Recipe Test: Hot Caramelized Onion Dip with Bacon and Gruyere

(Image credit:  Jonny Valiant; myrecipes.com)

My family wants the exact same dinner every Thanksgiving.  That's not a complaint, just a fact.  As someone who loves trying new recipes, however, I had to learn to work with everybody's wishes, including my own.  So in an effort to satisfy my desire to try all the yummy looking recipes that come out at Thanksgiving, I decided each year to try one new thing.  When the food is served up, we all give it a taste and then decide whether to bring it back again.  This year, it was this Hot Caramelized Onion Dip with Bacon and Gruyere, and it was definitely a winner.  I put it out before Erik and Mae arrived, and then had to put it away again before Matthew ate all of it!  It was that hard to resist.

The recipe came to me via email from the Myrecipes.com website.  (I find lots of goodies in my email inbox from them.  If you like cooking, its definitely worth signing up for their daily emails.)  It was first published in the October, 2011, issue of Coastal Living magazine.  (Not one I subscribe to, but there you go.) 

I like this recipe because it was easy to make and because I always seem to have a hunk of leftover Gruyere cheese hanging around my refrigerator. I'll probably make this again and again, and with Christmas party potlucks, it would be a good dish to take along.  So here's the recipe:

                     

Hot Caramelized Onion Dip with Bacon and Gruyere

Recipe By:  Laraine Perri and published in Coastal Living

2 teaspoons  butter
1 teaspoon  vegetable oil
2 Spanish onions (about 1 pound) -- halved and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon  sugar
1/4 teaspoon  sea salt
1 tablespoon  sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon  minced fresh thyme
3 strips  bacon
3/4 cup  shredded Gruyere cheese (3 oz.)
1/2 cup  sour cream
1/2 cup  mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon  ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Melt butter with oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions, sugar, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until onions soften and just begin to turn golden.  Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, 20 minutes, or until onions turn deep golden brown. 

Stir in vinegar, scraping bottom of skillet to deglaze pan.  Cook, stirring often, until vinegar is reduced by half.  Stir in thyme.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes or until crisp.  Drain on paper towels; finely crumble.

Combine cheese and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Stir in onions and bacon.  Transfer to a 2-cup baking dish.  Bake 20 minutes or until mixture bubbles and top is lightly golden.

My notes about the recipe:  You'll want to provide a teaspoon or a mini-spatula to make it easier to spoon onto your cracker or bread.  I served it with Wheat Thins, but it really needs a larger cracker or a slice of baguette. Also, I suggest cutting the onion slices into short strips, no more than two inches long. The Gruyere combined with the onions makes for a stringy dip, but it was really delicious.