Dip For The Stars

This is a GREAT recipe, delicious flavors. It makes a ton of dip. It's not really a dip, but more of a layered "torte" of cheese, pesto, sundried tomatoes, etc. I made it for a Christmas gathering, and even with 15 guests, I still had quite a bit left over. I would suggest lining your serving plate with basil leaves so that they peek out from under the dip. Great presentation! Make sure to serve with crackers that are not salty. A toasted Italian bread or a sturdy water cracker works well.

This was very good and enjoyed by our guests. The only changes I made in the preparation was that I put the sundried tomatoes in the food processor. I do not care for them in chunks and it really spread more easily. I also put this in a small 4" springform pan. I did line it with plastic and it was so easy to present and looked beautiful. I was asked for the recipe and I will certainly make it again....oh, I used vodka too.

Absolutely the best dip ever! I made it for a holiday party this past weekend - everyone loved it AND many asked me for the recipe~! I did make a few changes based on other reviews. First off I made my own pesto sauce from this recipe off the site: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pesto-Sauce/Detail.aspx - I halved the amount, used pine nuts and didn't add much salt which I think is really what made the dip as a whole good because I think store bought pesto is much saltier and the dip is already very flavorful on its own. For the dip, I also halved the recipe, still made a lot good for 15-20 people. Used a creamy feta, fresh cream cheese from a cheese market. Used about 1 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes in jar in oil - but made sure to drain as much oil as possible. Used all the pesto which was about 1 1/2 cup, again try to leave out oily parts. I added more tomatoes and pesto because other reviews stated there was too much cheese mixture, and it's true. So I just made the dip as I wanted and added more of the other layers. Best served with whole wheat pita or baguettes and make sure you place them on a separate plate because the dip will still be a bit oily on the bottom. WONDERFUL DIP!!

This spread is delicious and unique. It truly is much more colorful than this photo depicts. Couple of tips...I've gotten the best reviews when I serve the spread with slices of baguette bread. The flavor is simply too overwhelming for a cracker in my opinion. The bread slice stands up to the texture and flavors quite nicely and it makes the perfect two-bite appetizer. This recipe goes a LONG way as it's quite rich. I agree with those who say leave the butter in. The texture would change too much without it. I have found, however, that I need to soak up some of the oil that leeches out of the spread from the pesto and sundried tomatoes. It looks nicer if you clean it up a bit once it's set. You won't have to worry how it looks for long, however, because it will be GONE! Great recipe.

I used my large mixer with a wire beater instead of my tiny processor. This recipe makes a large amount that my processor cannot accomodate. Came out wonderfully. Next time I'll double the amount of tomatoes and nuts and increase the pesto to 1 c. since there is so much cheese mixture. Let it come to room temperature before eating, otherwise it will be crumbly. This is a wonderful recipe for entertaining.

This dip is raved over everytime. I served it at a dinner party and between 8 people the entire recipe was gone (that is a LOT of dip!). I've been asked to make it several times since. What is especially impressive is that since things are whipped together in the food processor, all of the flavors melt together beautifully, and no one knows what makes them love it so much! If I paid top dollar for this at a restaurant I would not be disappointed.

Excellent! I am eating it as I write (and my husband is wrapping presents in the garage!) I would do three things differently next time. 1) Pulverize the sun-dried tomotoes in the food processor into smaller pieces. 2) Drain and mop up as much oil from both the pesto and sun-dried tomatoes as possible. 3) Split it in two. You could easily make this is two smaller molds and freeze one for later. It is very good!

Excellent. I will definitely make this again. I omitted the butter and added extra cream cheese.

My sister made this for a party and people could not stop talking about how delicious this "dip" was. (It's actually more like a spread for crackers.) She halved the recipe for the amount of people attending and it was more than sufficient. The presentation is spectacular, not to mention how wonderful the ingredients taste together. Simply outstanding!

