Tasty Recipes from Recipe Wizards

Dip unites people around the Super Bowl party table, but don’t be surprised if women line up behind one dip and men a different one.

Yes, that’s right. There’s his dip and her dip.

His dip tends to include descriptions ending in the same letter as the male sex chromosome. Cheesy, meaty, gooey.

Her dip skews toward lighter in texture and calories, brimming with vegetables or sweet.

“If someone has a big cheesy dip with chorizo in it, most women would take a taste and go ‘Yum,’ and analyze the fat calories, where men would think it’s amazing and dig in,” said Diane Morgan, author of the bestselling “Delicious Dips” (Chronicle Books, $16.95, 124 pages).

Morgan, whose follow-up cookbook “Skinny Dips” debuts this fall, said she really noticed the dip divide while testing and serving a recipe for a lightened-up Green Goddess dip.

“There was universal acclaim among the women, but it probably seemed a little grassy to the guys,” she said.

One dip ingredient tends to bridge the gender gap, however: artichokes.

“That’s definitely a crossover,” Morgan said.

Aaron Holliday agrees.

Holliday, owner of Dude Food, a guy-food focused catering business in Sacramento, has created a warm artichoke and roasted red pepper dip that marries the masses.

“It’s just jack cheese, roasted red peppers and artichokes, but it’s really successful,” he said.

The nation has been enamored with dips ever since the early 1950s, when sour cream was mixed with dry Lipton onion soup to make California dip.

Gender aside, we love dips because of what they allow us to do – indulge.

“We are a society that enjoys indulgences and dips are yummy,” Bruhn said. “If you let yourself go entirely, you dip chips into those wonderful creamy sauces. … If you are health-conscious, you feel like you have an excuse to eat it because you’re using vegetables as your conveyor.

“We like them because they taste good.”

Artichoke and roasted red pepper dip

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves 10

This recipe is courtesy of Aaron Holliday, owner of Dude Food, a Sacramento-based catering business, dudefood.biz

INGREDIENTS

One 16-ounce brick of Monterey jack cheese, cubed

One 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and roughly sliced

One 13.75-ounce can of quartered artichoke hearts packed in water, drained

5 cloves garlic, peeled

Salt and pepper, to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Fresh bread or pita chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a oven-proof dish and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until bubbly. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top and return to oven for another 2 minutes.

Serve with chunks of fresh bread or pita chips.

Per serving: 209 cal.; 14 g pro.; 7 g carb.; 14 g fat (9 sat., 4 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 41 mg chol.; 685 mg sod.; 2 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 61 percent calories from fat

Faux five-layer dip

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serves 8 to 10

Recipe by Niesha Lofing.

Note: Use a glass serving bowl or dish to show off the layers in this sweet dip, which resembles five-layer bean dip when finished. Yields enough for two bowls of dip or one square baking dish.

INGREDIENTS

One 18-ounce jar pre-stirred creamy peanut butter (such as Jif Natural)

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup fresh raspberries

2 tablespoons raspberry jam

One 7.5-ounce container crème fraîche

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 container Smucker’s Caramel Sundae Syrup, for drizzling

Fresh mint, for garnish

Almond biscotti or cookies and apples slices, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Empty the peanut butter into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Spoon the peanut butter into the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch square dish or two glass bowls, being sure to spread it evenly and flatten any peaks.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the peanut butter, covering completely in an even layer.

Place the raspberries in a food processor and blitz until just chopped. Stop the processor and add the jam. Pulse until it just comes together, about 10 seconds. Spoon the raspberry purée evenly over the chocolate chips.

In a clean bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the crème fraîche, sugar and vanilla until just thickened, about 2 minutes. The consistency should resemble whipped topping. Spoon the whipped crème fraîche over the raspberry purée, being careful not to let the two mix as you smooth it out. Be sure to cover the other layers all the way to the edge of the dish.

Drizzle the caramel syrup over the crème fraîche and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. Serve with apple slices, biscotti or cookies.

