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Take the Plunge

By Caroline Dipping

Throwing a cocktail party on New Year's Eve is a time-honored tradition for bidding adieu to the auld and ringing in the new. But, as the last hurrah of a jam-packed holiday season, such a party needs to be as easy to pull off for the host as it is festive for the guests.

What to serve besides the cavalcade of nonalcoholic beverages, champagne and cocktail fixin's?

Why not take the plunge and make a dip or two or three?

Hearty or healthy, dips have many advantages. Humble, yes, but always tasty and not to be underestimated in the shadow of canapes, caviar and other fancier nibbles.

Dips can be made low-fat with reduced-fat mayos, cream cheeses and sour creams. This will be appreciated by those guests who really ran calorically amok earlier in the season.

Hot or cold, dips can be made ahead, a boon for the harried hostess. Even a dip that needs to be baked can be assembled hours ahead or a day before to let the flavors meld, then popped in the oven right before party time. (A note on hot dips: Keep them hot in a chafing dish. If you don't have a chafing dish, serve dip in a microwaveable dish so you can periodically zap it for a quick warm-up.)

Dips can also help spread the budget. There's no time like the present to start economizing for the new year.

Besides the versatile flavor profiles of the dips themselves, the possibilities for the dippers and dunkers can be as varied as you like.

Choose from raw vegetables, crackers, chips, pita crisps and flat breads.

You can even end your soiree with a sweet dunker such as Raspberry Cheesecake Dip. Instead of crackers, pair the dip with fruits and pieces of cubed cake.

With these riches, who needs Beluga? So raise your glass, poise your chip, and have a happy and safe New Year!

CARAMELIZED ONION DIP

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large Spanish onions, halved and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1Ú2 cup mayonnaise

1Ú2 cup sour cream

2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

Potato chips or tortilla chips

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, and let cool.

Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and cream cheese in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the onions, salt and pepper to taste, and pulse a few times just to combine (don't over-mix — you want the onions to retain some of their texture). Scrape into a bowl, and sprinkle the top with the paprika. Serve with chips.

— From Hellmann's Mayonnaise

Caroline Dipping writes about food for The San Diego Union-Tribune.

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