Mascarpone Bacon And Chive Dip

Every Thursday I play Canasta with a fabulous group of women. These women are warm, generous and loving. I am very fortunate to have such wonderful friends! We laugh, eat fun food, sip wine, and of course, play cards! I like to bring a little something each week, but last week did not plan ahead so I went to the fridge to see what I might put together.

L to R: Bonnie, Dianna, and Joyce. Fun ladies!

I had an 8 oz. container of mascarpone cheese. On the weekend I had fried a bunch of bacon, and my chives are still going strong in the garden so I figured those ingredients, plus a couple others, will make a nice dip. I added a little horseradish cream, which gave the dip a little zip. Greek-style yogurt thinned out the mascarpone and also added some brightness. Lately I cannot get enough smoke so added some liquid smoke to complete the dip. Use a lot of chives. I did not measure as I didn’t plan on blogging, but as always, just keep tasting until you have the right amount.

Mascarpone is like cream cheese on steroids. It is made with whole cream rather than milk, so richer, creamier and even more delicious than regular American cream cheese. It is originally from the northern part of Italy where there are many lakes, rolling mountainsides and fertile alpine pastures. The cows in this region are very happy and eat well, hence very rich cow’s milk.

Bel Gioioso is the brand I use. This dip goes together in minutes. No mixer necessary; just stir all ingredients until well combined and chill for a few hours to let favors come together.

Everyone loved it so much at Canasta that I decided to blog the recipe! I hope you like it, too!

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5 from 1 vote

Mascarpone Bacon And Chive Dip

Creamy, rich and delicious. And comes together in minutes.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. Mascarpone Cheese, at room temperature
• 3 Tbsp. Plain Greek-style yogurt
• 4 Strips Bacon, very crispy and crumbled
• 1/2 tsp. Liquid smoke, I usually use Hickory
• 1 tsp. Horseradish cream sauce
• Lots of Chives to mix into the dip and for garnish.

Instructions

• Place the mascarpone in a bowl and stir vigorously. Add the yogurt and stir to blend well.
• Add all other ingredients and stir until completely combined.
• Taste for salt. I did not add any as the bacon I used was salty enough.

Notes

Don't skimp on the chives. I did not measure, but used a lot of finely chopped chives.