Artichokes with Lemon Balsamic Dipping Sauce

Artichokes...most of us have had them in dips, out of jar on salads or walked past them in the grocery store completely intimidated by the look of them. I know, because I'm all of the above. So this past month, I challenged myself to actually make an artichoke. I had one left over from an Olive Oil Tasting 101 class - because I wanted to demonstrate/compare the green flavor of one of our olive oils to the essence of the artichoke - and thought okay, now is my chance to overcome my reluctance to working with this item.
So I looked up basic cooking techniques for making an artichoke and found out it can really be as easy as giving the artichoke a quick trim/peel and boiling a pot of water with a bayleaf, clove of garlic and slice of lemon.
Then the question became what do I serve with it? Artichokes are creamy by themselves, but not very big in the flavor department. They lend themselves to dips and sauces pretty conveniently. So I started to experiment. What I came up with was a Sicilian Lemon Balsamic Mayonnaise. The richness of the mayo mixed with the acid and sweetness of the balsamic balances perfectly with the creaminess of the artichoke. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the dip is done.
Recipe for the dip:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Sicilian Lemon Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt
pinch of black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar into the mayo, fold in the salt and pepper. Serve with the steamed artichokes.
Makes enough dip for about 2 full sized artichokes. Can be served as an appetizer or as an entree.