Caramelized onion rosemary dip and tahini cilantro dip

 

To some recipes, the only logical response is: Where have you been all my life? 

I made a big vat of caramelized onions the other day to use up the fall supply on the orchard rack in the basement before they start to sprout in January. One of the outcomes was deciding to try making onion dip. This is so not the same thing you buy prepared at the grocery store in plastic tubs. This goes into the to-die-for category.

Caramelize your onions however you prefer. I prefer to let time do the work, so I load up a large slow cooker with thinly sliced onions, top it with a chopped up stick of salted butter and sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of dry white wine. Let cook for 12 hours on low and you wind up with gloriously tasty golden brown goodness. Caramelized onions freeze fairly well, and having these in your back pocket is like cheating.

 

Caramelized onion rosemary dip

Adapted from epicurious.com and several other random bits of inspiration.

Ingredients

3 onions, thinly sliced, then caramelized in butter and white wine

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon (or more or less to taste) of finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.

Chop caramelized onions into desired size; you want them small enough that they will easily fit on a cracker but not so fine that they disappear. 

Stir onions and rosemary into dip. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

This makes a fair amount, but it disappears more quickly than your average dip, so plan accordingly.

Rating: This is a highly addictive, dangerous substance.

Tahini cilantro dip

Adapted from “Classic Party Fare” by Martha Rose Shulman.

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt

½ cup tahini

Juice of 2 limes

3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

¾ cup cilantro leaves

Method

Combine yogurt, tahini, lime juice, garlic, cumin and cayenne in a food processor. Puree until smooth.

Chop cilantro leaves. Add to yogurt mixture and combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Rating: Nice. Not overwhelmingly garlicky or cilantro-y, just bright flavors. It’s a perfectly respectable dip, although it gets overshadowed when placed on the same table with caramelized onion dip. Certainly a viable option for when you're looking around to make a dip that you have the ingredients for. 

Both of these are valid choices for the many holiday gatherings we wind up attending or hosting. 

If you need more holiday gift inspiration for cooks, check out the Harry Potter house-themed spatulas. I'm sure Gryffindor is the most popular, but luckily for me and my blue kitchen, I always test as Ravenclaw through and through.