I made this dip for a dinner party a few weeks ago, and it was a bit of a hit. In fact, one of the girls said she wanted to drown in it – which I’m taking as a compliment? Onion dip seems to be much more of a thing in America than it is over here, and I think it’s about time we caught on.
The secret is in the onions. Cook them low and slow in butter, until they’re soft, golden and properly caramelised. It’s tempting to turn up the heat to hurry things along, but you’ll get a much sweeter, deeper flavour if you give them the time they need. A little brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce at the end makes them lovely and sticky.
For the creamy base, I’ve settled on a mixture of soured cream, cream cheese and crème fraîche. After a fair amount of experimenting, I think this gives you just the right balance of tang and creaminess, without the dip feeling too heavy.
Bring your caramelised onion dip back to room temperature before serving, with a few extra onions and chopped chives on top. Warm baguette is my favourite for scooping, but crisps and crunchy crudités are equally welcome. It’s great to make ahead for a dinner party – pop it in the middle of the table and see how long it lasts.
A JAMMY ONION DIP
A dip of dreams!
Ingredients
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 3 large white onions finely sliced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 100 g cream cheese
- 150 g soured cream
- 100 g crème fraîche
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- to serve: chopped chives, baguette, crisps, crudite
Instructions
-
Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan over a low-medium heat. Add the sliced onion and a good pinch of salt and cook gently for 30-35 minutes, stirring regularly and reducing the heat if anything begins to catch, until the onion is soft and beginning to caramelise. Add the sugar and Worcestershire sauce and continue to cook for a further 5-10 minutes, or until the onion is lovely and sticky.
-
Combine the cream cheese, soured cream, crème fraîche, a good pinch of salt and few grinds of black pepper in a mixing bowl. Give them a good whisk, until smooth. Stir through most of the caramelised onion (I like to save a few spoonfuls for the topping) to combine, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours, to help the flavour develop.
-
To serve, bring the dip back to room temperature and topped with the remaining caramelised onions and a handful of chopped chives. I like it with some warm baguette, but its very good with crisps or crudite, too.
I love a dip, if you can’t tell? Find some more of my dip recipes here.
Leave a Reply