Caramelized Onion Dip

This is a recipe I made a little over a month ago and meant to post much sooner. I made it for the farewell dinner that Peter and I hosted for our friends and next-door neighbors, Allie and Brian, before they left to go live in Wyoming for the next year. We devoured it. Dips are one of my favorite appetizers to make and eat. Everyone seems to love a good dip and I'm no exception. 

I think the most appealing thing about making a dip is the ease factor. You just combine several different ingredients together, chill and serve. For this particular dip, there is the extra step of caramelizing a couple of thinly sliced yellow onions in some butter and oil--hardly a difficult task, since you leave them alone over low heat for the better part of 30 minutes, only stirring them every so often. The hardest part of this recipe will be trying not to eat the whole pan of onions once they have turned into caramel-sweet ribbons, so be prepared to work fast and assemble the dip before temptation takes over. The flavor of the caramelized onions gives this dip such a rich flavor, with just subtle sweetness. The black and cayenne peppers give it just the right amount of heat without being overwhelmingly spicy. And the combination of cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise gives this dip great texture while combining the best flavor properties of each ingredient. 

But the absolute easiest part of making this dip? Eating it of course!

Caramelized Onion Dip
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

2 large yellow onions, sliced into 1/8-inch thick half rounds
4 T. unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
4 oz. (half block) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Peel the onions and cut them in half. Slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds using a mandoline or a very sharp knife.

Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat, being careful that they do not burn. Add the onions, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt and saute for 10 minutes, stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes, until the onions take on a deep golden caramel color. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Put the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Alternately, you can place the ingredients in a large bowl and use a hand-held mixer (which is what I did). Beat the ingredients until they are well incorporated and smooth in consistency. Add in the onions and mix them in by hand using a spatula (this will prevent the onions from breaking up too much). Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Chill until ready to serve. Before serving, remove the dip and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Serve with potato chips, pita chips, crackers or an assortment of fresh vegetables.

I love carmelized onion dip! This sounds good enough I could eat the whole bowl :)

Posted by Theresa

04/14/11

Add a comment

Name
Website Address (optional)
Email Address for admin's eyes only, not posted to site
Message
Verification	Please type the phrase above into the box below