Ingredients:

  • 8 oz full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 2 tbsp sour cream
  • 1 cup green olives stuffed with pimentos, drained and roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp reserved olive brine
  • 2 green onions, finely minced
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

  1. Soften the base. Take your 8 oz of cream cheese out of the fridge at least an hour before starting. It should give easily when pressed with a finger.
  2. Whip for volume. Place the cheese in your bowl and use the electric whisk on medium high speed. Cook 3 mins until pale and voluminous. Note: This aeration is the most important step for a light texture.
  3. Incorporate the liquids. Turn the mixer down to low. This prevents the liquids from splashing out.
  4. Drizzle slowly. Gradually add the 1 tbsp of olive brine and 2 tbsp of sour cream. Mix until glossy and uniform.
  5. Season the mix. While the mixer is still on low, add the 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce.
  6. Prep the mix ins. Roughly chop your 1 cup of olives and finely mince the 2 green onions while the base rests for a second.
  7. Fold by hand. Switch to your silicone spatula. Gently fold in the olives and onions. Stop as soon as they are evenly distributed to avoid over mixing and turning the spread green.
  8. The final set. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and cover it tightly.
  9. Chill and marry. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Wait until the texture is firm and the flavors have melded. When you pull that bowl out of the fridge, you'll notice it has firmed up significantly compared to when you were folding in the olives. That’s the fat doing its job! It’s now ready to be the star of your classic cream cheese olive dip platter. The texture should be velvety but thick enough to hold its shape on the end of a celery stick.