Here comes summer - and here are the perfect accompaniment for summer parties.
Photo Elizabeth Clarkson/styling Kate Arbuthnot
It wouldn’t be the summer holidays without a bowl of creamy savoury dip served with potato chips (or crisps, as some call them) and ice-cold beer. The first classic Kiwi dip appeared almost 60 years ago – a simple combination of a packet of Maggi dried onion soup and a can of Nestlé reduced cream. I have fond memories of big parties in my youth where that famous dip with potato chips was the best thing on the table. It’s a food fad that has never disappeared.
These holidays I am going to be making lots of dips and spreads. When friends gather, there’s always a range of ages, and I can’t think of another snack food that suits everyone. But my main reason for fixating on dips is that I’ll get the chance to devour lots of the best chips I’ve ever come across. In Upper Moutere near Nelson, an innovative company, Proper Crisps, is cooking thinly sliced South Island agria potatoes in sunflower oil then sprinkling them with sea-salt flakes. No synthetic flavourings or additives; simply potatoes, oil and salt. They are sold in discerning food stores throughout New Zealand.
The dip and spread recipes here will also be well matched to crackers, crusty bread or thin sticks of raw or quickly blanched vegetables. Cream cheese, crème fraîche, sour cream and ricotta cheese all make a good base for dips, and it’s so easy just to whip up a bowlful by stirring in diced fresh veges, chopped salmon, sardines or smoked fish, or grated cheese, nuts and herbs. A squeeze of lemon juice or a few drops of Tabasco will enliven the flavour.
Throughout the summer it’s worth making mayonnaise, as this, too, is a great base for dips and spreads. Few cooks have the time or patience to make mayonnaise the traditional way by beating egg yolks with a wooden spoon and adding olive oil drip by drip. It can be quickly whizzed up in the food processor and used as the base for dips or for serving as a sauce or dressing for summer salads, fish or chicken. Add avocado, as in the recipe below, or dried or fresh tomatoes, fresh herbs, flavoured mustards or a hit of wasabi.
HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE
- 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 cup light-flavoured olive oil
- salt to taste
Put the egg and extra yolk into a food processor with the lemon juice and mustard powder. Mix well, then leave the motor running and slowly add the oil through the feed tube. The mixture will absorb the oil and thicken to a glossy mayonnaise. Season with salt. Remove to a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap, pushing down to exclude all air. This will prevent a skin forming. The mayonnaise will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
AVOCADO DIP
- 1 cup mayonnaise (recipe above)
- 1 ripe avocado, mashed
- 3 tbsp parsley leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp basil, chopped
- 5 anchovy fillets, chopped
- dash of Tabasco
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt to taste
Place the mayonnaise in a bowl. Put the other ingredients into the food processor and pulse until they are combined but still a little chunky. Gently stir this mixture into the mayonnaise until well combined. Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve with blanched asparagus spears or other seasonal vegetables and potato chips. Serves 10 with drinks. Wine match: pinot gris.
SMOKED SALMON AND CUCUMBER SPREAD
This is a luxurious treat that can be used as a dip or served with toast as a spread.
- 200g cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 tbsp cream
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp preserved lemon, finely chopped
- 100g smoked salmon, broken up
- ½ small cucumber, diced finely
- 3 tbsp salmon caviar or red lumpfish roe
Place the cream cheese in a food processor with the cream, spring onions and lemon juice. Combine until smooth. Add the preserved lemon, salmon and cucumber, then pulse briefly. The mixture should still be a little chunky. Turn out into a bowl and stir through 2 tablespoons of the caviar. Use the remaining caviar to decorate the top. Serve with chunks of bread, toast or crackers. Serves 10 with drinks. Wine match: sauvignon blanc.
WALNUT AND GARLIC SPREAD
This toasty walnut dip is surprisingly mild. Use fresh sweet locally grown walnuts such as Uncle Joe’s from Marlborough.
- 150g fresh shelled walnuts
- 2 slices sourdough bread, crusts removed
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 150ml olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- parsley for decoration
Preheat the oven to 170°C and roast the walnuts until toasted lightly – about 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the bread in water for a couple of minutes, then squeeze dry. Place the walnuts and garlic in a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Add the bread and pulse again. Add the oil in a steady stream with the motor running until it is all incorporated. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Decorate with parsley. Serve at room temperature with raw vegetables or spread on crusty sourdough bread. Serves 10 with drinks. Wine match: a light red wine.
BLUE CHEESE AND EGG DIP
- 2 eggs, hard boiled (about 9 minutes)
- 250g soft blue cheese
- 200g crème fraîche
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4 sprigs tarragon, chopped finely
Separate the egg yolk from the whites. Soften the blue cheese and pulse in a food processor with the yolks and the crème fraîche until quite smooth. Remove and place in a serving bowl. Finely chop the egg whites and stir into the cheese mixture, adding the black pepper and the tarragon. Chill well and sprinkle extra herbs on the top before serving with raw or lightly blanched green vegetables and crackers. Serves 10 with drinks. Wine match: chardonnay.