Who doesn’t love an onion dip born of a powder mix and prepared in a sour cream container? We certainly did—until trying this version from Lazy Bear in San Francisco. Caramelized onions and shallots are dehydrated with garlic, scallions and red onions for an intense allium flavor that gets mixed with crème fraîche and an aioli.
This is definitely the fanciest dip you’ve ever served, but fear not: If you can’t find dried porcini powder, you can make it yourself. Simply use a spice grinder to pulverize dried porcini mushrooms into a fine powder. Keep any extras in your pantry to add a punch of earthy flavor to another dish down the road.
To learn more, read “Bear Necessities."
Caramelized Onion Dip
Recipe adapted from David Barzelay, Lazy Bear, San Francisco, CA
Yield: 4 cups
Prep Time: 25 minutes, plus cooling and infusing time
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes, plus cooling and infusing time
Ingredients
For the Aioli:
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon pickle juice
1 egg yolk
Kosher salt, to taste
½ cup peanut oil
For the Dip:
½ tablespoon peanut oil
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
3 cups crème fraîche
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried porcini mushroom powder
1½ teaspoons smoked sea salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Aioli
½ cup thinly sliced chives
Kosher salt, to taste
Directions
1. Make the aioli: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, Dijon, pickle juice, egg yolk and salt. Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified, then season again with salt and set aside.
2. Make the dip: Preheat the oven to 300°. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium . Cook the shallot and onion until softened and caramelized, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet with the garlic, scallions and red onion, spreading out in an even layer.
3. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until completely dehydrated, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool completely, then transfer to a spice grinder or mini food processor, and grind into a fine powder.
4. In a large bowl, stir together the crème fraîche, dried onion powder, lemon juice, porcini powder, smoked sea salt and lemon zest. Let sit for 1 hour to infuse, then whip with a handheld mixer to medium-stiff peaks. Fold in the aioli and chives, then season with salt and serve.
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