Savory Onion-Cheese Dip
You know when you have that dream about eating onion-cheese dip?
Hmm, just me?
Whatever.
We’re heading to the beach for a week and I need to get a menu together of flexible food. Like, maybe there will be 15 people maybe there will be 4. Maybe, I will be alone and everyone will be out of the house and I can eat cheese in peace.
This usually brings me to a lot of appetizer, finger and snack-style food as beach people tend to graze. You look up and a sandy herd wanders through the kitchen. You look back and poof they’re gone and replaced by stinky fish smelling people. It’s just the tide of feeding beach people.
As I have begun putting together my menu list I keep remembering this hot onion cheese dip we served at Thanksgiving a few years ago. It was creamy and delicious and reheated really well. I think it will be a good one to set out for the kitchen passer-througers or for a late night card game.
Plus, it’s warm so after a day at the beach, all of the slightly sunburned will be cold in our 80 degrees, 100% humidity fall beach weather. This will warm them from the inside out.
Let’s Make Savory Onion-Cheese Dip!
It’s a true marriage of onions and cheese. This is what you would get if onions and cheese had a baby. When you eat this you will eat so much you will have to unbutton your pants. I won’t lie. It’s a gateway food to losing all your inhibitions. Expect all of your food self-control to jump out the window. Please pass the cookies – yes, all of them. And, who knows what else?!
This onion-cheese dip is perfect and super easy.
I like to serve it with kettle chips fried in olive, avocado, or coconut oil – you know, to keep it healthy.
Savory Onion-Cheese Dip
Equipment
- Oven Safe Dish Large enough to hold about 3 cups
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced from root to end
- ½ tsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (optional)
- 8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 c. sour cream
- zest of one lemon
- dash hot sauce
- 6 oz. Gruyère Cheese chopped into 1/2"-1" pieces
- 2 scallions finely chopped, reserve some for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Caramelize the 2 medium onions. Use a pan with high sides and a nice wide base and melt the 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter over medium heat.
- You should have a lot of onions. If you add them all at once it will be a giant pain in the stirring butt, so add a few handfuls at a time. Stir for 1-2 minutes, until they start cooking down a bit and turning translucent. Repeat until you've added all the onions. Season with salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. After 15-20 minutes they should be a beautiful blonde color. For future reference, if you want to make French Onion soup this is how done the onions should be.
- Check your pan, if you have some dry spots it is time to throw in a dash of water. The onions will reabsorb this. Continue cooking and stirring for another 15-20 minutes. They will be a beautiful golden color. You could use them at this point but I prefer them to be slightly crisp and dark around the edges. To achieve this you need to stay put and stir them for another 10-15 minutes to make sure they crisp and don't burn. Just before doneness add the ½ tsp. fresh thyme leaves and 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar. Cook for at least one minute. Use it to deglaze the pan, if need be.
- In between caramelizing your onions preheat the oven to 425℉. In an oven safe dish, that will hold 3 cups, mix the 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 c. sour cream, zest of one lemon, and a dash hot sauce until fully incorporated. Fold in the 6 oz. Gruyère Cheese, most of the 2 scallions, and onions.
- Place the dish on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes. About half way through check to make sure the Gruyère is melted in, if desired, give it a quick mix and continue baking. When it is done you will see bubbles and browning.
- Top with extra scallions and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
