Carmelized Onion dip has been mastered

One of my goals, starting last year is to master my favorite foods.  My most recient attempt was to make a white onion dip. I want to reduce the amount of preservatives I eat, the amount of prepackaged foods I buy and hopefully reduce my grocery bill over time.  I felt one way to do this is to make things from scratch.  It is not like I purchase a lot of onion dip so frankly I've spent more in this effort but I feel the effort has been worth it because it is so easy to make, I always have the ingredients on hand and it simply tastes better. 

CARAMELIZED ONION DIP

1^st attempt (12/11/2011):  I found two recipes both where similar and I had cream cheese on hand so I started here.  I didn’t wait for the flavors to blend but it was still good.  It was a tad sweet because of the caramelized onions and I didn’t have Worcestershire.  I decided to try it next time with the Worcestershire and maybe with Greek yogurt or less light mayo and more sour cream and more pepper or spices. Original recipe had garlic salt vs powder which I used so it probably needs some salt. 

2nd attempt on first recipe:  The cream cheese made it too thick, not quite what I was looking for in an onion dip and it was too sweet maybe because of the caramelized onions.

3rd attempt / new recipe (12/29/2011):  I was now going to attempt the Alton Brown recipe but using my notes above.  I made a sort of a half recipe.  I used 1 large sweet yellow onion vs. 1 ½ C. diced unspecified onion, Greek yogurt vs sour cream, less mayo (only a heaping ¼ C. vs half of ¾ cup, did 1/8 t. of kosher salt vs ¼ t plus ¼ t. in the caramelized onions and only a drizzle of EVOO vs 2 T and finally ¼ t. coarse ground black pepper.  This was still a sweet oniony dip, more spices needed and don't use a heaping tablespoon to make recipe more clear and food process the dip so it is more creamy vs chunky.

4th attempt on 2nd recipe (2/2012):  Only had ¼ C. caramelized onions leftover but I thought I would try another version.  I added ¼ C. chopped green onions, no heaping mayo, I food processed the dip and the rest of the recipe was the same (3/4 C. greek, ¼ C. mayo, same 1/8 t. spices).  This version was much better but normally I would have a whole onion to caramelize so I wanted to do a bigger batch recipe.  Next time a whole yellow onion.

5th attempt (2/18/2012):  I caramelized the whole onion don’t know if it was a sweet onion or a yellow onion.  I used a whole cup of green onions, white and green, increased the spices to ¼ t with the rest the same but it was preaty powerful with the strong onion flavor that I woke up with the next morning even after brushing.  I needed to add more yogurt to reduce the pungency of the onions or if it was a yellow onion, maybe it should have been a sweet onion.  With the leftovers I added 2 heaping T. of yogurt which made it 100% better.  Last attempt I will increase the yogurt by ¼ C. – ½ C. tasting after ¼ C.

6th attempt is my final version and I believe it is mastered. 

ONION DIP
Drizzle of EVOO
1 onion, sliced, caramelized
1 C. green onions, chopped
1 C. greek yogurt
¼ C. light mayonnaise
¼ t. garlic powder
¼ t. white pepper
¼ t. kosher salt

Slice onion in half, peal, slice each half in thin slices. Carmelize onions in EVOO till golden brown. Let cool. In a food processor mix all ingredients. Refrigerate at least one hour to blend flavors. Serve with Ruffles chips.Below are the three recipes I started with.  I don't know where the second one came from besides the web.

CARMELIZED ONION DIP from Real Simple

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

kosher salt and black pepper

1 8-ounce bar cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

thick-cut potato and vegetable chips, for serving

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.  In a medium bowl, mix together the onions, cream cheese, sour cream, chives, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Serve with the chips.  Comment said to run it through the food processor to chop up the onions.

CARAMELIZED ONION DIP
1 TBSP OLIVE OIL
1 LG VIDALIA ONION
1/4 C WATER
1 8 OZ PKG CREAM CHEESE
1/2 C MAYO
1 TSP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
1/2 TSP GARLIC SALT
1/2 TSP ONION POWDER
1/2 TSP GROUND BLACK PEPPER
1 SCALLION

Thinly slice the onion.  Put olive oil into a pan, heat up and add onions. Cook them down until they are golden brown and caramelized.  Combine the cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, Worcestershire, garlic salt, onion powder and pepper in a bowl.  Use an electric mixer to blend. Stir in the onions and the scallions.  Serve with crudités, crackers, and homemade chips, and also on mini roast beef sandwiches.

ONION DIP FROM SCRATCH

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, Prep Time:5 min, Cook Time:20 min, Level:Easy, Serves:1 batch

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups diced onions

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups sour cream

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving.