Creamy Black Garlic Spread

I was watching the beloved Iron Chef America on The Food Network the other day and one of the secret ingredients was….black garlic!

My first thought?  What the hell is black garlic?

So, as someone who lives in the kitchen I wanted to get to the bottom of this cool new “toy”.  Basically it is fermented garlic and to find out the whole story I suggest popping it into a Google search.

Here’s my take.  It takes like oven roasted garlic and is black….except it comes like that fresh from the skin.  Pretty simple, right?

Now for a holiday gathering I was making my homemade Simple Cured Salmon and was serving it on crusty toasted French baguette slices…..but needed something extra.  As the salmon can be a little salty, I wanted a smooth spread to take out some of the acidity.   I whipped up this little sucker in a few moment and it really was delicious.

Here’s what you need:

*1/2 Head of Black Garlic (cleaned)

*1 8oz package of Cream Cheese

*2-3 Tablespoons of Sour Cream (depending on how thick you want)

*4 Tablespoons Chives (fresh or dried)

*1 Teaspoon of  Horseradish (omit if you like)

*Fresh Salt and Pepper to Taste

Now here’s the hard part.  Pop all of the above in food processor and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.  Yep…that’s it!  Then transfer it into the bowl you want to serve it in and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving or overnight.  Believe me – it’s addictive!