Hot and Cold Party Dips
Bake Gruyere Cheese in the Pumpkin and Make Cool Basil and Lemon Dip
Dec 15, 2008
These two party dips are simple but dramatic in presentation. Both easy-to-make appetizers are perfect as starters for a meal.
The pumpkin and Gruyere cheese quick gourmet dip can be served warm inside the baked pumpkin, while the basil and lemon dip can be served cool. Having fresh bread for the seasonal hot cheese dip is a natural choice. Potato wedges, fresh from the oven, or fresh veggies go superbly with the cool lemon and basil dip. Paired together, these two are winners whether served alone or with a meal.
Pumpkin and Gruyere Dip
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 med sugar pumpkin (2 lbs)
- 1-1/4 cups heavy cream
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp thyme (fresh is preferable)
- 4-1/2 oz of grated Gruyere cheese
- salt and pepper
- variation: use two small pumpkins (grapefruit-sized)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Slice around top quarter of pumpkin to form a lid. Scoop out seeds and any stringy pulp. Place pumpkin into a deep baking dish. Coat outside of pumpkin lightly with olive oil.
- Wash and dry seeds, bake with olive oil and salt or cinnamon and sugar for 25 mins alongside the pumpkin.
- Heat cream and garlic together in saucepan till almost at boiling point. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper, stirring in the thyme leaves. Pour into pumpkin, replace pumpkin lid and bake in oven for one hour (or till flesh is tender). If pumpkin is overcooked, it may collapse.
- Remove from oven, add Gruyere cheese and return to oven for additional ten minutes.
- When serving from the pumpkin bowl, try scooping out some of the soft baked pumpkin with serving spoon along with cheese sauce. Have plenty of crusty warm bread available.
- if using two or more small pumpkins, watch carefully and take out at the 45-min. point to evaluate.
Basil and Lemon Dip
This delicious dip is based on its freshly-made mayonnaise blended with lemon juice, garlic and two kinds of basil. If the two basil choices below can't be found in a local store, try any other basil leaves that are available. For a shortcut, bottled mayo can be used as well. Serve with crispy baked potato wedges, baked sweet potato fries or fresh veggies.
Ingredients:
- two extra large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup of olive oil
- 2/3 sunflower oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- handful of fresh green basil
- handful of fresh opal basil
- salt and coarse black pepper
Directions:
- Before beginning, make certain ingredients are resting at room temperature to prevent curdling.
- Place egg yolks and lemon juice in blender or food processor and blend lightly.
- Mix olive oil and sunflower oils, then add them to the processor a little at a time. Continue to process until creamy mayonnaise has appeared.
- Peel and crush garlic cloves with flat knife, add salt, mix well. Add to mixture, pulse.
- Tear both kinds of basil into small pieces and add to mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste, chill until ready to serve.
A seasonal vegetable like pumpkin provides nutritious comfort food during the cold days of fall and winter. The cold lemon and basil dip is a cool reminder of summer paired with the warm, baked sweet or white potato fries, fresh from the oven. These appetizers remind us that we don't need to spend a long time in the kitchen to create quick gourmet dips with great flavor.
Check out another dip recipe with pumpkin and then try this curried pumpkin soup recipe!
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