Dip Squared
When I sat down to think about a tasty recipe to suggest for your Fourth of July get-togethers, I was definitely leaning towards pie. After all, a friend of mine had just dropped off a significant amount of rhubarb from his Garden That Overfloweth. And, I had pie on the brain.

But, then I got to thinking that pie would be the easy route. Everyone does pie for the Fourth. Who cares about another cherry pie, ya know?

So, I turned to the realm of appetizers. I attended a party over the weekend where I ate my weight in spinach dip so I figured that might be a good way to go. (Though I don’t recommend eating that much spinach dip—no matter how good it is…)

But then, the fates shown down upon me (Shown? Shined?…I have dip brain.) The only thing I love more than a good spinach dip is a good artichoke dip. And this one comes in pie form. You read that correctly. Pie form. I know! Mind blown…

While thumbing through one of my pie cookbooks, Pie Squared by Cathy Barrow, I found this amazing-looking Artichoke Dip Slab Pie that you can cut up into little pieces for bite-sized noshing while waiting for the hot dogs and hamburgers to finish on the grill. Or you can go with bigger slices for the vegetarians in the group…

Artichoke Dip Slab Pie Recipe
Adapted from Pie Squared by Cathy Barrow
Yields 24 small servings

In this recipe, our favorite artichoke is dip nestled in a delicious cream cheese pie crust. The filling is easy to prepare and completely vegetarian. The cream cheese dough is sturdy enough to hold the filling, but still flaky and tasty. Be certain to select artichokes that are packed in water, not marinated or in a vinegar brine.

Do Ahead: Combine the filling ingredients up to one day ahead.

Note: The crust needs about 4 hours to set up in the fridge before assembling the pie.

Ingredients
For the cream cheese crust
2-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and frozen for 20 minutes
8 tablespoons cream cheese, cubed and refrigerated for 20 minutes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup ice water

For the filling
2 14-ounce cans of artichoke hearts in water, drained
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup snipped fresh chives
2 garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold water
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F and place a baking stone, baking steel, or inverted baking sheet on the center rack.

Make the crust
In the food processor, pulse the flour, butter, cream cheese, and salt until it is in small pieces (about 15 times). Add the water all at once and process until the mixture almost forms a ball.

Form the dough into a 6 x 4-inch rectangle using plastic wrap and a bench scraper to firmly press the dough into a cohesive shape. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm slightly. Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other.

Roll out the crust
Roll out the larger piece to 11 x 15 inches and place in the slab pie pan, pressing it into the corners of the pan and allowing the excess to drape over the sides. Refrigerate.

Roll out the second piece of dough to 10 x 14 inches, place it on a lightly floured sheet of parchment, and refrigerate.

For the filling
Prep the veggies
Chop the artichokes into small pieces, pressing the liquid out as you go. The drier the artichokes, the better the texture and flavor of the filling. Chop the flat-leaf parsley, snip the chives, and grate or mince the garlic.

Mix the ingredients
Combine the artichokes, mayonnaise, 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, parsley, chives, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper.

Assemble the pie
Scoop the filling into the chilled bottom crust and spread the filling evenly.

Cut lattice strips from the chilled top crust. Create a lattice across the top of the pie. For a great lattice pie-making tutorial, check out this America’s Test Kitchen video. The lattice instructions start just after 2 minutes.) Alternatively, you can make a simpler cut-out top pie crust as shown in this same video.

Combine the egg yolk and water in a small bowl. Dip a pastry brush into the egg wash and lightly glaze the lattice. Scatter the 3 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano over the surface of the pie.

Bake the pie
Slide the pie into the oven (on top of the steel, stone, or baking sheet, if using) and bake until the filling is bubbly (about 45 to 50 minutes). Cool slightly before serving.