Creamy Caramelized Onion Dip

I'm not sure there is anything more useful in the entertaining world than a good, go-to dip recipe.  This Creamy Caramelized Onion Dip is mine.  It is an old favorite I'm revisiting after our trip to Seaside.

Mike and I had message treatments on one of the rain days at the Watercolor Inn's spa.  After our services we treated ourselves to lunch at the Inn.  We ordered Bloody Mary's and a Mahi Mahi sandwich, but after the bloody mary's came out and before the sandwich, they brought around their "snack of the day" that happened to be a caramelized onion dip served with amazing warm and toasty (maybe even fried...?) pita wedges. 

When I made this dip in my catering days I would usually serve it with a vegetable platter.  Yes, crunchy vegetables are a great accompaniment to this dip, but I'll tell you, toasty pita is fantastic.

The dip is starts with cream cheese, just as all great dips do.  Then, sweet caramelized onions and a little heat from a pinch of cayenne pepper make it so addicting.

Caramelized Onion Dip
with toasted pita


2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large red onion
1 block of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sour cream
4 green onions
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper

Begin by caramelizing the onions in a saute pan in olive oil and butter.  You do this by cooking them at a medium high heat until soft (about 3 minutes) then lowing the heat for about 10 minutes stirring every couple of minutes until the color changes to a soft brown color.  Be careful not to over caramelize - they will turn black in a minute or two!  You can do this step ahead of time.

In a mixer (or by hand), cream together the cream cheese, sour cream, caramelized onion, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Turn on oven broiler.

For pita, cut soft whole pita breads into 8 wedges.  Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Place them under the broiler for 2 minutes, then flip them over with a spatula and repeat on the other side.  Sprinkle a little sea salt over them when they come out of the oven.  Serve pita warm.