Back in the Saddle, er, Kitchen, with a Retro Dip!

Posted on by
I can trick myself into believing I'm eating a salad when I serve this with veggies!

I can trick myself into believing I’m eating a healthy salad when I serve this with veggies!

I hope you all had lovely holidays and that your new year has started off swimmingly!

This first full weekend of 2013 finds me back in my kitchen (yay!) with the almost full use of both hands. The bandage is off of my injured right hand and it is getting back to normal. One more week of treating it with kid gloves, so to speak, and I think all will be well. Meanwhile, I’m able to do some slow chopping and other basic cooking necessities as long as I don’t twist or put too much pressure on it. Thanks for all your wonderfully kind comments and inquiries. Believe me, I will go out of my way to try to NOT do this again.

Today I want to revisit and share a relatively easy and very yummy dip recipe from my “repertoire.” For those of you who are football fans, this is a great one to make for the upcoming American football and Super Bowl game parties, or down the road a way for rugby, soccer or baseball gatherings. It’s always been a hit for pot-lucks, Formula One racing parties and as a part of any appetizer spread. It’s definitely a rift on an old-fashioned traditional dry soup-based dip that we’ve all known in this country (and secretly loved), but transcends the original in every way. Yes, we’re talking about the ultimate chip and veggie dip: Caramelized Shallot and Blue Cheese Dip, and I’m making it to take to a little cocktail and nosh event this evening.

For those of you who follow this blog closely, you’ll remember a mention of this dip from my two party posts last summer, Party On! and Encore (More party recipes), and those posts get another mention now because they have a lot of other great ideas for appetizers of various kinds to keep in mind for these seasonal bowl game parties. This fabulous dip is from a Bon Appétit recipe, and it’s one that never disappoints or gets old. I’ve adapted it ever so slightly from the original, adding more shallots and blue cheese (can you ever have too much, I ask ya?) for extra flavor, used a lighter mayo and some added seasonings. Here’s my version and you can see the original recipe at Epicurious if your click on the dip name above. Have a great weekend!

Warning: Do not make this unless you have someone to share it with. It is addictive.

Hmmm. Those shallots kind of look like some sort of weird college logo, don’t they?

Caramelized Shallot and Blue Cheese Dip (adapted from Bon Appétit)
Makes 2 generous cups

Start this in time to allow the flavors to blend for a couple of hours before serving.

2 cups thinly sliced shallots (about 7 ounces)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
3/4 cup good quality mayonnaise (you can use light or canola mayonnaise)
3/4 cup sour cream (you can use light but do not use non-fat)
5 oz. Maytag Blue Cheese, or other crumbling variety of blue cheese, allowed to come to room temperature
Salt and some freshly ground black pepper to taste (remember, the cheese adds a little salty component, too)
*If you like some spice you can use a tiny pinch of cayenne instead of, or in addition to, the black pepper

shallots after

Your caramelized shallots should look like this.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are a deep golden brown in color and caramelized, about 15-20 minutes…do not burn. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise and the sour cream until well blended. Add the blue cheese and mash it into the mayo mixture with the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula until it is well blended. Add the caramelized shallots and mix well. Add the salt and pepper to taste or the cayenne if using. Remember, the flavors will build. Cover and place in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. Taste and season again if needed. Serve with veggies and/or chips.

Confession: There's a big 'ole bowl of regular and sweet potato chips off to the side here.

Confession: There’s a big ‘ole bowl of regular and sweet potato chips in the wings awaiting this dip!

39 thoughts on “Back in the Saddle, er, Kitchen, with a Retro Dip!”

    • Hi Greg, thanks for the Twitter follow. I’m still better at FB and email, but am coming around to Twitter….so need to follow you there, too! Yes the dry soup-based dip that I alluded to above is the infamous “French Onion Dip” a la Lipton, that some of us grew up with. And yes, this really is way, way better, LOL!

      Like

      Reply ↓

    • Hi Claire! This would be great for a book group event, I think. You need a group to eat it so you won’t eat it all yourself…or that’s the case with me. 😉 I am glad to have the hand more functional and mending, thanks for your good thoughts. I think I tore a tendon so it is slow…but sure.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  5. One of the big box stores sells a tub of crumbled bleu cheese and I always debate purchasing one. How much bleu cheese can one person use? Well, with this recipe, quite a bit more than I’d previously thought. And no matter how many chips I dip, a few celery stalks or broccoli fleurets will cancel them out. Throw in a couple carrot sticks and I can eat the entire bag of chips, guilt-free. Super Bowl Sunday is looking better and better — not to mention healthier, too. 🙂
    Thanks, Betsy!

    Like

    Reply ↓

    • Your philosophy about eating the veggies so you can eat the chips sounds great to me, John! I actually had some of the dip and veggies left from last night and plan to try adding a little milk to the dip to make salad dressing and use the leftover veggies for the salad! Of course, there were no chips left…always the way. This would definitely be a perfect nosh for Super Bowl Sunday. 🙂

      Like

      Reply ↓

    • Ooooh, that’s a great idea BAM! I have some dip leftover that I’m going to thin with milk to make dressing for a salad. I’m beginning to see lots of uses for this dip! Yes, I’m so glad the hand is recovering, too. It’s still a bit stiff and just one spot is a little tender and swollen still, but I think I might have torn a tendon, so it will need as long as it needs to recover. I’m just happy to be able to use it again. 🙂

      Like

      Reply ↓

    • I’m with you, Maureen, I think retro is great…especially if you can update it a bit to make it healthier and/or taste better! Thanks for your good wishes. I’m glad to be able to do some things in the kitchen again. 🙂

      Like

      Reply ↓

  11. So nice to see you are back in the kitchen!! This is a great dip for football games or any type of party! I made this a long time ago and completely forgot about it! Thanks for sharing; I will definitely be making this for one of the upcoming games!!

    Like

    Reply ↓

    • Thank you, Linda! I can’t even remember when I saw this dip first…know it was when one had to tear recipes out of magazines because they weren’t online then. 😉 It’s been a fave that can be tweaked easily. And definitely a hit at parties!

      Like

      Reply ↓

  14. One of my all time flavour combos, Betsy, thanks for the reminder. I would love to make it again for the Christmas re-do on Sunday but sadly my brother is allergic to blue cheese (hideous, isn’t it?) so it would not be nice if I made it. But I will remember to book mark it. I can imagine how amazing it tastes with the caramelized onions.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  15. Everything about this dip says “I’m your best friend.” I love blue cheese and carmelized onions, so I could really spend a lot of time with this dip. I could see making this alongside a big mess of wings as well. Wing night here I come!!! Hope the hand continues to be on the mend!

    Like

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Barb, and thanks for the good thoughts on the hand! I’m with you, this dip would be great with wings. In fact, it’s great with everything and hard to stop eating…even when you want to! 🙂 Hope all is well with you and yours.

      Like

      Reply ↓

    • If you love blue cheese, you’ll love this, that’s a fact. Unless perhaps you don’t like onions, of course! 😉 Love your name, Scrambled Megs and must come and visit you. Thanks for stopping by and for your comment!

      Like

      Reply ↓

  20. Pingback: You say “Al Fresco” and I say Antipasto! | bits and breadcrumbs

Tell me what you think... I love comments! :)