This recipe for fiddlehead dip was adapted from a recipe given to me by a friend who credits the original recipe to Karen Porter from Winterport, Maine. Karen is an avid outdoors woman and "fiddleheader".
1 garlic clove, finely minced
10 - 14 ounces fiddleheads, blanched and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated cheddar or Swiss cheese
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1/2 cup chopped fresh sweet Vidalia onion
1. Thoroughly wash the fiddleheads in cold running water. Pay particular attention to removing the brown papery skins by rubbing the fern heads gently between your fingers.
2. Put the fern heads in a pan of cold salted water and soak for 30 minutes, then rinse again under cold running water.
3. Add the garlic clove to the bowl of a food processor and mince.
4.Add the fiddleheads to the garlic clove, and pulse to mince.
5. Scrape the mixture into a medium sie bowl and fold in the cheeses.
6. Lightly oil 3 one-cup crocks and divide the mixture evenly between the 3 of them.
7.Bake in a 350F oven preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.
8. Sprinkle with chopped tomato and chopped onion over the top. Serve warm with crackers or baguette toast.
I have prepared the the mix for the dip, spooned it into the crocks and stored them in the fridge for as long as two days before baking. The unbaked mix also freezes well.