Layered Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup pesto
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained & chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Instructions

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, blend cream cheese, lemon juice, & Worcheshire sauce until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture on serving plate.
Layer the following ingredients on top of the cream cheese mixture: pesto, chopped tomatoes, & then pine nuts.

Notes

-Don’t you dare use “lemon juice” from a plastic lemon. An angel loses its wings every time you use it.

-Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil retain their red color vs. dry in a bag. The bagged sun-dried tomatoes are nearly black & unappetizing for this dish. I usually find oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, & pine nuts on the pasta aisle.

-I toast my pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium flame until fragrant & light brown. Do not walk away, because you will burn them.

-Serve with Reduced-Fat Wheat Thins. No, not for the calories. They are crispier than normal Wheat Thins & can stand up to a thick spread.

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This recipe is from Lisa O’Rourke’s Cooking School. If you are in Baton Rouge, you need to take her classes. They make really great wedding & Christmas gifts as well.

Layered Pesto & Sun-dried Tomato Spread