Chippin’ and Dippin’

Claudia McQuillan started giving parties when she was in sixth grade. By the time she was in her 20s, she’d progressed from tea parties to 12-course dinners.

Then she discovered the simple pleasures of the chip-and-dip party.

McQuillan found that the more time she spent in the food industry--she works as a food consultant and is involved in a high-end takeout project--the less time she had to entertain friends. Chips and dips helped save her social life.

“I love to see my friends,” she says, “but I can’t do big parties anymore.”

So she does small parties instead. She sets out chips, dips and drinks and is done with it. Often, her friends will add their own chip-dip contributions.

“Everybody chips in,” McQuillan says without a suspicion of irony.

Of course, McQuillan can’t suppress her overachieving party host spirit. She long ago learned that chips and dip can mean more than onion soup mix dip and a bag of Ruffles.

Her parents raised her to be an adventurous eater, which means she grew up eating many kinds of ethnic food and knows that the world is filled with amazing dips and chips--Italy’s bagna cauda, for instance, for which fresh vegetables get dipped into warm, garlicky oil. Other obvious non-Lipton combinations: hummus and toasted pita bread, spicy salsas and homemade corn chips.

Inevitably, McQuillan accumulated enough chip-and-dip ideas to fill a book. And that’s exactly what she’s done. In “Chips and Dips” (Chronicle, $14.95), McQuillan shows that party food can be easy on the host without being a bore.

Recently, McQuillan threw an afternoon chip-and-dip bash at the Los Angeles home of her friend Jason Asch to prove her point.

She set out fresh vegetables for dipping along with toasted lemon-thyme pita pieces and chips made of beets, sweet potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables, including good old potatoes.

Among the dips was one based on classic lobster thermidor. Others showed that even familiar dips can be improved. Her guacamole gets a slug of an~ejo (aged) tequila--the smoother, unfortunately more expensive brands work best, she says.

And consider her onion dip. It calls for four members of the onion family (sweet Vidalia onions, leeks, shallots and green onions), cayenne, garlic and, of course, sour cream. “We all grew up believing that the way you made onion dip is with onion soup mix and sour cream,” McQuillan says. “But to get a dip that really tastes like onions, you need to use real onions.”

CHUNKY GUACAMOLE (IT’S A SNAP)

4 large ripe Haas avocados

1/4 brown onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 green onions, green part only, thinly sliced

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 teaspoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon anejo tequila

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Cut each avocado in half, peel and pit, reserving 2 pits. Place avocado flesh in mixing bowl and mash with fork or potato masher until chunky. Add onion, garlic, lime juice, green onions, tomatoes, cilantro and tequila and stir gently to mix. Add salt and hot pepper sauce. Taste and add more salt and hot pepper sauce if desired.

Transfer guacamole to serving bowl and bury two reserved avocado pits in guacamole to keep it from turning brown. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing against surface of guacamole, and refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

About 3 cups. Each 1/4-cup serving:

109 calories; 205 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 1.31 grams fiber.

LEMON-THYME PITA CHIPS (IT’S A SNAP)

4 plain pitas

5 tablespoons butter, melted, or olive oil

1 tablespoon minced lemon peel

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Split each pita in half crosswise to make 2 rounds.

Combine butter, lemon peel and juice, thyme, sea salt and pepper in small bowl. Brush mixture on each round and cut each into 8 wedges.

Place in single layer on 2 baking sheets lined with baking parchment. Bake at 325 degrees until crisp and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm or let cool completely and store in airtight container.

8 servings. Each serving:

145 calories; 297 mg sodium; 19 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.10 gram fiber.

CLAM DIP (IT’S A SNAP)

4 cups chopped canned clams

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup minced parsley

2 shallots, minced

3 tablespoons minced chives

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Pinch cayenne pepper

Sea salt

Thoroughly rinse clams in colander under cold water. Allow clams to drain in colander 10 minutes, pressing with back of large spoon to extract excess water.

Blend together cream cheese and sour cream in large bowl. Stir in parsley, shallots, chives, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne. Fold in clams and taste. Season with salt and more lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne as needed.