Everyone raves about this dip everytime I make it! I made it for the first time last year and I've been begged to make it to each gathering since! It is already perfect but there are a couple things that I do that I think make it even better... I buy the sundried tomato that comes in a jar with olive so I drain it and I use the food processor to make it more of a sundried tomato paste layer. It's easier to eat and it tastes really good to people like my husband that aren't fans of sundried tomatoes. I always drain the pesto so it isn't so oily. I use extra pine nuts... people love the pine nuts and the first time I made it I felt there wasn't enough! I usually only do the layers once each instead of repeating it. I love to use shaped dishes so that it comes out looking really nice once you turn it over. I always use vodka. The best crackers to use are plain good crackers... crackers with any flavor is not the best choice because then there's too much going on.

This was pretty good, but not great. A good combination of ingredients, but perhaps in the wrong proportions. Chopping all those sundried tomatoes was too much work for the outcome. The garlic overpowered the feta. I'm a big garlic fan, but one small clove would have been more than plenty. The oil in the pesto I used had separated, and I made the mistake of stirring it back in before using it. I should have drained off the oil instead. The oil kind of drained down and sat there on the plate after the dip had come up to room temperature. I don't think I'll make this again.

This was a great recipe. I was a little nervous because I never made anything like this before but everyone loved it. I took it to a Night at the Races event and even people from the next table wanted the recipe. I gave them the name of the recipe and the adress to this great web site. I will definately make it again. It looks like it took a lot of time but it really didn't. Thanks Dana for sharing this great recipe!

This is just wonderful! The photo doesn't look at all like what it looks like--gorgeous red tomatoes atop layers of white, green and red. So great for Christmas! This is very rich. I didn't think that it would make a lot, but it really goes a long way. Will make again at the Holidays.

This gets only 4 stars because it is VERY time consuming and expensive to make and requires a pretty mature palate. I and several guests liked the fairly sharp flavor, but others thought too much pesto and just weren't crazy about it. Hence, I have a lot left, even after taking it to a party with @20 people -- 1/2 recipe would have been plenty! RECS: 1)chop the toms with scissors -- takes forever but easiest way; 2)better served with bread than crackers; 3)consider the audience you're serving this to; 4)a little goes a long way because it's a pretty intense flavor; 5)remove oil from toms and everywhere else possible.

Excellent and pretty - and makes a huge amount. I made my own pesto - with enough garlic to maim, so I only used one 'stripe' of it and subbed the 2nd stripe with chopped olives. I also think the feta is a bit much and would probably stick to cream cheese next time. I'm taking this to a medium-size party, so I formed it in a medium rectangular tupperware (using the oil and plastic trick) and kept the rest for me. Served with black pepper Triscuits and Ritz. Thanks!! :)

This makes a fabulous presentation! I pressed the oil from the sun dried tomatoes and the pesto, and it held together well, even after coming to room temperature on the buffet table. Lots of folks commented on the presentation and the flavors, too! I served it with simple water crackers so the spread would be the star. Thanks for the idea--very creative!

This recipe is fabulous! A couple of helpful notes: It took me much longer than 20 minutes to put together, and this is definitely something you serve for a special occasion, so give yourself plenty of time to prepare it. Also, I let mine refrigerate overnight. I prepared it in a round jello mold, put it on a silver platter and covered it with a cake dome, then brought it to a friend's house for a party. It was a huge success! Can easily be cut in half for smaller groups, too! Oo la la!

Excellent dip. The tastes are second to none. A little more work than usual, however well worth the effort.

ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT, I WAS BOMBARDED WITH RECIPE REQUESTS FOR THIS DISH EVERY TIME I HAVE SERVED IT!!

Everyone wanted the recipe for this when I made it! It is sooo delicious. I didn't want to give out the "secret" ingredient (butter)! I also didn't have vermouth, so used balsamic vinegar instead which also gave it a nice color and flavor.

I halved this recipe and it was perfect! I did use less feta and butter, do drain the oil from the pesto before adding or it will separate when at room temp. I also only added the toasted pine nuts to the top and smushed to the outside of the dip, otherwise they can get soft, and I like them firm. This is sooo good!

