ok, just ok.

I had a VERY difficult time "folding" the artichoke into the cheese mixture. I ended up using my fingers, which got really, really goopy. Two big fans of artichoke gave them a 4 star rating, and the rest of us rated them a 1 or 2.

I tried this recipe for our Sunday dinner on Memorial Day weekend. It was served up as an appetizer and went over fairly well although was over-shadowed by a better appetizer. I followed the recipe fairly closely in terms of ingredients, as the only change I made was to use fresh tarragon. The lemon zest was the largest flavor component, a surprise the recipe, but a very nice addition. I made a couple changes in the preparation. Due to time I heated up the goat cheese and cream cheese mixture from refrigerator temp by placing it in a pre-heating oven for a few minutes (the recipe calls for room temperature cheeses). Also, I was hesitant to fold the artichokes into the cheese mixture so I individually rolled the 1/2 hearts into the mix, then through the parmasean and parsley. Overall, the lemon zest is a nice idea, but this appetizer lacked luster. To add luster I would have used artichoke hearts marinated in a vinegar packing rather than water. However, I think the hearts would them compete too much with the zest.