Refrigerate if not serving immediately.

Per serving based on 10 servings: 525 cal.; 15 g pro.; 46 g carb.; 35 g fat (11 sat., 16 monounsat., 8 polyunsat.); 10 mg chol.; 310 mg sod.; 5 g fiber; 36 g sugar; 57 percent calories from fat.

Easy chocolate dip

Prep time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

Recipe by Niesha Lofing

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Cool-Whip whipped topping, thawed

3 tablespoons Nutella

Fresh fruit and biscotti, for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

In the chilled bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat Cool-Whip and Nutella on high for 3 minutes, until smooth and slightly fluffy. Pour into a bowl and chill for 10 minutes before serving alongside strawberries, sliced bananas or biscotti.

Pumpkin dip

Prep time: 5 minutes

Makes 4 cups

Carol Dyer of Elk Grove took home third place for this sweet dip recipe in the 2009 Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin and Harvest Festival.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups canned pumpkin

Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

4 cups powdered sugar

Gingersnaps or sugar cookies

INSTRUCTIONS

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine pumpkin, cream cheese, cinnamon and ground ginger. Beat until well blended. Add sugar and beat until smooth.

Serve dip with gingersnaps or sugar cookies.

Per 1/4 cup: 208 cal.; 3 g pro.; 28 g carb.; 10 g fat (6 sat., 3 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 31 mg chol.; 85 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 25 g sugar; 42 percent calories from fat.

Artichoke-garlic spinach dip

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves 16 (2-tablespoon servings)

Recipe courtesy of Smart Balance.

INGREDIENTS

Smart Balance Cooking Spray

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

One 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

One 13.75-ounce can quartered artichokes, packed in water, drained and coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 cup Smart Balance Sour Cream

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Smart Balance Omega Plus Light Mayonnaise

INSTRUCTIONS

Coat a large nonstick skillet with Smart Balance cooking spray, place over medium heat until hot. Cook the onions 3 minutes or until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the spinach, artichokes, oregano and Smart Balance sour cream. Stir until well blended. Remove from heat.

Add the cheese and Smart Balance Omega Plus Mayonnaise and stir until well blended. Serve warm or chilled.

Per serving: 52 cal.; 3 g pro.; 5 g carb.; 2 g fat (1 sat., 1 monounsat., 0 polyunsat.); 4 mg chol.; 232 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 43 percent calories from fat.

Blue cheese dip with chives

Prep time: 5 minutes Makes 1½ cups dip

This recipe is from “Delicious Dips” by Diane Morgan (Chronicle Books, $16.95, 124 pages).

Note: Morgan’s favorite blue cheeses to use for this recipe are Point Reyes Blue and Maytag Blue.

This dip can be prepared up to three days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator 45 minutes before serving. Serve the dip at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

Freshly ground black pepper

Crudités; bruschetta; crostini; pita chips; bagel chips; vegetable chips, for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together the blue cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir in the chives and add a few grinds of pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.

Per 1/4 cup: 167 cal.; 5 g pro.; 1 g carb.; 15 g fat (7 sat., 3 monounsat., 1 polyunsat., 4 other); 28 mg chol.; 369 mg sod.; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 85 percent calories from fat.

Cherry Garcia Takes a Dip

Prep time: 10 minutes

Makes 4 cups

This recipe is from “Delicious Dips” by Diane Morgan and courtesy of Chronicle Books.

Note: The prep time does not include the 20 minutes to soften ice cream at room temperature. This dip can be prepared two days in advance. Cover and refreeze. Soften 20 minutes before serving.

INGREDIENTS

2 pints Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, such as Valrhona or Scharffen Berger, cut into small chunks

3 tablespoons Kirsch

Double-chocolate chunk brownie chips; heart-shaped apple- cinnamon tortilla chips; sweet wonton crisps; toasted pound cake crisps; strawberries; chocolate wafer cookies; graham crackers, for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften for 20 minutes. Scoop the ice cream into a medium bowl and add the chocolate chunks and Kirsch. Stir to make it creamy and diplike. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Per 1/4 cup: 160 cal.; 2 g pro.; 18 g carb.; 10 g fat (6 sat., 0 monounsat., 0 polyunsat., 0 other); 40 mg chol.; 32 mg sod.; 0 g fiber; 13 g sugar; 51 percent calories from fat.

