn lumps throughout the base. Softened dairy is mandatory for achieving the smooth texture required for proper layering. A food processor efficiently pulverizes the spinach, parsley, basil, and garlic while the vegetable oil streams through the feed tube, emulsifying the green paste before the walnuts and Parmesan are manually stirred in.
Adjusting Yields and Proportions
Dividing this recipe into smaller vessels requires careful geometric consideration rather than simple arithmetic. If scaling down to fit a smaller 4x2-inch mold, reduce the ingredient weights by half to maintain the exact structural ratio of one-third cheese to half pesto per tier. Lining the pan completely with plastic wrap ensures the solid fats release cleanly after twenty-four hours of refrigeration. Allow the molded block to sit at room temperature for precisely thirty minutes before inversion to soften the butterfat enough for clean slicing without structural collapse.
- Greens retain excess surface moisture after washing; spin them completely dry in a salad spinner so the oil emulsion does not break.
- Toast the finely chopped walnuts in a dry skillet for four minutes until fragrant to enhance the nutty flavor profile against the sharp Roquefort.
- Substitute up to twenty percent of the vegetable oil with cold-pressed olive oil, noting that heavier olive oils will impart a more assertive pungency to the herbal layer.
