Easy Baked Crab and Artichoke Dip

( you can see all sorts of stuff going on in here, and you can't wait to eat it! )

During the New Year’s sales at our local Shaws we bought two cans of fancy crab meat, which were on sale for almost 50% off. These are the ones that are packed fresh, must be refrigerated and don’t have a long shelf life. We used the first one at our New Year’s brunch and crab cakes the next week, but the second can’s time was counting down. What to make?

I know. A baked crab and artichoke dip! The recipe below is adapted from several past experiences, both versions we have made and those friends have shared with us. It is really easy and can be ready in a little over 30 minutes.

Easy Baked Crab & Artichoke Dip

1 - 16 oz can fancy crab meat
8 oz of artichoke hearts, chopped
1 package 1/3 reduced fat Philly cream cheese, softened at room temperature
½ cup regular mayonnaise
½ cup fat free mayonnaise
¾ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
4 green onions, sliced (white and light green part only)
1 tsp garlic paste
1/8 tsp smoked paprika

( these were screaming for a close up! )

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whip the cream cheese, garlic paste and mayonnaises together. Add the rest of the ingredients and spread into a glass baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until bubbly.

Serve with pita chips, crusty bread or whole wheat crackers. This dip freezes and reheats very well.

We enjoyed the dip for lunch yesterday and with that meal happened upon a great pairing with one of our homemade wines. Margot made a wine from the Symphony grape in early 2010. The wine was tasting very well a few months later and we have shared it with friends several times. We opened a bottle this week and found the fruit was popping with intense flavors of peach. The wine is crisp with a shortish finish, a good all around drinker.

We added a small handful of oak chips to this wine for 3 days during its clarification phase. The effect was to create a slight smoky underpinning. Our initial impression was that it tasted like grilled peaches. This is still present, but has mellowed to just the right place. The creaminess and mix of flavors in the dip went together with the wine perfectly. I’m sure both of us could have eaten all the dip and drank all the wine in one sitting if we hadn’t had other things to go and do!

Cheers!

--Jason

Crab Dip