Chorizo chile con queso dip

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Makes 4 cups

This recipe is from “Delicious Dips” by Diane Morgan (Chronicle Books, $16.95, 124 pages).

Note: This dip can be prepared one day in advance. Allow the mixture to cool, transfer it to a covered container, and refrigerate. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat and then transfer to a fondue pot for serving.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon pure olive oil

1/4 pound bulk pork chorizo

1/2 medium white onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 poblano chilies, roasted and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, drained and diced

2 tomatoes, cored, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded pepper Jack cheese

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream

Tortilla chips, crusty bread cut into 1-inch cubes, potato chips, pita chips, for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

In a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the chorizo and sauté, stirring constantly and using the side of a spatula to break up the chunks, until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, chiles, and tomatoes, and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions soften, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low and add both cheeses, stirring constantly, until the cheeses melt, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and stir until heated through.

Transfer to a fondue pot set over an alcohol or sterno flame to keep warm. Serve immediately.

Per 1/4 cup: 184 cal.; 9 g pro.; 2 g carb.; 15 g fat (8 sat., 6 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 46 mg chol.; 271 mg sod.; 0 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 76 percent calories from fat.

These easy wraps put lots of produce to work and are versatile enough so you can use whatever veggie it is you bought too much of.

Greens such as Swiss chard and kale contain a lot of water, so even though it may seem like you’re filling up the skillet, they’ll cook down fast. So fast, in fact, it’s best to save them till the end. We’ve chosen chard for our green because the stems are tasty and will add a bit of extra crunch.

Tips:

Quicker-cooking vegetables include zucchini and tomatoes. Root veggies such as potatoes and carrots can be used, but they’ll take longer to saute to softness, which is what you’re after. If you have a must-eat-meat member in your household, add 3 slices of salami or pepperoni to each wrap.

Beverage pairing: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a kinder, gentler Italian red that adds a nice fruity complement. Low-fat milk is good too.

PICK-OF-THE-CRISPER-DRAWER VEGGIE WRAPS

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 10 minutes Makes: 4 servings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves chopped, plus 3 stems chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped, or 1 teaspoon jarred minced garlic

1/2 onion, diced

1/4 cup red or white wine

2 teaspoons Italian herb blend

3 cups diced fresh vegetables of your choice (zucchini, tomato, mushroom)

1/2 cup plain or roasted red pepper hummus

4 flatbreads or large (12-inch) flour tortillas

1/2 cup low-fat shredded cheese

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the chard stems, garlic and onion. Cook until softened, about 3 minutes; lower heat to medium. Stir in the wine and Italian seasoning; let cook about 1 minute. Add the diced vegetables; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the chard leaves; cook, stirring, until wilted and warmed.

2. Spread 2 tablespoons of the hummus over each of the flatbreads. Distribute the veggie mixture among each tortilla; top each with 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Roll up; slice in half.

Nutrition information: Per serving: 551 calories, 32 percent of calories from fat, 20 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 78 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein, 967 mg sodium, 7 g fiber

White pepper in your fruit tart? Black beans in your brownies? Prunes in your pasta sauce?

Yes – but you’d never know. Cooks employing these tricks aren’t trying to fool diners; they’re simply trying to wow them. And sometimes the path to a culinary wow includes a secret or two.

Secret ingredients are a time-tested trick, according to Maureen Pothier, chairwoman of the culinary arts program at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, R.I. They’re included for any of a number of reasons, but usually to balance flavor, reduce fat or add complexity and moisture.

Secret ingredients are not new; witness the popularity of cakes made with ingredients such as mayonnaise or sauerkraut.

