Think of the chunkiest blue cheese dressing you’ve had – that’s what this dip reminds me of.
Nancy H recently hosted some of our Gourmet Dinner Club (GDC) members for an after hours tour of Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. This is one of the perks of working at Chanticleer! We all brought snacks and drinks to enjoy poolside. What a beautiful place to work and visit.
In the 1820s the Rosegartens founded a pharmaceutical company to produce quinine to treat malaria. (Now we think of quinine as the primary ingredient in tonic water.) A century later their company merged with Merck & Co. The 48 acre estate was built in 1912 by Adolph Rosengarten, Sr., and his wife, Christine originally as a summer home. In 1924 an addition was added and they moved here full time. When their son died in 1990 the estate and gardens were now run by a foundation for the enjoyment and education of the public. The grounds opened to visitors in 1993.
‘Chanticleer’ is another name for ‘rooster’ in French. There are many decorative roosters throughout the property. Although in this case, the property was named for a character in a William Makepeace Thackeray novel.
I’ve been to Chanticleer many times and what I love is that they are always reinterpreting the gardens so they never look quite the same.
The dip comes together quite easily. I used a mild blue cheese, but if you enjoy a more pungent one, feel free to substitute. You mix it with buttermilk, mayonnaise, chives, shallots and toasted walnuts. The walnuts provide a nice bit of texture. This dip goes great with both celery and crackers. It would also make a lovely spread for a sandwich such as roast beef on a baguette.
Kim C, Bryn S and I had fun photographing this dip amongst some of the flowers and plants surrounding the pool. This dip is both gluten-free and wheat-free – be sure to serve it with the appropriate crackers.
| Blue Cheese and Walnut Dip | | Print |
- 1 cup raw walnut pieces
- 8 ounces mild blue cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup thinly sliced chives, plus more for garnish
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (~1/2 lemon)
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For serving: celery sticks and crackers (regular or gluten-free)
- Heat oven (or toaster oven) to 350°F. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven until golden brown and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Watch them carefully to ensure they do not burn. Let cool and coarsely chop.
- In a medium bowl, combine blue cheese, buttermilk, mayonnaise, chives, shallot, lemon juice and paprika. Stir to blend and season with salt and pepper. Store dip in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before serving.
- Just before serving, stir in chopped walnuts and top with more chives.
- Serve with celery sticks and crackers.
Source: Variation on recipe from New York Times Cooking
Nicole, Was such a fun evening! This dip was to die for! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Kim – Agreed – it was such a nice evening – a lovely place with good friends. I’m so glad you enjoyed this dip.
Hi Nicole–I am definitely going to make this! Really like the look of your blog. Hope you are doing well!
Laura – So nice to hear from you! I hope you like this recipe and that you are doing well.