Followed recipe exactly and everyone loved it however, I think this dip needs to be served at room temperature. For some reason it was much better that way.

i was a little doubtful at first... the alcohol and garlic made it almost too pungent for taste... but i assembled it and let it sit overnight- and it tasted great at an Easter brunch! next time, i might sautee the garlic and shallots in olive oil first- to mellow out the stinkiness... otherwise, i was pleased. also you can easily half the butter. its not needed.

I served this at a Thanksgiving get-together at our home, and it was much enjoyed. My daughter asked for the recipe. I used almonds instead of pine nuts, which I thought worked well. I really don't like pine nuts much. But the almonds were crunchy and the flavor blended well. It does make quite a large amount, and even with 10 people, much was left over. Sent it home with one of the guests who was happy to have it. The appearance was beautiful, and it was quite easy to do. I put fresh basil leaves around the base of the dip on a raised platter, placed that on another plate, and then arranged baguette slices underneath on the lower plate. Will keep this recipe for a repeat performance.

too time consuming, too expensive, too strong/rich, and no-one touched it at the holiday party i took it to.

I made this for a small dinner party. Decided to make 10 servings - 1/3 recipe) which was just about the right amount to fit in my 4"x1.75" springform pan (I had about 2T. of cheese mixture extra). I toasted the pine nuts in the oven @375 for about 6 minutes, shaking the pan every minute. And I used very good quality julienne sundried tomatoes that I further chopped with a kitchen shear. I used homemade pesto (Basil Pecan Pesto from AllRecipes). I lined the pan with plastic wrap and I did also grease the an although I did not understand why the directions included grease underneath the lining. The "dip" unmolded perfectly. Next time I will make an extra effort to be sure that each layer is heavy along the edge of the pan/mold because that would make a prettier presentation. I recommend using the finest ingredients for the best taste in this recipe. This is not an inexpensive food. I made it for a dinner party and as a trial run for Christmas. Definitely a special occasion recipe. Thank you DANA for sharing. :)

If you want to impress your guests, then try this recipe. Everyone raved about it and wanted the recipe. It is definately more of a spread than a dip. I served it with panetini (little Italian toasts) with the little spreaders/knives and it makes a very nice presentation. I also omitted the vermouth and did not miss it at all. You could easily just make the spread part with the feta, butter, cream cheese and seasonings for a super easy and quick dip.

You must try it to believe it. I guarantee that this recipe is something new, not the same old dips that you have seen a million times. When you begin to assemble this dip you will think it will never hold together, but after chilled, it does. The first time I made this recipe I made my own pesto. From then on I purchased pesto from one of the local warehouse grocers. This made this recipe much easier. Also, I suggest that you get the sun-dried tomatoes that are already cut. Then just a slight chop will do the trick. I also used feta, packed in brine, from my specialty grocer. It’s fresher and creamier. Please don’t let the photo shown here deter you from trying this recipe. When it is turned out it is beautiful. I served it with the mini-pitas that I cut in half. Everyone enjoyed stuffing the little pita halves full with this WONDERFUL dip. Thanks Dana Cole, this is a winner.

First try - took it to a party. Got RAVE reviews. People came up out of the blue and told me they liked it!

SO GOOD! I halved the recipe as it makes a very large serving. Used extra moist sun dried tomatoes without oil and ground them up in the food processor. As per other suggestions, drained oil off of pesto as much as possible and once the dip was set, I used papertowel to get some of that additional oil off. Served on a baguette and it got rave reviews from everyone. Thanks so much!

This was fantastic! I used Vodka instead of Vermouth and it turned out great - I got rave reviews. I made the entire batch for a party of about 20, it turned out to be too much. Half would've been perfect. Great recipe!

awesome and beautiful presentation!!! Like others, I halved the recipe and it was still too much for 6 people. vodka worked great! I prepared the day before and it was firm and perfect...ENJOY!!!

