Have you ever heard the name of a dish and you just knew that it would be wonderful? That’s how I feel about this little creation. Cranberry Salsa dip. The name, alone, makes me all twitterpated.
Of course I picked up this recipe from someone at work, Sarah. That woman is a great recipe resource. Serve this with tortilla chips, crackers, veggies, or a spoon. I mean, really, when you come right down to it, chips or crackers only serve as a platform for the dip anyway, right? So just cut to the chase, save a few calories and offer some disposable spoons to your guests. They can shovel in the dip to their heart’s content.
This recipe makes enough to cover 2 (8 ounce) blocks of cream cheese, which initially seems like a lot. However, I was surprised at how fast just half of this recipe disappeared. It is sort of addicting once you start eating it.
Important Note–this dip needs at least 4 hours for the flavors to blend. It is bitter when it is first made, but tastes completely different after it has had a chance to sit for a while. It keeps well for several days, so it is a great addition to your “plan ahead” holiday party menu.
7/21/11—And one more thing: You might want to give this little number a try, too. Minted Blueberry Salsa.
Cranberry Salsa Dip
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
- 1/2-3/4 cup sugar
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced with some of the green tops included
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro, to taste
- sprinkle of salt
- 2 8 ounce blocks cream cheese, softened
Instructions
- Wash and pick through fresh cranberries. Discard any soft or wrinkled cranberries.
- Put cranberries, sugar, green onions, jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are a medium coarse consistency.
- Put in a bowl, cover and let season for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.
- Spread softened cream cheese on a serving plate. (I divided the cream cheese between two plates.)
- Spread salsa over the cream cheese. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Important Note: This dip needs at least 4 hours of chilling time for the flavors to blend. It is bitter when it is first made, but tastes completely different after the flavors have married.
- This dip keeps very well for several days in the refrigeratorr, so it is great for planning ahead.
You may also like:
Minted Blueberry Salsa
Restaurant-style Homemade Salsa
Savory Baked Salsa Cheesecake
Jeff says to tell you that you ought to know better. Cuisine is all about the interplay of textures, contrasting crisp and dry with soft and moist and…I stopped listening. By the way, have you been to bbcgoodfood.com? I’m a new fan. We just made this soup for dinner: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4886/broccoli-and-blue-cheese-soup.
We added it to the menu of our fictitious future restaurant and decided it would be a good first course to a fancy dinner, served with some nice crusty bread.
Tell Jeff I said blah, blah, blah. AND, what was the interplay of crisp, dry, soft, and moist with that ever so intriguing black beans and rice that he “made”? I believe he called it mortar.
Thanks for the website. I haven’t been there yet, but me thinks t’would be grand. Broccoli and blue-cheese soup–definitely on my to-do list.
A friend found this recipe here, gave it to me to make for her Christmas party….it was a tremendous hit!…..everyone love it and wanted the recipe. At first I wasn’t sure about not cooking the cranberries….the whole recipe was one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made, no cooking, simple ingredients and absolutely delicious!! Another great recipe to add to my appetizer repertoire!…Thanks so much!
Sultana, I wondered about not cooking the cranberries, too, when I first made this recipe. I didn’t see how things were possibly going to work with raw cranberries, but amazingly they did!
I’m glad that the recipe worked for you and that it was a success at the party.
I’ve made this recipe several times over the last few years. I now have a blog and I’ve just posted it there with a couple modifications I’ve come up with over making it several times. It’s always a hit! I just absolutely love how seasonal it looks and how easy it is to throw together. Thanks for the original inspiration.
Hi Nicola. You are welcome for the inspiration. I like your changes and your photos look so festive! ~Terri