French dip dip

Cooks in 1 hour

Difficulty Easy

Sometimes a copycat recipe is perfection (see Copycat Trader Joe’s Crispbread for an example), and sometimes your copycat taste absolutely NOTHING like the original. That was the case here. In attempts to recreate Helluva Good Dip (my favorite store bought dip), I actually created a far more complex, satisfying, and savory dip – perfect for game day. Introducing: French dip dip. A perfectly rich and creamy blend of caramelized onions, fresh parsley, and deeply umami beef bouillon – our secret ingredient and star.

In the recipe below, I process my onions with the sour cream to reduce chunks and create a smooth dip – more similar to the store bought varieties. For a chunkier dip with pieces of caramelized onions studded throughout, feel free to skip this part.

Okay okay okay – let’s talk about MSG, because it is in this recipe. MSG IS NOT BAD FOR YOU. MSG misinformation has been spread for DECADES and is tied to racist roots and poorly done research. The same MSG that comes from the bottle is found in tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, meats, etc. – it is what provides that deeply satisfying umami flavor and brings a dish to the next level. Can’t tell whats the difference between your recipe, and the restaurants? Its either MSG, or butter. THAT BEING SAID, this is NOT a science or health website, and I am certainly not a nutritionist. Eat what you want to eat – and if that means leaving out the MSG, do just that. Food is a deeply personal experience, and while I would love to potentially dispel food myths, I am not in the business of dictating what goes into your body. 🙂

The other ingredients are fairly self explanatory, but feel free to customize as you like. I like to create the spice mix and add it in gradually, tasting with a chip as I go, to create the desired intensity.

The gelatin is added to firm up the dip a bit – and once set overnight, it will create an even surface like the store bough varieties do. Whip it up before serving if desired, or leave out the gelatin altogether (do know the dip will be much looser/a little runny once it has been out for a bit).

French dip dip

Recipe by BakesWithRachCourse: Appetizers, SnacksDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

1 large sweet onion, diced
2 tbsp butter
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
227g (1 C) full fat sour cream
47g (1/4 C) mayo
1 beef bouillon cube/packet
1/2 tsp MSG*
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp gelatin powder (optional)

Directions

Dice your onion. In a large pan or dutch oven, lightly caramelize the onions. To do this, heat the butter over medium low and add the onion by the large handful, letting each handful cook down slightly before adding the next. This will help avoid overcrowding.

Cook on medium low, stirring often, for roughly 45 minutes until dark but not fully jammy (feel free to take them further for a more pronounced caramelized onion flavor). If any spots start to stick, splash with a but of water to scrape up the stuck piece and rehydrate it.
While the onions caramelize, make your spice mix by combining the beef bouillon, celery salt, MSG, and black pepper. Set aside. Chop the parsley.

If using gelatin, pour two tbsp of water in a small saucepan, and sprinkle gelatin over top. Set aside to bloom.
Once the onions are done, add all of the sour cream and onions, and half of the parsley to a food processor or blender. Process until the onions are broken up and no large pieces remain (if you prefer a more chunky dip, skip this part).
Transfer the sour cream and onion mix to a medium bowl. Add in the mayo and stir to combine, and then add the spice mix little by little, tasting as you go.

Put the saucepan with the gelatin over low heat, swirling until the gelatin just dissolves and turns clear. Pour into dip and mix to combine.

Cover and transfer to fridge overnight. Top with the remaining parsley and serve with chips, veggies, or crackers.