As always, I’m in charge of appetizers for Thanksgiving and, as always, I make something(s) new and a backup. This year, the backup was shrimp cocktail with lemon caper aioli. It’s great for Thanksgiving because it’s nice and light before diving headfirst into a tryptophan hot tub.
For my new app, I decided to make hot reuben dip. I didn’t really grow up with reubens – or even corned beef, for that matter – but at my wedding, the club let us know that one of the best passed hors d’oeuvres they make is a mini open faced reuben. I tasted it and said “who knew?! I LOVE reubens!”…to which everyone pretty much responded “yeaaa this creamy cheesy delicious bit is nothing like a real reuben.” It was amazing, but not exactly “true deli.” This dip is kinda like that.
I followed this recipe pretty much exactly and it was easy as can be. You’re basically combining chopped corned beef, swiss cheese, cream cheese, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, and caraway seeds together, baking, and topping with chives. Then you dip rye bread toast points in it.
The only things I changed up were omitting the bread crumb topping (it takes time, dirties a pan, and is totally unnecessary) and using roasted garlic flavored sauerkraut. I used this brand that I’ve seen bloggers devouring but have been unable to find in NYC. In lil ole Savannah, however, there it was. I like the flavor, size of the shreds, and crispiness of this sauerkraut more than others I’ve tried. Also, it doesn’t seem like an insurmountable amount to go through before it goes bad.
Turns out, this dip is a successful reproduction of the Golf Club’s version, just with the bread scooping out the dip, rather than baking the dip right on top of toast rounds. The crowd loved it and I can personally attest that the little we had leftover reheated really well. It’s cheesy. It’s delicious. It’s easy. It’s a must for your next gathering.
Peaches to Apples 