On a Saturday evening every other month, Mom and Handsome Greg come to my place for a leisurely, candlelit dinner. I spend weeks preparing the menu, and developing and testing recipes. But despite my careful, down-to-the-minute scheduling of the shopping, cleaning, and food prep, when Mom and Greg arrive at Chez Galley Kitchen, I am generally rushing around in a mad panic to get the food done on time. Handsome Greg (who incidentally towers over me at nearly 6’4”) kindly offers to help, and is subsequently banished from my wee kitchen to open the wine and set the table.
One day I will learn my lesson. I will plan menus that aren’t needlessly complicated with too many dishes that require last-minute, pre-dinner devotion. I will have food on the table when my guests arrive, and I will feel like a grown-up or a superhero or Katie Couric. And when that day comes, the meal will begin with an easy, make-ahead appetizer, like a hearty, palette-pleasing spread.
This creamy, crabby, cheesy dip gets the party started with a nostalgic nod to 70s swank. I’d never had canned crab before and wasn’t sure what to expect (foodies talk some serious smack about canned crab), but it was delicious! It didn’t taste “canned” at all. With all the creamy, cheesy, mayo-y ingredients, I was a little nervous the dip would come out of the oven with an oil slick on top, so I used the light versions of the dairy and mayo, and the consistency was plenty decadent without being greasy.
Continue reading for the Crab and Artichoke Dip recipe
- 2 (6.5-ounce) cans crabmeat
- ½ cup light sour cream
- 4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup light buttermilk
- ¼ cup light mayonnaise
- 4 ounces shredded Pepper Jack cheese
- 4 ounces white Cheddar cheese
- 1 (8 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried dill, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8×8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the crab, sour cream, cream cheese, buttermilk, mayonnaise, Pepper Jack cheese, Cheddar cheese, artichoke hearts, garlic, onion, pepper, salt, Old Bay, and dill. Stir gently until well mixed. Spoon the dip into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven until the top is crusty, about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately with a baguette.
Linked to: It’s a Keeper, Junk in Their Trunk, The Sweet Details, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Big Bear’s Wife, Lil’ Luna, Tidy Mom, Gooseberry Patch, Eat at Home
Ooooh, this sounds wonderful! I’m going to make it for my post-Christmas family gathering. I think it will be a hit!
I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we did! Merry Christmas.
Miller’s canned crab is the best to use, or so I’m told.
It was delicious — even straight from the can! (I did a little QC before I added it to the dip.)
Oooo, this looks so good. 2 of my favorite things. I will have to try this. Thanks for sharing.
This looks to die for! I’d love for you to share this at my new party:
http://flourmewithlove.blogspot.com/2012/01/mix-it-up-monday.html
I hope to see you soon
Apart from food use, the globe artichoke is also an attractive plant for its bright floral display, sometimes grown in herbaceous borders for its bold foliage and large purple flower heads.`*^;
With best thoughts
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Renaissance art had a greatly increased emphasis on the realistic depiction of the material world, and the place of humans in it, reflected in the corporeality of the human body, and development of a systematic method of graphical perspective to depict recession in a three-dimensional picture space…’”*
Have a good weekend
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