Some tips are passed down (Pothier learned to add cocoa to a lamb rub from a mentor) and some are invented.

“As chefs grow in their careers, they start experimenting with a lot of different things and sometimes those things end up being not too obvious,” Pothier said. “As you go, you get more confident and realize what works and doesn’t.”

Consider the tomato sauce she has served at home and at the restaurant in Providence she owned with her husband for 18 years, Bluepoint Oyster Bar Restaurant. Pothier was considering how to counteract a tomato’s acidity when she remembered a sauce she’d had that prominently featured prunes. That sauce was sweet, and she didn’t want sweet. But she took the lesson.

“Knowing that I don’t want to throw sugar in my food, I looked for an alternative,” she said. “The prunes got tossed in one day and it worked.”

Pothier also adds a dash or two of white pepper in her cream filling for a clementine tart. The white pepper, she said, adds another dimension to fruit and makes its flavor a little more complex.

Two warnings: A little secret ingredient usually goes a long way. And be careful of allergies.

“You don’t want to use peanuts as a secret because there are just too many nut allergies out there,” Pothier said. “Or shellfish.”

Be bold. But be careful.

SURPRISE TOMATO SAUCE

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 70 minutes

Makes: 8 servings

This spicy sauce with prunes is adapted from a recipe by Maureen Pothier of Johnson and Wales University. Serve over cooked pasta of your choice.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1 can (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

8 to 10 prunes, chopped

1 bay leaf

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, prunes, bay leaf and red pepper. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring often, 1 hour.

2. Add basil and parsley; simmer 2 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Nutrition information:

Per serving: 139 calories, 33 percent of calories from fat, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 22 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein, 685 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.

CLEMENTINE CREAM TART

Prep: 40 minutes

Cook: 1 minute

Makes: 8 servings

Recipe by Maureen Pothier of Johnson & Wales University.

Pastry cream:

3 whole eggs, plus 1 egg yolk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sifted flour

1 tablespoon sifted cornstarch

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

Tart:

2 clementines, peeled, segmented

3 tablespoons orange liqueur

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1 cooked 9- to 10-inch tart crust

1. Combine whole eggs, egg yolk, sugar, white pepper and salt in a bowl to blend. Combine the sifted flour and cornstarch in a separate bowl. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the egg mixture; gently fold to blend. Repeat to blend all flour into egg mixture.

2. Meanwhile, heat the milk to a simmer in a heavy saucepan, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the hot milk into egg mixture, stirring constantly to gently warm the egg mixture. Return mixture to the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, about 10 minutes. Cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter to incorporate. Stir in orange liqueur. Cover cream with plastic wrap placed directly on top of cream. Cool completely in refrigerator, about 1 hour.

3. For tart, place clementine segments, orange liqueur and white pepper in a saucepan. Heat over high heat to a boil. Immediately remove pan from heat; let cool in pan to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Pour clementine liquid through a strainer into the pastry cream, reserving clementines. Place pastry cream into the tart shell. Decoratively arrange clementines over top.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 351 calories, 46 percent of calories from fat, 18 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 149 mg cholesterol, 39 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 207 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

ONE SAUCY MAMA

Your mom may not have whipped up these dessert toppings, but as the name suggests, they’re Somebody’s Mother’s creations. Spoonfuls of the creamy indulgences – available in caramel, chocolate and white chocolate flavors – can be served over ice cream after a quick trip to the microwave, or use them as dips for apple slices. A 9.5 ounce jar is $10 at store.somebodysmothers.com and at select stores (locations online).

CRISP COOKWARE

An apple a day of this variety – cast iron cookware from Lodge, that is – may not keep the doctor away, but it sure will liven up your kitchen. The 3-quart enamel Apple Pot is suitable for cooking and storage, plus it makes a fun serving bowl. It comes in red or green and is available at lodgemfg.com for about $100.

