Cranberry, Caramelized Onion & Cheese Spread

For me, coming up with a delicious appetizer can be difficult, especially when that is the one thing you are in charge of bringing to a dinner.  There are times when I enjoy the appetizers more than the meal itself!  Digging into his binder of recipes that he collected, Nick pulled out a few appetizers that sounded yummy and would travel well.  Simple enough, right?  My go-to of nice cheeses just was not going to cut it.

Dip!

This was something we had to bring for a meal in the late fall, and we happened to have some cranberries on hand from our CSA in the freezer, so that made the decision for which appetizer to bring a little easier.  To begin, Nick caramelized some onions nice and slowly.  Caramelized onions done the right way always have such a lovely golden color - definitely not something you can rush.

Caramelizing Onions

Fresh Cranberries

After removing the onions from the pan, Nick sautéed the cranberries until they burst and got nice and mushy.

Sautéing...

Once the cranberries reached the right consistency, Nick added back the onions and and stirred the two together with a bit of balsamic vinegar.  Once mixed, he removed it from the heat and allowed it to cool in the frige until it was time to prep the dish.

Onions and Cranberries

In an effort to prep the dish, he placed a mixture of gorgonzola, cheddar and cream cheese in the bottom of a serving bowl and then poured the cranberry onion mix over top.

almost ready...

Finally, he topped it all off with some chopped walnuts.

Ready to bring along...

This appetizer can be served with anything from crackers to pieces of bread.  The cranberry color makes for a beautiful presentation that prevents it from being lost among the other dishes.

Delicious and simple, if you are looking for something a bit different, definitely worth a try!

What is your go-to appetizer?