Crabmeat Dip

Five ingredients. Twenty-five minutes. One completely empty chafing dish by the end of the night.

Cream cheese and a full stick of butter melt together in a double boiler into a velvety, luscious base. Stir in a pound of white crab meat, chopped onion, garlic powder, white pepper, and a dash of hot sauce, and you’ve got a warm dip that people will hover over like it’s their job.

Serve it in a chafing dish to keep it warm, and set out corn chips, crackers, or little pastry shells for scooping. Then step back and try to get some yourself before it disappears.

Kitchen Tips

• A double boiler keeps the cream cheese from scorching and breaking. If you don’t have one, a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water works just fine.
• Fold the crab meat in gently at the very end to keep the pieces intact. Big chunks of crab in the dip is half the appeal.
• This can be made ahead and reheated gently over low heat with a splash of milk to loosen it back up.