This Smoked Gouda Cheese Spread is a wonderful appetizer spread on crackers, mini toasts, and crudités. It's perfect for cocktail and bowl game parties. 

I love this Smoked Gouda Cheese Spread on garlic melba toast or Carr's Table Water Crackers, but any good cracker will do.

This smoked gouda cheese spread is reminiscent of the days when cheese balls were ever present at every cocktail party in the mid twentieth century. They were usually cream cheese and maybe some grated cheddar and mayonnaise rolled together and coated with pecans or walnuts. Sometimes some port wine was added to the mix. I remember buying them in the grocery store. In fact, I don't think anyone actually made them at home. You'd buy a cheese ball or log, a box of Ritz Crackers, and appetizers were covered. At some point, cheese balls and cheese spread fell out of favor.

Suddenly they seem to be enjoying a resurgence of sorts right now. In fact, I was just at a party where a port wine cheese spread was served with crackers and grapes. So retro! I pictured Don and Betty Draper and the rest of the folks of Sterling Cooper.

While visiting a farmer's market at my work, I came across a vendor selling an array of salsas, guacamoles, and a smoked gouda spread, which was incredible.

While the container that I bought did not contain a list of ingredients, I had to try to recreate the flavors. While I'm not sure I completely duplicated the spread from farmer's market, I was able to come up with a pretty awesome spread if I do say so myself.

Along with being wonderful as an appetizer on crackers, this spread is also pretty tasty on an open-faced grilled bacon, cheese, and tomato sandwich. Just spread some toasted crusty bread slices with the cheese spread, top them with slices of tomato and some par cooked slices of bacon and broil until the cheese is melty and the bacon is fully cooked. So good.

Smoked Gouda Cheese Spread

Ingredients

• 8 ounces smoked Gouda, grated
• 8 to 12 ounces whipped cream cheese, I used 12 ounces
• 2 to 3 tablespoons minced red onions
• 2 to 3 tablespoons minced green bell peppers
• 1 to 2 tablespoons minced red or green jalapeño peppers
• 3 tablespoons minced smoked sun dried tomatoes (if you can't find smoked, use regular sun dried tomatoes, preferably not the kind packed in oil)
• 2 to 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of the sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce.
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped chives

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix the Gouda and the cream cheese to a consistency you prefer.
2. Add the red onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, sun dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, chipotle sauce and mix, adjusting the ingredients to taste.
3. Chill the mixture for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld. When ready to serve, garnish with the chives.

Yield: 24 servings