Party Hors D’oeuvres Recipes: Warm and Creamy Artichoke Dip

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One of my favorite additions to a winter holiday menu is a warm and creamy artichoke dip. There’s just something satisfying about dipping a crisp crostini or cracker into a bowl of rich and melty goodness. It’s a nice alternative to a typical queso and adds a hint of sophistication to any menu, be it an open house buffet or a sit-down dinner with friends. As I was developing my recipe for artichoke dip, I did a lot of research and taste testing (it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it). I found that many recipes use either mayonnaise or sour cream as a base. However, a combination of the two seems to be the best way to go. The mayonnaise creates a great creamy base for the dish and the sour cream brings a bit of tartness to the party to help balance out the richness of the mayonnaise and the cheese. A hint of fresh herbs like rosemary brings a freshness to dish and provides a nice depth of flavor. Finally, the choice of a harder cheese like parmesan keeps the dip from being overly stringy and its stronger flavor holds up well to the other heavy ingredients. As a bonus, the dip is a great make-ahead recipe and you can put it in the oven and forget it until the timer goes off, so it’s very much a hassle-free dish. And given how hectic the holidays are, who couldn’t use a bit of hassle-free, creamy goodness?

Recipe: Warm and Creamy Artichoke Dip

Details

• Difficulty: Easy
• Makes: 6 cups for about 96 1 Tbsp. servings
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 50 min

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 ½ c. mayonnaise
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 ½ c. grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 28 oz. artichoke hearts (frozen or in water); drained (if packed in water) and roughly chopped
• 1 large round loaf of bread, hollowed out to make a bowl

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat.
3. Sautee the shallots until soft, 3-4 minutes; remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
4. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, rosemary, cheese, salt, pepper, and cooled shallots in a medium bowl.
5. Fold in the artichokes then taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
6. Transfer mixture to the bread bowl.
7. Place the filled bread bowl on a baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes or until heated through and the top is brown and crusty.
8. Remove from oven, plate, and serve with crostini, vegetables, or hearty crackers.

Recipe for Success

• This dish can be made a day in advance. Store the dip and the bread bowl separately and then fill the bowl just before you’re ready to bake it. Chilled dip may need an additional 10-15 minutes to cook.
• The best way I’ve found to be sure the dip is heated through is to us an instant-read thermometer. Look for an internal temperature of 160-180 degrees.
• You can also bake the dip in a oven-safe dish instead of a bread bowl. It will only take 30 minutes or so to heat through and you may need to run it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to encourage browning on top.
• You can easily substitute another hard cheese like pecorino romano or asiago for the parmesan. You could also use thyme instead of rosemary for a slightly different flavor profile.
• Artichoke hearts marinated in oil with herbs will work in this dish, but be sure to drain them very well before adding them to the mayonnaise and sour cream mixture so as not to add too much additional oil to the dish.
• I haven’t tried this recipe with reduced fat mayonnaise or sour cream, but many recipes I reviewed use these lighter options so I expect they would work well. I wouldn’t use fat-free because you really need a bit of fat to maintain consistency and keep the dip creamy.
• You could substitute 8-10 ounces of jumbo lump crab for an equal amount of artichokes for a really decadent dip.
• You can easily reduce this recipe by half for a smaller gathering or to use as an appetizer for a dinner for 6-8.

Learn more about artichokes