|
March 2005
A Matter of Taste - Dips
America’s favorite snack food is the potato chip, with the tortilla chip coming in a close second. What do these crispy treats have in common, other than salt and fat? They cry out for something to make them even saltier and more fattening: a dip! Dips don’t have to be a bad thing and they are not reserved for chips. I am not the food police (contrary to what my husband might tell you) and my purpose here is to help you have more fun in the kitchen and play around with herbs and spices.
 If we dissect the dip it consists of a few simple parts. The base is usually something rather bland and creamy in consistency. The bland nature of the base lets the herbs and spices sing to your taste buds. The creamy consistency is usually the result of the high fat content, but this need not be the case. The true character of the dip is determined by the herbs and spices that add flavor and color and in some cases texture. The third part is those little extras that make you clean the bowl with a spoon.
Most of the dips you sample at craft shows will be made with the traditional 50/50 blend of sour cream and mayonnaise. If you use something else when you prepare the dip you purchased, expect it to taste differently. I know vegans who use silken tofu as a dip base. Other good candidates are plain yogurt, yogurt cheese, and cottage cheese that has been “smoothed” in the blender. Nonfat, low fat or call-your-cardiologist: it’s up to you. You can make a dip that is acceptable for any diet that I know of and I know a lot of them!
The difference in taste will depend on the salt content and acidity of the base ingredients. I have noticed that dips made with nonfat sour cream and mayo have a flat taste and I correct this with a teaspoon or two of lemon juice. If I use cottage cheese, which tends to have a high salt content, I won’t add anything else that contributes to the saltiness of the finished product. What you’re dipping will also influence how salty you want the dip to be.
If you start with 2 cups of dip base, plan on adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of your favorite spice blend: curry or chili powder; Creole, Jerk, seafood or steak seasoning, etc. For texture add one tablespoon of dried onion flakes and ½ to one teaspoon of garlic powder or granules, if there’s none in spice blend. Let the mixture rest for 15 or 20 minutes so that the onion flakes can plump up and the flavors can meld, then taste and adjust.
When starting with an herb blend rather than a spice blend, use 2 to 3 tablespoons of the herbs with the other ingredients. Fresh cracked black pepper enhances most herb blends. I like a little celery seed in herb-based dips and it seems to lessen the need for saltiness. Try this approach with Italian herbs, herbes de Provence, Greek herb blend or the classic French fines herbs.
Want more texture and color in you dip? Try adding fresh scallions or red onion finely diced or red and/or green pepper. For an explosion of flavor you can’t beat seeds: dill, celery or fennel for herb dips; cumin seed for a Mexican style dip and poppy seed (a little goes a long way) for a hint of sweetness. Sesame seeds are good in everything as far as I’m concerned. Forget mustard and flax seeds; they don’t soften enough.
And if you’ve done all this and something is still missing open the refrigerator and look in the door. Worcestershire sauce adds subtle zip to most any combo and soy sauce is good when you want a hint of saltiness. I like a dab of prepared mustard or horseradish with dips that will be used to enhance pretzel consumption.
Don’t stop with dips! Get creative and use the same basic approach for making cream cheese spreads for bagels and crackers or celery. And remember, creamy salad dressing is just a dip thinned down with a little buttermilk.
I’ll leave you with my favorite simple dip. Blend one cup of plain yogurt, with one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, one tablespoon of Curry Powder and a teaspoon of French mustard. This is also a great dressing for chicken salad with raisins, nuts and celery. Enjoy!
|
