A dip for sharing.

When I was younger, I used to watch my sister devour Helluva good onion dip with some fritos and wonder what was so good about it. On Christmas eve, my mother would mix a packet of Lipton french onion soup mix into a container of sour cream and serve it to our family with some crackers - it would disappear quickly.

Because it took me a couple decades to try anything beyond a turkey sandwich, I didn’t discover this incredibly delicious salty/savory/creamy combo until my 20’s. And although I loved it, as I became more aware of the food I was eating and how it was made, I wasn’t crazy about all the processed items in the store bought dip (nor the calories). So I thought I would try to make it from scratch (using less caloric ingredients) to see if it tastes as good – and let me tell you, this is so much better. It also seemed a great match for my updated American classics menu.

To go along with, I took a risk and tried to make my own Saltines. I figured the salty, crispy bites would complement the creamy dip. After a lot of online research, I came across a recipe I could adapt that seemed fairly easy. I was nervous since I don’t consider myself a baker, but the recipe is foolproof and your food processor does most of the heavy lifting. I would definitely make these again, even without this dip. They aren’t quite the consistency of saltines, they were a little more crisp, but still quite great for the amount of work it required. The unexpected bonus here is how competent you will feel using a rolling pin.

Caramelized Onion Dip

Ingredients
1 large onion (I used a sweet onion), diced as finely as you can do
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2-3 tsp fine sea salt, divided
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup greek yogurt

Preparation
1. Heat butter and oil over medium heat until butter has melted. Add diced onion to the pan and stir to coat. Add the thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the sugar.

2. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Onion should be a dark amber color when they are caramelized. Set aside to cool.

3. Combine sour cream and greek yogurt in a medium bowl. Add cooled onion mixture and stir to combine.  Stir in a teaspoon of fine sea salt and check for seasoning. If you think it needs it, add another half teaspoon and taste again.

4. Chill mixture in fridge for at least an hour (overnight is fine). Take it out of the fridge about 15-20 minutes before you wish to serve. It feeds 6-8 people quite well as an appetizer.

“Saltine” crackers*

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons melted butter
4 to 8 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
  
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Put the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into your food processor and pulse it a few times to blend and aerate a bit.

3. Add the melted butter and fine sea salt. Pulse again until well blended.

4. Now, add the water a tablespoon at a time, pulsing several times after each addition, until you get a ball that sticks together. Be careful not to add to much water. (FYI, I needed all 8 tablespoons, but the amount can depend on the flour used and the humidity in your kitchen).

5. Spill the dough ball out on a floured surface and roll until about an 1/8th of inch thick. Make sure to keep the surface floured and to rotate your dough as you go to prevent it from tearing.

6. Place the rolled out dough on a rectangular cookie sheet. Using a pizza cutter or a ravioli wheel, cut the dough into squares that are roughly an inch squared. Alternatively, you could roll into a circle and place on a round metal pizza pan.

7. Using a fork (make sure to flour the tines) dock the dough to keep out some of the air bubbles. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the dough with a small amount of melted butter, or plain water, and sprinkle over the coarse sea salt, breaking it up between your fingers as you go.

8. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.  Make sure to start watching after 10 minutes. When done, the edges will be brown.

9. Remove the crackers from pan to a plate and let them cool, breaking up any of them that weren’t perfectly cut by the cutting wheel. It makes about 25-30 crackers.

*I adapted the cracker recipe from the one found on this website: http://www.halfhourmeals.com/recipe/homemade-saltine-crackers#reviews