Transfer to serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow flavors to develop.

About 4 cups. Each 1/4-cup serving:

159 calories; 123 mg sodium; 52 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams protein; 0.08 grams fiber;

LAYERED GUACAMOLE DIP (IT’S A SNAP)

Chunky Guacamole

1 1/2 cups shredded Jack cheese

2 cups sour cream

4 tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced ripe olives

Spread 1 cup Chunky Guacamole in bottom of shallow 10-inch bowl. Top with 1 cup Jack cheese. Spread 1 cup sour cream over cheese. Cover with half (about 1 cup) remaining guacamole. Sprinkle with half of tomatoes and add layer of Cheddar cheese. Top with remaining tomatoes, 1 cup guacamole, 1 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup Jack cheese. Sprinkle olives over top.

About 7 cups. Each 1/4-cup serving:

127 calories; 174 mg sodium; 17 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.71 gram fiber.

FOUR-ONION DIP

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 Vidalia, Maui or Texas 10/15 onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 leek, white part only, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

6 shallots, minced

6 to 8 green onions, thinly sliced

12 cloves (about 1 head) roasted garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 tablespoon minced parsley

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, leek, shallots and green onions and cook, stirring often, 15 minutes. Add roasted garlic, cayenne, salt and Sherry vinegar. Reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to bowl and cool completely.

Combine cooled onion mixture with sour cream, chives and parsley. Taste and add more salt and cayenne if desired.

Transfer to serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

About 2 cups. Each 1/4-cup serving:

147 calories; 145 mg sodium; 13 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.64 gram fiber.

LOBSTER THERMIDOR DIP

2 cups cooked fresh lobster meat, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 shallot, minced

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons dry Sherry

2 tablespoons dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth

2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Sea salt

White pepper

2 tablespoons sliced black olives

Check lobster meat and remove and discard any shells and cartilage.

Melt butter in nonreactive skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and saute 1 minute. Whisk in flour. Add Sherry, white wine and chicken broth. Cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in lobster meat, 1/3 cup cheese, parsley, cream and mustard. Cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Pour lobster mixture into shallow baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over dip and broil until cheese is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Transfer to chafing dish. Garnish with sliced black olives.

About 4 cups. Each 1/4-cup serving:

133 calories; 292 mg sodium; 45 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

ROOT VEGETABLE CHIPS

2 pounds trimmed root vegetables, such as carrots, beets, rutabagas, Jerusalem artichokes, sweet potatoes, taro root, turnips and yucca root

2 quarts safflower or sunflower oil

Sea salt

Peel vegetables if necessary and thinly slice with sharp knife, mandoline or V slicer or food processor fitted with slicing disk.

Pour oil 4 to 5 inches deep in electric fryer, deep fryer or deep, heavy pot. (Note: Oil should not come more than halfway up side of fryer.) Heat oil to 375 degrees on deep-fat thermometer.

Fry each vegetable separately in small batches, turning slices often with slotted spoon, until crisp and tender. For carrots, about 2 minutes; for beets, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes; for rutabagas, sweet potatoes, taro root and yucca root, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes; turnips about 1 1/2 minutes; and Jerusalem artichokes, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. (Note: Jerusalem artichokes turn brown very quickly so cook immediately after slicing.) Between batches, bring oil back to 375 degrees.

Transfer fried chips with slotted spoon to paper towels and allow to drain thoroughly. Season to taste with salt. Serve warm or let cool completely and store in airtight container.

6 to 8 servings beet chips. Each of 8 servings:

119 calories; 803 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.85 gram fiber.

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Chip Tips

Here are a few tricks to making great root vegetable chips (Recipe, H10):

*Cook each vegetable separately; different vegetables cook at different rates.

*Don’t slice the vegetables too far in advance. Otherwise, they may oxidize and blacken.

*If the sliced vegetables develop beads of moisture, place them between layers of paper towels for 5 minutes to absorb the liquid.

--From “Chips and Dips” by Claudia McQuillan