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Go directly to "Delicious Dips," a new cookbook by food writer and cooking teacher Diane Morgan. It's her latest from Chronicle Books, $16.95.

More than 50 recipes made for the likes of pita chips, baked tortilla triangles and toasted pound-cake crisps -- the last for fondue -- are featured with delicious four-color photographs by Joyce Oudkerk Pool, whose credentials include "James McNair's New Pizza."

And there's not a package of dried onion soup mix in sight.

There are the classics, such as Baked Artichoke-Parmesan Dip, salmon dip -- Salmon-Chanted Evening, it's called -- Fresh Tomato Salsa, Guacamole with Roasted Anaheim Chiles and Lime, and Herbed Chickpea Dip.

Then there are the twists: Roasted Butternut Squash Dip with Creme Fraiche, Not Your Mother's Onion Dip, Dip Into India, and I Can't Believe It's Peanut Butter, an Asian melange of Skippy Super Chunk, fresh ginger, green onions, garlic, granulated sugar, crushed red pepper, soy sauce and dark sesame oil. Morgan writes that the peanut butter recipe is based on the traditional "peanut-butter-stuffed-celery theme" from her childhood.

Dips are hot and cold, savory and sweet. Developed for dessert are Cherry Garcia Takes a Dip, based on Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream; Caramel and Dark Rum Fondue, which includes dark chocolate; and Lime Mousse Dip, perfect for fresh fruit chunks.

Morgan devotes an entire chapter of the book to "Crudites, Chips, Crisps and Other Dippers," from the everyday to sublime. Home cooks can make their own plain or seasoned pita chips, grilled artisan bread for bruschetta, deep-fried won-ton crisps, bagel chips and Double-Chocolate Chunk Brownie Chips, a complement to Chocolate Mocha Mascarpone Dip.

With party folks in mind, Morgan also offers information about whether the recipes can be made in advance of an event, and how to store them and reheat, if necessary.

Morgan writes that this dip was inspired by making soup for an earlier book. "Cauliflower isn't an obvious vegetable to use for a dip, but wait till you taste this with the yogurt, spices and pretty flecks of parsley. Get ready for the compliments." She suggests crudites, pita chips, bagel chips, and fried or baked tortilla chips as dippers. The dip can be prepared as long as two days in advance of serving. Cover and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator 45 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature.

Dip Into India

• Water
• 1 head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), broken into florets, florets halved
• 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon pure olive oil
• 1 medium-size yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup packed, coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Dash freshly ground nutmeg
• Dash cayenne pepper
• Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Fill a 4-quart saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the cauliflower and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Partially cover the pan, adjust the heat so the water simmers, and cook the cauliflower until tender when pierced with a fork, for about 10 minutes. Drain completely and transfer to a bowl.

In a small saute pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent, for about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the sugar, and stir constantly until the curry is fragrant, for 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat.

Using a fork, mash the cauliflower into very small pieces. Add the onion mixture and stir to combine.

Using a rubber spatula, stir in the yogurt, sour cream, parsley, nutmeg, cayenne and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

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