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Dracula dip. October 12, 2009

Posted by ourfriendben in recipes, wit and wisdom.
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8 comments

Silence Dogood here. Recycling the local newspaper, I came on a notice for the Dracula Dip Contest at the Easton, PA Garlic Festival on October 3rd. Now, how could anyone resist that, especially a bigtime Christopher Lee fan like yours truly?

Rats, we’d missed the festival, and sadly, the paper supplied no recipes. And while admittedly reluctant to go on a website with the motto “Eat, Drink, & Stink,” I just had to see if the winning recipe was listed. After all, what could be more appropriate for our Hallowe’en festivities than Dracula Dip?! Well, the official website had a great photo of Bela Lugosi as the Count, but no recipes. I was forced to turn to my old friend Google to see what “Dracula Dip” turned up. Here are a couple of promising dips that you vampire fans (or those trying to ward off vampire attacks) can try:

          Anti Dracula Garlic Cheese Dip

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup real mayonnaise, as in Hellman’s

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon parsley, minced

7-8 big, fat fresh garlic cloves, minced, or more to taste

3 tablespoons fresh green onions (scallions), chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least an hour or overnight to give the flavors time to intensify. Serve with veggies, crackers, bread, or your favorite. [Note from Silence: From www.grouprecipes.com.]

         Dracula’s Garlic Dip

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup real mayonnaise, as in Hellman’s

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons dill weed

1/4 rap. each celery seed, paprika, and parsley

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. [Note from Silence: This recipe is from Cooks.com. I have no idea what a “rap.” is.]

         Hypnotizing Squash Dip

This one’s from Canadian Living.com. I (Silence) like it because it’s creative and combines all the flavors of the harvest season, but mercy, it’s a lot of work for a dip. See what you think! As they say, “Keep Dracula at bay with this mesmerizing garlic-packed dip. Surround it with crispy ‘bat wings’ (blue corn tortilla chips).” Makes 3 cups.

1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds)

5 cloves garlic (unpeeled)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Pinch ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon basil pesto  

Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or grease; set aside. Cut squash in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds and membranes. Brush cut sides and garlic with olive oil. Arrange squash, cut sides down, and garlic on prepared pan. Bake in 350-degree F. oven until tender, 45-55 minutes. Let cool slightly. Scrape squash pulp into a food processor; squeeze garlic pulp over the top, discarding skins. Add Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons of the sour cream, and the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Puree until smooth. Spoon into a shallow serving bowl, smoothing the top. If making ahead, you can cover and refrigerate this for up to 2 days. When ready to serve: In a small bowl, blend remaining sour cream with pesto. Using a small piping bag fitted with a plain tip and starting at the center, pipe into a spiral on the dip. (You can use a small resealable plastic bag with a corner snipped off if you don’t have a piping bag.)

Well, it’s a shame that the recipes of the official Dracula Dip Contest winner and runners-up weren’t listed. The three dips I’ve listed are all interesting, but the last one’s way too complicated for my taste and I can’t help but think I could improve on the first two. So here’s my attempt at Dracula Dip. You’ll note that mine includes shredded cheese because vampires are inherently cheesy, and hot sauce because, let’s face it, a good vampire is always hot!

            Dracula Dip (Silence Movie Version)

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1/2-2/3 cup sour cream

4-6 large cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 cup shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese

3 green onions (scallions), chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste (we like RealSalt, or try Trocamare)

generous splash hot sauce (we like Pickapeppa or Tabasco Chipotle)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (for intrigue)

1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin puree (not pie pumpkin), optional

Stir or beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add 1/2 cup sour cream, stirring in more if needed to reach your preferred dipping consistency. Stir in remaining ingredients (except pumpkin puree), mixing well to blend. The cheese, garlic, and green onions will give the dip body; it’s not supposed to be smooth (unlike Dracula). But it will definitely have a bite! Using a teaspoon, swirl in the pumpkin puree, if desired. Do not blend, let the orange of the pumpkin contrast with the pale yellow/green of the dip. Allow to rest for an hour before serving to give the flavors time to marry.

Serve with tortilla chips, pepper strips, carrot rounds, endive leaves, celery sticks, soft pretzels, breadsticks, Triscuits, or (especially fitting) the bat-shaped crackers I’ve seen recently in my grocery as a Hallowe’en special. Or  make the dip in a mini-Crock Pot, heat it on low, and use it as a fondue-type dip for Pizza Hut-style soft bread sticks. But if you order the bread sticks (and possibly accompanying pizza) delivered, watch your delivery person carefully for any signs of a cape, an unusual pallor, or fangs.

Do you have a favorite “Dracula Dip”? If so, please share!

         ‘Til next time,

                    Silence