#header-inner {background-position: center !important; width: 100% !important;}

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Caramelized Onion Dip

Pin It

Can we talk about the fact that recipes containing caramelized onions always severely underestimate the amount of time needed to get onions to caramelize? It drives me crazy when I see recipes that mention cooking onions for 15-20 minutes. The whole point of caramelizing onions is that you cook them low and slow to achieve deeply browned and sweetened onions. This dip called for a 25 minute cook time and while I think you could certainly have some well-sautéed onions in that amount of time, you’ll need at least 45 minutes if you’re really going for caramelized in the caramelized onion dip. Even 45 minutes was a little on the short end for me, but I ran out of time and decided to press on with the rest of the recipe. This worked fine, so feel free to caramelize as you see fit!
The end result was worth it. This is absolutely more time consuming than picking up a tub on onion dip at the grocery store, but you can’t beat the freshness. And really, because caramelizing onions takes very little hands on effort, this is easier than you’d imagine. I recommend making the dip a day in advance to give the flavors time to develop. Break it out with some potato chips or crudités for your holiday party or afternoon of football!
Need another potato chip dip? This loaded baked potato one is to die for!

One Year Ago: Spinach Salad with Cinnamon Apples, Goat Cheese, and Walnuts
Two Years Ago: Pumpkin Gingerbread Mini Loaves

Caramelized Onion Dip
from Food & Wine Magazine December 2008

Ingredients:
-2 tbsp unsalted butter
-3 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
-1 1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature
-8 oz. cream cheese, softened
-1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
-potato chips, for serving

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook over low to moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden (at least 45 minutes). Add 2 tbsp water and cook, stirring, until the water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Allow the onions to cool slightly.
2. Transfer the onions to a cutting board and coarsely chop. In a large bowl, mix the sour cream with the cream cheese, parsley, onion powder, and Worcestershire, stirring until smooth. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature with potato chips.
*Dip can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days