L’Auberge Chez François Herbed Cottage Cheese Spread
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This blend of cottage cheese, sour cream, garlic and fresh herbs makes an irresistible spread.
(Photo by Alexandra Grablewski, Chronicle Books 2018)
My first job out of culinary school was as an apprentice at the acclaimed L’Auberge Chez François, a romantic French restaurant right outside of Washington, DC. If you’re from the area, you’ve likely spent a special occasion there. If not, just imagine an Old World style cottage in the rolling hills of Virginia, dining rooms appointed with cozy fireplaces and traditional Alsatian decor, an old-school French menu featuring the likes of escargots, foie gras, and Chateaubriand, and a whole lotta charm. It’s a very special place.
However, I found out pretty quickly that working there wasn’t quite as romantic as dining there. The restaurant has a large, European-style brigade kitchen with the chef at the helm and all the cooks “manning” their stations. Not only was I the only woman, at five feet two inches tall, I was also hopelessly undersized for the massive equipment that surrounded us. I had to get lifts on my shoes just to reach the plates over the stove—and don’t even ask about those fifty-pound sacks of potatoes! If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to cook in a restaurant kitchen, just imagine trying to juggle multiple orders in your head, cooking on four different burners with food in the oven at the same time, flames, sharp knives, hot pans, and the incessant stream of orders coming in and going out. It was terrifying!
I did eventually get the hang of it, and though I never once forgot what a privilege it was to work there, I have to admit that I’m much happier to be a guest at Chez François now. One of the nicest parts about dining there is all the unexpected treats that show up at your table throughout the meal, like decadent chocolate truffles after dessert, sorbets garnished with candied violets in-between courses, or my personal favorite, the Herbed Cottage Cheese Spread that comes with a basket of toasted garlic bread while you peruse the menu. It’s a blend of cottage cheese, sour cream, garlic, scallions, and fresh herbs that’s irresistible—the perfect beginning to an always perfect meal.
“This was beyond delicious. I served it for a girls cocktail night and then couldn’t stop eating the leftovers the next day…Three friends asked for the link to the recipe that evening!”
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L'Auberge Chez François Herbed Cottage Cheese Spread
This blend of cottage cheese, sour cream, garlic and fresh herbs makes an irresistible spread.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 4% small-curd, cream-style cottage cheese
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallots
- 1 tablespoon finely minced green onions or chives
- 1 tablespoon finely minced parsley, plus more for garnish
- Garlic bread or crackers, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the cottage cheese and sour cream in a medium bowl and blend well. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly and adjust seasonings. Cover and chill well before serving. Serve with toasted garlic bread or crackers and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: About 1/3 cup
- Calories: 95
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Sugar: 2g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 7g
- Sodium: 368mg
- Cholesterol: 20mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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We discovered this recipe in your cookbook last year, and it is a firm family favourite!
(Plus it’s so fun to pronounce)
Just a quick question, please.
I wondered whether you might be able to recommend a good garlic press?
(I’ve just snapped through the blade of my sabatier, crushing garlic for fat Greek tacos!)
Thanks very much again
P.S. can’t wait for your new cookbook to come out!
Hi Savanna, Glad you like this! I like this garlic press. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn! This link above goes to a can opener. Can you share the garlic press link again? Thank you!
Oops – sorry about that – I just updated the link! 🙂
Loved it! And friends asked for the recipe. The only thing I tweaked was a squeeze of lemon but it would still have been delicious without! I think I’m almost at a dozen Once Upon A Chef recipes tried. I’ve loved them all! I can’t thank you enough for helping me bring fantastic meals to the table for my family.
This is my “go to” quick appetizer!
And especially before a heavier meal. It is light and tasty and I serve with crackers and cucumber slices.
I love parsley, so I double the amount too! 🙂
This spread truly is heavenly! So easy to whip up, and perfect over fresh baked bread. I would recommend making a double batch as one batch is usually gone within 24 hours at our house. I honestly do not have any complaints and have consistently been impressed with this recipe.
I was thrilled to find this spread in the cookbook since L’Auberge Chez Francois is our go to for special occasions and this spread is always a wonderful starter! So happy I can now make it at home! Thank you!!!
This is simple and delicious. Very nice for a light snack or appetizer.
I made the L’Auberge Chez François Herbed Cottage Cheese Spread and it was magnificent! Now one of my absolute favorites. In the intro you talked about a basket of Chez François’ garlic toast with this dip. Do you have the recipe that I can try with the Cottage Cheese.
Thanks very much,
Ken
You say: ” For best results, do not use low fat cottage cheese or sour cream.” The recipe calls for sour cream. So, just leave it out? What about mayonnaise?
Hi Ken, when I mention that in the recipe, it’s just to let you know that you will get a much creamier version if you use regular sour cream and 4% cottage cheese. I would not sub out the sour cream for mayo though. Hope that clarifies!
It does clarify. What you meant was… OR low fat sour cream. I have tried it with some mayo in the absence of sour cream. Seems to work. Used to visit Chez Francois but now it’s too far away.
My eyes are rolling so hard at this “correction”.
Haha mine too!
Thank you for this. A friend from Hungary was visiting and he wanted to make us a something he thought we would enjoy on a hot evening. He stuffed cold, crisp green bell peppers with an herbed cottage cheese (he normally used quark, but wanted all American ingredients so cottage cheese seemed a good substitute). It was delicious. I have your recipe chilling in the refrigerator to pipe into mini peppers. Nice memory
It takes will power not to fill up on the Bibelskais and garlic toast.