Hot Cheese Dip
This recipe started at school—I'm a teacher, and when a colleague brought Hot Cheese Dip to our regular staff potluck, I immediately gave it an A+. Cooking, baking, and collecting recipe books are among my favorite hobbies. Best of all, though, I enjoy time with my husband and our daughter.
This recipe started at school—I'm a teacher, and when a colleague brought Hot Cheese Dip to our regular staff potluck, I immediately gave it an A+. Cooking, baking, and collecting recipe books are among my favorite hobbies. Best of all, though, I enjoy time with my husband and our daughter.
- Carbohydrate 3.0221680120186 g
- Cholesterol 25.4725000059175 mg
- Fat 13.1975889578769 g
- Fiber 0.267840321614339 g
- Protein 5.80842276117466 g
- Saturated Fat 4.81612964529018 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (54g)
- Sodium 349.714767939889 mg
- Sugar 2.75432769040426 g
- Trans Fat 6.03016661416675 g
- Calories 154 calories
Step-by-step
- In a shallow baking dish or pie plate, combine all the first six ingredients.
- Top mixture with pepperoni and olives.
- Bake at 325° about 25 minutes or until bubbly.
- Serve with rye chips, crackers of choice or assorted fresh vegetables.
Many cooks err by introducing high heat directly to mature cheeses, causing the milk solids to break away from the butterfat and leaving an oily slick across the surface. Preventing this requires an emulsion buffer. Mayonnaise acts as that crucial stabilizer here, utilizing egg yolk lecithin and vinegar to bond the heavy fats of cheddar and mozzarella together under thermal stress. Baking this mixture at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 25 minutes allows the proteins to coagulate slowly, creating a firm yet molten matrix rather than a greasy puddle. Mincing the onion finely ensures that moisture releases evenly throughout the pan, preventing pockets of steam from forming while the cheese melts. As the mozzarella provides a stretchy network of casein proteins, the sharper cheddar contributes aged flavor compounds that offset the rich mayonnaise base. Pepperoni and olives placed on top contribute saline cured oils that render downward into the bubbling cheese layer during baking. Doubling this mixture requires increasing the baking dish surface area rather than depth to maintain the exact 25-minute thermal penetration window, while halving it demands monitoring the edges closely to prevent scorching.
