This is my favorite holiday appetizer.  The cranberries are so very festive and combined with the blue cheese mixture it’s slightly sweet, tart and tangy.  It hits my taste buds in all the right places. But be warned it does have blue cheese, and there tend to be some people with a hatred for blue cheese.  I should know I use to be one of them, but this recipe has turned me around to really loving blue cheese.  Try it for your next holiday party.

Ingredients: 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened, 4-ounce package crumbled blue cheese, room temperature, 1 cup (4 ounces) finely shredded Cheddar cheese, room temperature, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, 1 medium sweet onion, sliced, quartered, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 cup Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

To start dice your onion

and add oil to the skillet over medium high heat

soften the onions for a few minutes

and then add sugar, mix well, and then let continue cooking to caramelize the onions, lower the heat slightly and stir every few minutes, will take about 10 minutes

While the onions are caramelizing,

start on the cheese spread, in your mixer of by hand (if you want a work out)

add a block of cream cheese

crumble in the blue cheese

then beat until smooth

then add in the shredded cheese and beat until incorporated

Be sure to scrape the sides down

then layer the cheese mixture into a serving dish and refrigerate for at least 1 hour

Once the onions have caramelized, remove them from the skillet and set aside

In the same skillet add the cranberries

and sugar

and water, stir until sugar has dissolved

turn the heat up to about medium and wait for the cranberries to pop open and soften about 5-6 minutes

once the mixture has thickened add the balsamic vinegar

and the onions back in

stir well and let cool

when your ready to serve just spoon the cranberries on top of the cheese mixture

and go ahead and try some

no one will ever know!

Print This Recipe

Cranberry Caramelized Onion Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 4-ounce package crumbled blue cheese, room temperature

1 cup (4 ounces) finely shredded Cheddar cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 medium sweet onion, sliced, quartered

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

Combine cream cheese and blue cheese in a medium mixing bowl; beat with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add Cheddar cheese; beat until well blended. Spread in shallow serving bowl. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir 2 to 4 minutes or until tender. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in 1 teaspoon sugar. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until onion is soft and golden, stirring occasionally. Remove onion from skillet; set aside,

In same skillet, combine cranberries, remaining sugar and water. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until cranberries pop and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar and onions. Cool slightly.

To serve, bring cheese spread to room temperature. Spoon cranberry mixture over cheese spread; sprinkle on pecans. Serve with assorted crackers.

listed @ Eat at Home

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32 Responses

  1. OMG you had me at blue cheese! 😉

    This looks fantastic. We have my family over Christmas afternoon and I need a new festive appetizer. This may be IT!

  2. two of my favorite ingredients, cranberrries and carmelized onions. I’m going to bookmark this one and try it for new years eve. We always have clam chowder and shrimp. I love to serve crackers and cheese too so this will be perfect.

  3. I love anything with blue cheese in it…the carmelized onions are just icing on the cake! This looks SO good!

    I was wondering where you were since I usually come to your blog via the link in my blogroll and I hadn’t seen an update! I love your new digs!

    PS – I updated your link in my blogroll. Whew….thought I lost you for a minute, there!

  4. Hey babe just was looking at your new blog and it looks great keep up the good work and I Love U very much and remember to kiss the boys for me. Got to go marathon pipeline needs me to inject more product down the system so we can finish and come home love u.
    DT

  5. Nice pictures! This recipe sounds interesting. I’m not fond of blue cheese either, but I may actually attempt this. I love to try new flavors.

  6. You had me at hello (tee-hee). Seriously though, you caught my attention as soon as I read the title of this recipe. Sounds divine and I plan to serve it to dinner guests tomorrow!

    Thanks so much for sharing it. Have a great weekend!

    🙂
    ButterYum

  7. How unique! Sounds delicious!

    Hope to see you December 14-18 for the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash! We’ll have events all week, including a recipe linky on Thursday, Dec. 17. And we’ll have prizes too! Check out my blog for more details!

  8. Love this dip/s[read recipe. Looks sooo yummy! My sisters and I just started our first themed blog hop over at http://everydaysisters.blogspot.com every Sunday!. This weeks theme is appetizers. We would love for you to come over and share these or any of your favorite appetizer recipes with our blog readers. Have a great weekend.
    Nanci

  9. Just found your blog thru “eat at home” – of course fresh canberries and making your own sauce is the best, but have you ever used the wholeberry sauce and “doctored” it up?

  10. Kelly, Hi and welcome, I bet using the wholeberry sauce would be an excellent choice, I would still cook it the same way as the fresh. This is my hands down favorite app for the fall!

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