This was ok but how in the world do you find sunripened tomatoed that are soft enough to "dip" I bought the kind in oil and my food processor could hardly get them chopped. I ended up using roasted red peppers and just a few tomatoes. Is ther a certain kind that other people have had success with?? Also I would skip the cloves of garlic all together there is enough in the pesto.

I have made this dip for several occasions and every time it is a winner! Everyone ALWAYS loves this dip. The flavors all blend so well together. Every time I make it I always get requests for the recipes, and I always hear "oh good, you made that wonderful dip!"

I can't even describe how wonderful this tastes. The flavors go together perfectly and it is very pretty.

This was really good. I made it for a party, and everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. I used only half the butter that it called for and a little extra cream cheese. I also skipped the pine nuts because I don't really care for them and used gin instead of vermouth because that's what I had. I didn't think that this was as expensive or time consuming as some of the other reviewers. Granted, it costs more than chips and dip, but the result is worth it. If you're really worried about cost, the recipe could easily be halved and just made in a smaller mold. One suggestion--if you buy sundried tomatoes packed in oil, rinse them before chopping. I rinsed mine but not very well, and the final dip was a little oily. I blotted it with paper towels before serving.

Wonderful recipe. I disagree with those who would leave the butter out. It gives the dip such a rich smooth texture - the feta is a little grainy and the butter seems to lessen that somewhat. The butter also makes this dip literally melt in your mouth. I followed this recipe to the letter except that I didn't have any shallots so I just omitted them & added a little onion salt. It does have a very strong and pungent cheese flavor so if you don't like feta cheese, you probably wouldn't like this dip. I serve with whole wheat cracker or garlic bagel chips...heavenly!!

This dip is good, but it's really, really rich. It also makes quite a bit so if you're not serving a small army I would suggest scaling down. That being said it's really good! I used almonds instead of pine nuts since they were already in the pesto.

I made this for a work potluck today. It was mostly gone by the end of the potluck; I put the rest in the kitchen and it was gone by the end of the day. Everyone loved it and I came home with an empty plate. Perfect. A few people asked for the recipe. I did make a few changes--didn't have time to crush garlic and I didn't have shallots, so I subbed 1/8 tspn garlic powder and 1/4 tspn onion powder. I made it in a bundt pan and use oiled press and seal wrap. Perfect. Thanks!

I loved this recipe and wll make it again and again. I halved the butter/feta cheese/CC mixture but ended up using the whole 8oz of CC because it was too salty ( i used salted butter). The pine nuts I toasted in a pan. I chopped the sin dried tomatoes and tried to remove as much of the oil as possible. I used vodka instead of the vermouth. Also - I didn't measure the pesto, nuts or tomatoes. Next time I will try to use a less oily pesto. I served this with assorted crackers. Thanks so much for the recipe. This one is a keeper.

Makes a bunch! Drain pesto and tomatoes as much as possible. Can use more cream cheese if flavor is too pungent for you.

This was very good. I added a little bit more cream cheese than it called for and it was still very tasty.

Have made this for a couple of occasions, and it's always a HUGE hit. For the holidays, I made it up in taco baker (to make soft tacos into bowls) so it ended up with that lovely star shape. Outstanding look for the holiday ... very much in keeping with the festive season!

My cousin made this for a baby shower we recently hosted. It was fabulous, definitely the best item on the buffet. I believe the only substitution was vodka for vermouth. Great recipe, thanks for sharing.

