Windy City Deli Dip Recipes

Steps:

• Place the sage on a paper towel and leave it in a cool dry place to dry it out for 8 hours or up to overnight.
• Heat a smoker to 350 degrees F with char-hickory pellets.
• Cut the neck or narrow end of the butternut squash off to separate it from the round, bulbous bottom end. Scoop the seeds out of the squash bottom and reserve to use as a dip bowl. Peel the narrow end and cut into about 1-inch dice. (You should have about 4 cups of diced squash.)
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the squash, chipotle chile and some salt and saute until the squash starts to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the shredded cheeses with the cornstarch in a bowl and set aside. Add 1 cup water to the squash, then simmer until very tender, about another 10 minutes. Add the milk, then blend using an immersion blender until silky and smooth. Add the cheese, then stir well to help melt the cheese. Season to taste with salt. Transfer the pan to the smoker and let the queso absorb that wonderful smoke until the color is darker and the flavor is smokier, about 30 minutes.
• Draw a face on your squash bottom if you wish, then add the dip directly to the squash. Carefully light the dried-out sage, then blow it out to create smoke and stick it straight up in your dip. Cover it with a dome or deep bowl (tall enough not to smush the sage bunch); this will infuse the flavor and keep the demons and ghouls away. Remove the dome right when guests are ready to eat. Serve with kale chips, tortilla chips, raw veggies or soft pretzels.

Steps:

• Mix the ricotta, confectioners' sugar and liqueur in a bowl. Fold in the chocolate chips. Serve with strawberries and wonton triangles, pita chips or cookies for dipping.

Steps:

• The Cookies: Set 2 racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 15 seconds until smooth. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and lemon extracts and continue beating until fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on its slowest setting, gradually beat in 1/2 of the flour mixture. Beat in the milk and then the remaining flour mixture. On nonstick or parchment-lined cookie sheets, drop 1/2 cup mounds of dough at 4-inch intervals. Bake the cookies for about 11 minutes, turning once for even baking, until the cookies are lightly tanned. Set the cookie sheets on a rack to cool. The Frosting: Fit a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a candy thermometer. Over high heat, cook the water, corn syrup, sugar and cream of tartar until it registers 240 degrees (soft ball). Off heat, vigorously whisk in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and hot water until creamy looking. Quickly spread half of the icing on 1/2 of each cookie. Whisk the cocoa and hot coffee into the remaining icing. Spread it on the other halves of the cookies. Let set for 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Fill a Dutch oven one-third full with oil and heat to 350 degrees F.
• Fry the wontons in a single layer, not overcrowding the pot. Flip the wontons once or twice until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the wontons with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat until all the wontons are fried.
• Place the ricotta, sugar and liqueur in a large bowl and stir until well combined. Whip the cream in a separate bowl with a handheld mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips into the ricotta mixture.
• Transfer the ricotta-cream mixture to a medium dip bowl or 8-by-8-inch baking dish and spread evenly. Starting from the left side of bowl, make a row, from top to bottom, of the pistachios, followed by a row of the cherries, then the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Freshly grate orange zest over the top and plate the wonton chips on the side. Dust the chips with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in the spinach dip, half-and-half, cheese, salt and pepper.
• Fill the pie crust with the egg mixture and bake until golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes to set, then cut and serve.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley, onion, dill weed, and salt. Mix all together, cover, and refrigerate overnight.