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But as soon as I spoke the phrase, I realized this could just be an adaptation of port wine cheese spread. I found several recipes for port wine cheese, and ultimately decided to mash up the pounded cheddar with port sauce from Amy Thielen with a more typical port wine spread from Rachel Ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The port syrup is a very simple addition of brown sugar to port to make a little syrup-y wine. Since I used the less sweet syrah than port, I thought this especially a good addition and added a little more sugar than called for, but your mileage may vary on how sweet you want your cheese spread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also think I overdid it a little on the garlic. Rarely, for me, has doubling the recipe\u2019s amount of garlic gone wrong, but in this case, it tended to overwhelm the gentler flavors of wine and cheese. Still, it tasted good for garlic lovers, so again, YMMV. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other than that, I used my small skillet to make the sauce and also to serve the dip rather than rolling it into a ball, like the traditional recipe. So, I got double use and still a nice serving platter (even if it was just me and my sweetie enjoying it). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s hoping for a better 2021 and thanks for reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what I did: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Directions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Combine syrah and brown sugar in a small skillet or small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes, until the mixture slightly thickens and all the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a large bowl and let cool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the wine syrup is cooled, add in the cheddar, butter, cream cheese, mustard, garlic, and peppers. Stir with a fork or spatula until all ingredients are well combined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a cleaned small skillet, spread the cheese mixture. Press to create an even layer. Add the walnuts and parsley on top, if using. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chill for at least an hour, or overnight, for the mixture\u2019s flavors to combine, and enjoy! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well, if you\u2019re following along, we\u2019ve made it to the end of the year. Good riddance to 2020, and I\u2019m sending it off with one final dip. For some small frivolity in this downer of a year, my sweetie and I were bantering about who knows what when I stumbled onto the phrase \u201cqueso syrah.\u201d … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/christiniacrippes.com\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/20201220_133358-1024x1024.jpg\")