Followed this recipe exactly and it was outstanding. That being said, I do have a few comments about what I would do differently the next time I make it, and there WILL be a next time. As others stated, this does make a huge amount. I too split it in half so I could take it to two functions. While there is certainly enough of the cheese/butter mixture to do this, I found that I used the entire amount of sundried tomatoes, pine nuts and pesto on one portion. So I doubled the amount of those items to split the recipe in half. Also, if you are thinking it's going to look like the featured photo, it isn't. (It still makes a nice presentation, however.) Firstly, sundried tomatoes are not bright red. Secondly, there is no way I was able to "spread the pesto over the pine nuts without it all getting mixed up. Again, did not affect the taste at all. Feta cheese is salty on it's own, so make sure you do use the unsalted butter. I drained my pesto of some of the oil, and used dried tomatoes (not the ones packed in oil) so that it wasn't so oily per the recommendation of other commenters. I used a 6" round cake pan lined with plastic wrap and it was a great size and came out of the pan beautifully. Let this come to room temp before serving or it will crumble instead of spread. It went over very well at both funtions I took it to, and I came home with empty plates! :)

I made this dip for a holiday party and it was a huge hit! Everyone wanted the recipe. I used light cream cheese, light feta and only 1 stick of butter (it calls for 2 but completely unnecessary). I can't imagine that 2nd stick of butter making it taste any better. It was so flavorful! The extra fat and calories was not at all missed!

Pine nuts are $50 per pound and I can't afford them. I decided to just make the base of this dip and add fresh thyme. It's heavenly on toast, crackers and on sandwiches.

Awesome dip for crackers! I get asked to make this one for all the parties we go to. I leave out the dry vermouth, but keep everything else as is. Like others said it makes alot of dip so I usually end up halfing the recipe for smaller parties. I just use a large round ziploc container and line it with saran wrap - no need to oil it as it slides out easily.

This recipe was the hit of my party! I had numerous requests for it, and guests were hovered over the food table eating it. A very unique dip great for vegetarians! Very pretty, would be great presentation around Christmas.

This was well received at a party. However, it was very oily. Lots of oil pooled on the plate by parties end, didnt look very appealing. But it tasted good. I followed advice and sauteed the garlic/shallots a bit. I also did not add the oil back in from the pesto and thoroughly drained and patted dry the tomatoes.

I really liked this as a spread. It was a nice combo of salty and creamy. I made too much and had lots left over so I threw it in a pan, melted it, added a little cream and a ladle full of pasta cooking water, and bam- the MOST DELICIOUS sauce for pasta. I highly recommend holding half back to make an easy pasta sauce later in the week.

This was amazing and gone within a few hours. Delicious! I found my new appetizer to take to friends' houses.

Every time I make this I get compliments! I never have vermouth on hand so I just subsitute it with vodka (stoli) and it still works great. I drain the tomatoes and pesto REALLY well before layering it all together. And I agree with another member that it tastes better served on bread than crackers. One time I used a tiny bit of gorgonzola in place the of feta which was really good too.

Sorry! We tried to like it but it just didn't look very appetizing so the football partygoers passed it by for the most part. It was awfully salty, too.

Wow, I mean wow...this is out of this world....fantastic and beautiful and very, very tasty and something very special..thank you, sunny

So simple & yet it looks so sophisticated. Big hit!

This recipe has been the hit of every party I've made it for. It makes a lot of dip, so I played added more sundried tomatoes, pesto, and pine nuts to allow for more layers to the dip. Very pretty when finished. be sure to bring copies of this recipe for everyone that will be asking for it!

This is amazing and will get loads of compliments, but the ingredients will set you back between $30-$40. Fair warning!

This is decadent. Made this for a party and everyone loved it. The complimenting layers of creamy cheese, tangy tomatoes, crunchy pine nuts and rich pesto are a brillaint match, and made a beautiful dish. People couldn't stop eating it.

THIS IS GREAT AND ALWAYS GOES WELL AT PARTIES!

This is a delicious and elegant appetizer. Very rich!

LOVE this stuff! It's wonderful sitting outside on a warm, summer night with a glass (or bottle) of Chardonnay!

This dip is amazing! I have made it many times and people are so in awe of how beautiful it comes out. Very easy to make and quite impressive! A real keeper!