SNACKING SERENITY

Have Yogi Granola Crisps in a bowl with milk for breakfast, or just grab handfuls of the sweet cereal to nibble. With a satisfying crunch and flavors like Baked Cinnamon Raisin and Mountain Blueberry Flax, they’re sure to keep your taste buds entertained. The resealable 10.4 ounce bags are available in supermarkets and natural food stores nationwide and online at yogiproducts.com for about $5.

Those who’ve grown up on skim milk varieties may cringe at the richness of whole milk. But other skim milk drinkers secretly long for a creamier drink. At least that’s the theory behind a growing niche of the market aimed at providing a thicker skim milk experience.

Last year Dean’s launched a creamy skim product called Over the Moon. And last month Smart Balance introduced its own version of rich skim milk. Chicago-area dairy Oberweis has been offering a rich skim product for years. All are available in local supermarkets at prices between $2.50 and $3.50 per half-gallon.

But how exactly does one beef up the creaminess of skim milk while keeping a milk “non-fat”?

“Smart Balance adds extra milk solids,” explained Kaitlin Kenny, spokeswoman for the company. “The addition of milk solids results in a full-bodied taste and contributes to the rich and creamy mouth-feel. The extra milk solids also result in 25 percent more calcium.”

Adding extra milk solids has been a common practice in California since the early ’60s when the state mandated higher levels of milk solids for fortification. This is why some visitors marvel at the rich taste of the state’s low-fat milks.

The practice, however, has expanded to specialty national brands only recently and is being marketed based on its richer taste and higher protein and calcium content. Smart Balance fortifies its milk further with added Omega 3 oil blends, plant sterols and vitamin E.

While most of these fortifying procedures don’t increase the fat content of the milk – the oil adds a gram of fat – they do result in higher calorie counts. A cup of Dean’s milk-solid fortified Over the Moon milk checks in at 100 calories per cup versus 80 calories a cup in regular skim milk.

For the extra calcium and protein, some may find the calorie addition a bargain. But how does it taste?

A group of Tribune tasters recently engaged in a blind test of three fortified skim milks to see which tasted the best.

Tasters were almost unanimous when it came to which of the three milks tasted the richest.

1. Dean’s Over the Moon: “Richest flavor,” “tastes like milk,” “velvety rich milk,” “tastes a little custardy and cooked”

2. Smart Balance: “Round and full,” “vegetal flavors,” “reconstituted taste,” “too heavy for skim”

3. Oberweis: “Not too thick,” “like skim should taste,” “neutral, so I like it,” “chalky”

Hand it to Julia Child: She was an innovator when it came to getting the “why” of food out to the public.

She did it by writing cookbooks and articles, shooting popular television series and hamming it up onstage and in demonstration kitchens across the country.

No medium or method was too far-fetched or high-tech.

That’s why it seems so fitting to find Child’s 1985 six-part video series “The Way to Cook” now re-released as a two-DVD set ($24.95, at amazon.com and other retail outlets).

Now, some five years after her death at age 91 and after 2009’s movie, “Julie & Julia” highlighted her life, one now can watch “The French Chef” do her thing on a laptop just about anywhere in the world. She would have liked that.

It’s amazing, too, how fresh Child and the series’ format seem to be. Back in 1985, releasing a “book” of six video cassettes with a 64-page recipe booklet seemed rather daring and expensive. Who would want six hours of videotape when a good cookbook could suffice? (Child’s masterful “The Way to Cook” cookbook did indeed cover much the same territory in 1989.)

Well, we know what the answer today would be.

This wasn’t fancy television. There was Julia in a studio kitchen with a camera operator and the ingredients for whatever dish she was making. Numbers displayed in the upper corner of the screen allowed viewers to fast-forward directly to the recipe they wanted to watch. That’s all that was needed, and it worked.

There is something of an of-the-moment feel to the segments, a quality one can find often today, with all those homegrown video clips on the Web where a man or a woman faces a camera and does his or her thing.

What also shines forth on these DVDs is Child’s practical approach to cooking, her belief that mastering one technique or one basic recipe would lead to other skills and other delectable dishes.