Dippity-Do-Da: Caramelized Onion Dip

New category: Dippity-Do-Da, for random dips and party-type recipes.

Starting off: Caramelized Onion Dip

• 2 large yellow onions
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch-thick half-rounds. (Yielding about 3 cups of onions)

Heat the oil and the butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to cook for 40 more minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are browned and caramelized.

Add the Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes. Allow the onions to cool.

In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream and the mayonnaise. Whisk until smooth. Add all of the onions, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish, into the cream cheese mixture. Stir to combine and mix well.

Transfer to a serving dish and top with reserved onions. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to combine.

Makes 2 cups.

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Update:
I've made this following the recipe above several times and worked to refine it a bit. Here are some changes that you may want to incorporate --

1. Instead of simply slicing the onions (which can make the dip unwieldy), finely chop them in your food processor. There will be much more liquid, so the carmelization won't be as great, but the onion flavor will really pop -- and it's easier to serve.
2. Substitute spicy brown mustard for Dijon, up the cayenne to a full teaspoon and double the balsamic vinegar.

This is the way I made it for the last party, and there were no left-overs... addictive was the operative word.