I’m hosting a Clothing Swap Party on Friday night (recommend that) and in addition to tea + wine, I’d like to make a warm dip for friends to nibble on. Anyone have any favorite fall dips to have with crackers and veggies?

Question

Julia · Answer

Warm goat cheese with jam of choice: Just pop some goat cheese in the microwave, stir it up so it's creamy, and top with a seasonal jam and some olive oil. It's SO simple, yet so delicious. And you get all the yummy goat cheesy goodness without dealing with it crumbling everywhere.

JV · Answer

Ottolenghi Hummus + Notes: I love the idea of a wine + nibbles moment! I will be a purist and say a warm homemade hummus might be a  crowd pleaser. The most I ever learned about hummus was via Ottolenghi. He adds ice cold water to the food processor, and he lets the processor run for an inordinate amount of time. I was like, tired for my Cuisinart. I digress. The other thing is that he recommends a devilish amount of tahini. Like, record setting. I nearly thought it was a typo. But follow the recipe, either with dried or canned chickpeas, and the result is one of my favorite textures of hummus: creamy, not chalky, and it holds its shape when you drag a carrot through it. Play around with salt, lemon and garlic to make it your style; it’s really the technique that blew my mind.

Lily · Answer

Squash schmear! Supremely fall.: this recipe was created by a chef named Maga (? Maybe) from Santa Cruz several years ago. This is a screenshot from a free ebook that I’ve saved and referenced over and over. I’ve used kabocha and other squash as well.Perfectly warming and yummy.