Summer Entertaining: Creamed Macadamia Dip With Crispy Sage

First of all, this dip is so easy I can't believe that I haven't made it before. A simple whizzing of ingredients is all that is needed to produce a wonderfully creamy, nutty dip. A little warning though: make double because this dip disappears quickly!

It was inspired by a dip I had at a restaurant called Banksii. Mine is quite different and I'm sure theirs has a hundred more steps but I don't have the time or energy with Christmas looming so close. And don't worry there is no deep frying here of the sage! That's the last thing we need in this summer heat.

This is the kind of dip that you don't actually know only has a few ingredients. It also uses Australian macadamias which makes this a nice dish to serve. I served some to friends that were visiting from overseas and they loved it because macadamias tend to be hard to find in their country. They took the recipe plus some macadamias to recreate it at home.

Speaking of travelling, I recently came back from Italy where I saw a cute sign at the airport. Instead of an "express parking" sign where you can only stay for 10 minutes to drop someone off they called it the "Kiss and Fly" which sounded much cuter and a nicer way to phrase it. And my driver, a lovely man indeed did kiss me goodbye on both cheeks as I left!

So tell me Dear Reader, have you tried anything like this dip before? And do you greet and farewell people with kisses, hugs or handshakes?

Creamed Macadamia Dip With Crispy Sage

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 5-8 minutes

• 5 sage leaves
• Olive oil spray
• 200g/7ozs. macadamias, raw
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2 - 2/3 cup water
• 4 tablespoons lemon olive oil (you can also use fresh lemon juice)
• Baguette, sliced very thinly

Step 1 - First make the crispy sage. Place the leaves on a baking tray and spray with olive oil spray and bake in a 200C/400F for 5-8 minutes. You can do make the baguette toasts the same way at the same time.

Step 2 - Using a high speed blender (I used my Oster Versa blender, you can do this in a non high speed one but it may not quite as smooth), blend the macadamias, garlic, water and lemon olive oil for a few minutes until smooth in texture. Spread on a serving plate and scatter crispy sage leaves on top. Serve with baguette toasts.

Plate and teatowel from Etsy