This is absolutely delicious and so tasty and light to eat. Definitely use toasted baguettes for the cracker as you don't want to take away from the flavor of the dip. It looks very impressive and can be made a head of time. I did add black olivesand garlic and made it in two small containers as it was very hot out this weekend and I didn't want it to sit out too long in extremely warm weather. It was a hit at the party, will definitely make again and again as it is so pretty on the table! Thanks so much for sharing!

This was awsome, and really easy to prepare. This recipe makes alot though. Thanks!

Yummy!

Excellent dip! It was a big hit at a tailgate party. I did drain and wash the sundried tomatoes, so the oil leaking out was not a problem at all. For a small gathering half would be plenty.

makes way too much but went over incredibly well with my guests...will make half the amount next time

Absolutely delicious! Have made this 3 times and it has been a huge hit!!

I made this for a holiday party last night and it was easily the most popular thing there. Delicious! I didn't change any ingredients, but I didn't bother molding and chilling it. I spread it in a pie plate with the cheese on the bottom, then the pesto, then the tomatoes. Also, the recipe says sun-dried tomatoes, NOT tomatoes in oil, so if you use tomatoes packed in oil, it's gonna be oily!

I made this recently and everyone really enjoyed it, even though I neglected to toast the pine nuts. What I wasn't sure about was whether to use the bagged or jarred sun dried tomatoes, so I went with the jarred. I like the idea one reviewer posted about processing the tomatoes. I'll give that a shot. Planning to make this again for Thanksgiving!

I've made this few of times now and it's always been a hit. It's a staple now at my holiday parties. Wonderful served with baked pita chips, celery sticks, and carrot sticks.

Made this with vodka as well. It was a GREAT appetizer. It got rave reviews (I was starting to get embarrassed by the amount of compliments!!!) at a recent party I took it to and it looks so fabulous on a platter surrounded by crackers and toasties to spread it on. I will definately make this again.

Absolutely delicious! Brought to a gathering and people were fighting over it. Many asked for the recipe. Made it with vodka and it came out perfect. Beautiful presentation, too! Thanks!

Beautiful presentation, wonderful textures, outstanding taste.I was accused of getting it from a caterer.

Followed recipe exactly, came out beautiful and delicious! Addictive.

I don't understand what went wrong with this. I triple checked the recipe and I don't think I made a mistake. It looked beautiful, and the ingredients seem like they would work so well together. No one ate it. I wasn't that thrilled with it either. I used almonds instead of pine nuts (cost). Maybe it was the feta, it was a very strong feta and I normally love feta, but I don't think I liked it in this. Not sure if that is the problem though. I molded it in a standard loaf pan and that fit the recipe perfectly.

beautiful and delicious. Impressive

This dip was a huge success both times I made it. Both the presentation and taste were fabulous! I used red wine vinegar instead of vermouth and added a little extra pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, but otherwise stuck to the recipe.

I use a Rubbermaid "Take Along" round #3 container for half of this recipe. I love the presentation of it in that shape. I use that every time and I think it looks great! I LOVE this recipe and have made it for MANY events. It always gets devoured.

Thank goodness for everyday home cooks to have the creativity & spirit to play with recipes! This recipe has a great start, but I've made this a few times and made the following changes: use a bundt pan (to get a holiday wreath shape & do go 2 layers - it's gorgeous!) Use half feta & half gorgonzola (or find a milder cheese to your liking), definitely do NOT use a shallot - too strong. Replace it by 1/2 amount of onion. Enjoy!!

Delicious. Will do again.

I made this for a party this past weekend and it was barely touched. I tasted what was left, trying to decide whether to toss or keep, and it tasted WAY too strongly of garlic. Barely any of it was eaten.

This was really awesome recipe! I served at a cocktail party and it was a hit. I cut the recipe in half and it was the perfect amount. I will be making this again for sure. Thanks for sharing.

This was a beautiful presentation, but only the adults cared for it. I took it to a family gathering with 18 people, 8 of which were adults, and came home with most of it. I wish I could say we loved it after all the reviews, but unfortunately, we didn't. Thanks for the post!

