Labor Day Dip Recipes

This caramelized onion dip is delicious served alongside some pita chips and is an ideal party dish.

Flatbush Farm feels like a cross between a French bistro, an English pub and a Brooklyn neighborhood joint, and the bar menu includes corresponding comfort foods. One is this all-American, over-the-top, cheese-smothered dip.

If you can't find cotija cheese, try its slightly softer sister cheese, queso fresco.

F&W's Justin Chapple uses frozen sweet corn from Gill's Farm in Hurley, New York, to create this cheesy, slightly spicy dip.

In this lightened version of guacamole, tomatillo puree replaces some of the rich avocado, adding a bit of sweetness and tang; roasted poblano contributes a little heat. Stretching the recipe with roasted peppers, cherry or grape tomatoes, or diced jicama, mango or papaya would lighten it even more. This dip deserves the best homemade, oven-baked tortilla chips: Cut stacked corn tortillas into wedges, spray or brush them lightly with oil, then bake at 375? until curled and crisp.

For his take on the ubiquitous dip, Istanbul's star chef Mehmet Gurs uses earthy green lentils instead of chickpeas but stirs in a little of hummus's classic ingredient--tahini--for nuttiness. He also likes to flavor his hummus with spices, like cinnamon, or in this case, cumin.

For a new twist on the usual hummus or guacamole, try this delicious mash-up of the two. It's great with crudites, crackers and corn chips, or as a sandwich spread.

This smoky, salty guacamole is a great game-day dip--but you might want to double it if you're having friends over. Anything with bacon tends to disappear quickly.

Chef Michael White's version of the classic cheesy, warm dip makes great use of frozen artichokes. They're simmered with garlic and wine, then mixed with cream cheese, Gruyere and Tabasco and baked with a panko bread-crumb topping.

Hummus can do more than cling to a carrot stick. Grace Parisi's sublime version adds nutty flavor to potato salad, eggs and soup.

This healthy, fast and supertasty version of a classic ranch dip features kale, labneh and buttermilk.