Fried Onion Dip

I came across this recipe during a lazy Sunday morning watching Food Network.  There's a new show- Heartland Table which was surprisingly enjoyable.  The host and chef, Amy Thielen, made this fried onion dip and was convincing enough that I decided I needed to make it too.  And I'm certainly glad I did.  With relatively few ingredients, this dip is full of flavor and way better than any store bought or powder onion dip you've had.  There's something magical about browned, caramelized onions and the smell is to die for.  This dip is good to serve at a party or for a game, but also great to snack on all week long if you don't eat it all at once.  Enjoy with chips, bread, or veggies.  

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, sliced in thick half-rings
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup white wine or dry vermouth
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup cream cheese at room temp
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• dash of cayenne

Directions:

Start by clarifying the butter.  This is done so the onions can be fried at a higher temperature to get a nice color on them.  To clarify the butter, melt it in a small skillet   When the butter has melted, you will notice that there is a white foamy layer on top of clear melted butter.  Skim off the white foam, pour the clear part into a small dish, and you are left with clarified butter!  Pretty easy. 

Next, heat the clarified butter in a heavy bottomed skillet (recommend cast iron) over medium-high and add the onions, breaking them apart to be evenly distributed.  Add about 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 

Let the onions cook, stirring and flipping occasionally, until they turn a nice dark golden brown, almost with a burnt crust.  Amy's recipe says about 10 minutes but mine took a bit longer to develop this color, I'd say closer to 15.  

Next, add the honey and garlic and cook for about 1 minute, turning the heat down to medium.  

After that minute, pour in the wine or dry vermouth (I used wine) and stir.  Let it thicken as the moisture cooks off, about 3 minutes, and remove the onions from the heat.  

Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the sour cream and cream cheese and stir to combine.  When the onions have cooled slightly, pour them along with any remaining liquid into a food processor and process for a few pulses, leaving some chunks of onion. 

Mix the onions in with the sour cream and cream cheese, adding the chives and cayenne as well.  Stir to combine and refrigerate before serving.  So good! 

Lemon Goat Cheese Balls

These little cheese balls are the perfect appetizer or party food.  And they are super easy to make, look fancy, and taste amazing!  I made these in less than 15 minutes, and it took even less time for our us and our two friends to wolf them down before dinner.  The creamy cheese with the tangy lemon and salty pistachio coating is close to perfect.  We had them alone with a drizzle of honey which I definitely recommend, but they would also go great paired with bread or crackers.  

Ingredients:

4 oz. low-fat cream cheese

4 oz creamy goat cheese

1 1/2 T lemon juice

1 t lemon zest (from about half a lemon)

2 T minced shallot

dash of salt

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

Directions:

In a food processor (or nut chopper) blend the pistachio nuts until they are coarsely ground.  Put the nuts into a shallow bowl or dish.  Mix remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl until well combined.

With your hands, form little balls out of the cheese mixture and roll them in the pistachio crumbs until they are covered on all sides.  Set them on a plate or platter.  Refrigerate until 30 minutes before you are ready to eat them, to let them come closer to room temperature before serving.  

Chocolate Truffles

I still remember the first time I had these truffles- our friend Lauren brought them to a New Years party and they were so amazing that I had to get her recipe.  I was shocked when she told me how easy it was - and only three ingredients!  Since then, we've made these countless times and they are always a big hit.  They are so rich and creamy on the inside, but without being too sweet.  And they are the perfect size to bring to parties.  You can dress them up with sprinkles, crushed nuts, white chocolate drizzle, or any number of things to make them fit for your special occasion.  These we just left plain, but use your imagination!  They fit perfectly inside mini-cupcake wrappers for serving. 

Ingredients:

1 package regular stuffed oreo cookies

8 oz cream cheese

2 cups (about one bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1-2 T vegetable oil or hazelnut/peanut oil (optional, but it does make the melted chocolate chips a little easier to work with)

Directions:

Place all of the cookies in a large food processor.  (I've done this with a small one, and I had to split it into three batches)  Pulse until the cookies have formed a fine powder.

Next, cut the cream cheese into about 1 inch chunks and add it to the food processor.  Pulse and slowly incorporate cream cheese at a slow speed until it is evenly blended in and a thick ball of dough is formed.

Begin rolling the dough into balls, slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball but larger than the width of a quarter.  If you have the time, you may want to chill the dough before working with it to make it a bit firmer and easier to roll.   Continue until all of the dough is formed into equally sized balls.

Melt your chocolate chips by putting them in a bowl and microwaving them for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time, stirring in between until they are fully melted.  Add the oil if you choose to use it and stir until combined.  The chocolate should be smooth but not too hot that you can't touch it with your fingers.  

Set up some wax paper to put your truffles on as you dip them in the chocolate.  Use your fingers to dip each ball in the chocolate and evenly spread it around.  It is a little messy but gets easier with practice.

Let the truffles sit until the outer shell has hardened, preferably in the fridge.  If you are adding any toppings, it is best to do it when they are still wet so the topping will stick.  Once they are dry you can move them to an air-tight container in the fridge until you are ready to serve.  I put mine in their little cupcake holders before storing so they wouldn't actually touch each other.  The number of truffles will vary based on how large or small you make the balls.  We usually end up with about 25-30.  These are sure to impress your friends at your next big event!

Sean's Cheesecake

I'm very lucky to have a husband that can cook, and one of his recent specialties is cheesecake.  I requested it for my birthday and of course he couldn't refuse.  :)  Sean uses a combination of cream cheese and goat cheese which adds a depth of flavor to the creamy filling.  This time, he also snuck in a dash of cayenne pepper to the graham-cracker crust which adds a subtle layer of heat and complements the rich sweet cheesecake filling.  It is delicious warm out of the oven, and even better chilled.  Thank you, Sean!  (It's not the best way to start the new year out if you are trying to be healthy, so just eat it in moderation!) 

Ingredients:
15 cinnamon graham crackers
2 T butter, melted
a dash (or more!) of cayenne pepper - optional
24 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
8 oz creamy goat cheese, at room temperature (recommend Trader Joe's for the goat cheese.  It's wayyyy cheaper there than at other stores) 

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup milk

4 eggs

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 T vanilla extract
1/4 cup flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9 inch springform pan in preparation.  You don't have to use a springform pan, but it makes it much easier for clean serving.  In a food processor, blend the graham crackers until they are fine crumbs.  This is where Sean added the cayenne pepper.  He swears he added two teaspoons, but I think it was more like 1/2 a teaspoon.  At any rate, add a few dashes, stir, and taste to see if you want to add more.  Mix the crumbs with the melted sugar in a bowl until evenly coated, and press the mixture evenly down into the bottom of the greased pan.

In a stand mixer (or by hand), combine the cream cheese, goat cheese and sugar. Blend until smooth. Next, add the milk and continue blending until it is well combined.  

One at a time, add the eggs, mixing after each egg.  Finally, add the yogurt, vanilla, and flour.  Continue to blend until very smooth.  Pour the mixture into the pan on top of the crust. 

Bake for one hour, and then turn the heat off, leaving the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed to sit for 3 more hours.  Finally, take the cheesecake out of the oven and refrigerate until ready to serve.  I always like to take a slice while it is still warm and fresh out of the oven if we aren't saving it for a special occasion.  So rich and creamy, without being too sweet.  It was a perfect cake to celebrate my birthday!