Trio of dips

I have been asked to bring an appetizer/hors d'oevre to our congregation's pioneer dinner. Not being able to make up my mind, I decided to bring three different dips and the appropriate dippers.

Let me know what you think of these:

Blue Cheese and Caramelized Shallot Dip

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced shallots (about 4 ounces)

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 4 ounces blue cheese, room temperature

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots. Cover and cook until shallots are deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool.

Whisk together mayonnaise and sour cream in medium bowl to blend. Add blue cheese. Using rubber spatula, mash mixture until smooth. Stir in caramelized shallots. Season dip to taste with salt and pepper. Cover dip and refrigerate until flavors blend, about 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Serve dip chilled or at room temperature.

Thyme and Garlic Cheese Dip

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (packed) fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 7 1/2-ounce package farmer cheese or one 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Preparation

Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until garlic is finely chopped, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add cheese and sour cream; blend well. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to serving bowl; chill 30 minutes. (Dip can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

The first two recipes were found on www.epicurious.com. They originally appeared in Bon Appetite--March '01 and November '02 respectively.

The third recipe is Alton Brown's and was found on www.foodnetwork.com.

Roasted Vegetable Spread

Ingredients

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
• 1 medium onion, sliced into rings
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Challah, foccacia, or pita bread, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the bell pepper, onion, garlic, zucchini, and olive oil in a medium mixing bowl and toss until the vegetables are coated. Spread the vegetables evenly on sheet pan lined with foil and place to the oven. Roast, tossing occasionally, until they are soft and are beginning to turn brown around the edges, approximately 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Place the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor along with the cream cheese and process until well combined and spreadable; do not process until completely smooth.

Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread on soft bread, such as challah, foccacia, or pita bread. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Note: I just roasted a red pepper and onion to top a pizza. I followed these steps but only for 30 minutes. Most of my veggies burned. I will adjust either time or temp for Saturday. For tonight, I'll eat the burny ones (I thought they were nice and sweet) and give the less "well done" pieces to Josh.