Roasted Red Pepper & Basil Dip

I always like to have something ready to go when the first guest walks in the door, along with music and drinks.  The easiest thing to do is have a dip out for the first round.  There are a million variations of a dip, so replace ingredients with anything you might like better.

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
• 8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
• 4 ounces of crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup of good mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup of creme fraiche
• 1  roasted red pepper, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup of fresh basil roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup of chives
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Making It

• Cut the peppers down the middle, remove the seeds
• Turn the oven to 500 degrees and sprinkle the red bell pepper with olive oil, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, roast for 20 minutes, cut side up.  Let cool while covered with plastic wrap
• In a food processor with the steel blade put in the garlic and pulse 3-4 times
• Add the cream cheese, feta, mayonnaise, creme fraiche and pulse 3-4 times
• Place the peppers, basil and chives in the blender and pulse until all the ingredients are incorporated
• Taste and if you prefer more heat add some dashed of Tabasco Sauce