Whipped Feta with Tamarind Burnt Butter

Alas, we have reached the end of my miniseries dedicated to the amazing Checker Hall restaurant in Los Angeles. And I saved the best for last, whipped feta with tamarind burnt butter. Yes, it's a whipped feta recipe but it's nothing like you've had before, I guarantee it. What makes this version extraordinary is the tamarind burnt butter. It adds so much flavor and takes the appetizer to a completely different level. Serve this with warm pita bread and you'll be swooning.

Print Recipe

Whipped Feta with Tamarind Burnt Butter

Total Time20 mins

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: vegetarian

Servings: 6

Author: Cherry on My Sundae

Ingredients

• 8 ounces block feta drained plus 2 tablespoons crumbled feta
• ¾ cup Greek yogurt plain
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup butter divided
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon urfa

Instructions

• Combine 8 ounces block feta, yogurt, and lemon zest in a food processor or blender. Turn on the blender and slowly add extra virgin olive oil. Continue to puree until smooth. Transfer whipped feta to a serving bowl and set aside.
• Melt ¼ cup butter in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Continue to heat butter until it starts to turn dark brown, almost burnt but not quite, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add honey, tamarind paste, remaining ¼ cup butter, and salt, stirring until butter is all melted.
• Drizzle 3 tablespoons tamarind butter on whipped feta. Top with fresh dill, parsley, urfa, and crumbled feta. Serve with pita bread.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

I'll be honest, I never really appreciated feta until a few years ago. And then I discovered whipped feta and I never turned back.

Whipped feta is exactly that, feta that's been whipped up. I like to add a bit of Greek yogurt and lemon zest just to help with the consistency and balance the flavors.

Put the ingredients in a food processor or blender and slowly add extra virgin olive oil while it's running. Keep pureeing the feta until it's silky smooth. Then, set it aside while you prepare the tamarind burnt butter.

First, make the burnt butter. Burnt butter is essentially browned butter taken a step further. Melt butter in a medium saucepot and continue to heat it until it looks almost black. It'll smell deeply roasted and look dark brown but it shouldn't be completely burned.

If you're worried about overcooking the butter, lower the heat and take your time with it.

Turn off the heat and stir in the tamarind paste, honey, remaining butter, and salt. Keep mixing the sauce until the butter is melted and completely emulsified.

You can also make the sauce the day before and reheat it before serving.

It's time to assemble. Transfer the whipped feta into a serving bowl and drizzle at least 3 tablespoons of the tamarind burnt butter on top. You can most definitely add more but I recommend at least 3 tablespoons.

Sprinkle plenty of fresh parsley, dill, urfa, and finish the dip with crumbled feta.

Grab a warm pita bread and spoon a generous scoop of whipped feta with tamarind burnt butter on top. Now close your eyes and enjoy that amazing bite. The creamy, salty feta with the tangy and slightly sweet butter is the perfect combination. The fresh herbs, earthy urfa seasoning, and extra crumbled feta bring the dip to a complete circle. Without a doubt, one of my favorite appetizers.

For more cheese inspiration check out this fried ricotta with spicy marinara recipe!