Wonderful! I made this for a party and it was absolutley beautiful and delicious. People are asking me to start catering just from all of the recipes that I used on allrecipes/

This was a big hit at a party. I did think that I used a little too much sun-dried tomato because it kind of overpowered the butter, cheese mixture (which is my favorite part!) It is pretty garlicky which is fine by me because I love garlic but some did comment on the garlic. I made this the morning of the party and let it sit in the fridge all day and it came out of the pan beautifully. I used a bundt pan instead of a jello mold and it worked out fine. I sprayed the pan with non-stick spray, placed plastic wrap in the pan and layered the dip. It was easy.

This is a beautiful, delicious, festive dip! Everyone at my party loved it!! It is easy to make if you have a food processor. I made these adjustments, based on what I had in the kitchen: 12 oz cream cheese (light); 5 oz feta (light), green onions instead of shallot; black pepper instead of white; homemade pesto (to control the oil); and white balsamic vinegar instead of vermouth. Perfect!!!

This was very good! I substituted finely diced onion and white wine which was what I had on hand. It came out a little crumbly but still looked pretty and tasted great.

Thanks to my friend that suggested this, I am afraid I have developed a new addiction. This is just fabulous, albeit a tad expensive to make, and so so bad for the hips. The store was all out of sun-dried tomatoes, so I used jarred sundried tomato pesto in place of the regular pesto. Only had 8 oz feta but did not miss the remainder. Absolutely use the vermouth or a dry white wine because it really does add to the flavor. The only other sub was I also toasted some slivered almonds and added to the cheese mixture for a bit of texture; it added a lovely flavor and crunch. I don't have a mold so used just a bowl. Now I have reason to go buy a mold. Thanks so much for this absolutely delicious spread that will steal the show.

This is fabulous.I made it for a friend's holiday party. I sent it early and I arrived late. By the time I made it to the party, it was gone. Everyone loved it. I used 1/2 c. butter and the flavor and consistency were great. One cup seemed like too much to me. While you maybe tempted to leave it out, I think theconsistency would be too soft to hold the shape. The presentation of this dish is spactacular, esp. for the holidays.

Good and easy. I dried the tomatoes as suggested. The oil from the pesto collected on the plate, but nobody seemed to mind - they loved the dip. Just don't put your crackers on the same plate unless you want them soaking in oil.

I served this at my son's graduation party, and everyone (including the young ladies) asked for the recipe!

Amazing! I get rave reviews. Dry out the pesto and sundried tomatoes as much as you can b/c it's very oily. Half this recipe if you're having anywhere from 2 to 8 people otherwise it's a monster dip (and very expensive to make). But a huge hit!!!

The presentation is amazing and the taste is very good. I got lots of complements on this dip. I used sundried tomatoes that were packed dry in a bag and I used homemade pesto and I did not have any issues with excess oil. I also used 16 oz of cream cheese and 4 oz of feta cheese as I was concerned that it would not have mass appeal otherwise ... it had very mainstream flavors this way. I would add more pine nuts next time, but otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing. I will make this again!

Very Good! I am giving it 4 stars because of the cost involved in making it. Otherwise, everyone loved it and several people asked for the recipe. I did make a few changes. I did not use vermouth because I didn't have any. I forgot to buy pinenuts, so I used chopped pecans. I also added extra garlic which made it very garlicky-spicy, but everyone seemed to love it anyway. I also used some sweet onion in place of the shallot. I wasn't sure about the sun-dried tomatoes. I used the ones that had been soaked in oil. I drained the oil first. All in all and delicious and pretty dip!

So good! I've been wanting to try this recipe for so long and I'm so glad that I finally did! I even forgot the vermouth and it was still delicious!

Excellent and everyone loved it! It also had great presentation with a WOW factor--great to take to a party. I will be making it again just on a smaller scale!

This makes a ton so you can half it or make two. It is a pretty appetizer so great for the holidays!