Caramelized Onion-Sour Cream Dip with Carrot and Celery Sticks

From the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Introduction

Based on sour cream (the real thing, not the low-fat or nonfat variety) and caramelized onions, perfumed with curry powder, and flecked with toasted sesame seeds, this dip is very easy to prepare and was quite a hit when presented to our panel of professional couch potatoes. You need only a heavy-bottomed frying pan to caramelize the onions, a technique frequently used in Indian cooking.

Ingredients

Steps

1. In a heavy-bottomed 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-low heat, toast sesame seeds until they turn light brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat as soon as they are toasted, so they do not burn. Set aside. Toast curry powder in the same manner until it is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Raise heat to medium-high, and add oil and onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are very brown–almost black–but have not charred. They should taste a little sweet, not bitter. Depending on heat level, size of pan, and water content of onions, caramelizing can take 20 to 40 minutes. Scrape onions onto a wide plate to cool a few minutes. In a medium mixing bowl, stir sour cream to loosen its texture. Add reserved sesame seeds, curry powder, and cooked onions. Stir to blend. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Thin, if necessary, at serving time with a little buttermilk.
3. Cut carrots into 3-inch lengths, then cut lengthwise into quarters. Using a vegetable peeler, lightly peel back of celery ribs to remove strings. Cut ribs into 3-inch lengths, then cut in half lengthwise. Arrange carrots and celery on a serving platter, cover with damp paper towels, then with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until serving time.

Notes

• Caramelizing onions in a frying pan without a nonstick coating usually leaves a burned-looking residue in the pan. To facilitate cleanup, fill the pan with water, bring to a boil, then soak several hours or overnight.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.