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📍 Introduction:
What is crudité? It’s an assortment of beautifully cut vegetables & a dip or sauce to pair them with. A few reasons why crudité is fab:
* One beautiful platter can replace the need to make multiple appetizers
* Healthy (so many raw veggies!)
* Stores easily (can keep components in jars or Tupperware for up to a week)
* Crowd pleaser - kids, vegetarians, health nuts all love it
* An ideal way to practice your knife skills 💪🔪
* Great for hosting - can prepare ahead
* Ideal for a pre-dinner snack - filling, nutritious, healthy
* Pretty! Nothing like a big platter of different colored veggies
* Easy to save leftovers for later & spruce up with a few additions
* Can be dressed up or down (e.g., as simple as cut carrots & celery, or as decadent as adding fried zucchini, nuts, cheese, crackers, olives, TBD!)
* “Is a blank canvas for creativity - or leftovers” - use up whatever you have - jams, cheese, meats, olives
* Leftover crudites (which often include items like carrots, celery and peppers) can easily be diced up and incorporated into a soup
✅ Instructions:
* Wash & prep lots of veggies
* Add a creamy dip or dressing
* Add something salty (optional)
* Add something sweet (optional)
✨ Variations/Inspiration
* Crunchy veggies: carrots, cucumber, snap peas, celery, radish
* Soft vegetables: tomatoes, olives, green beans, squash, zucchini, asparagus, endive, bell peppers
* Creamy dip: hummus, white bean, baba ganoush, pico de gallo, guacamole, mango salsa, spinach artichoke, ranch, cheese spread
* Dressings: vinaigrette, green goddess, balsamic
* Cooked vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli
* Salty: cheese (e.g., feta, cheddar, brie), olives
* Sweet: fruit (e.g., apples & grapes), dried fruit (e.g., apricots, sun-dried tomatoes), baguette
* Other: nuts, diced or sliced salumi
📝 Notes, Tips & Tricks:
* Pronounced “crew-dee-tay” in French
* While a “proper” crudité tray only contains raw vegetables, it’s okay to steam or blanch the tough ones for some variety.
* Since this is a simple dish, presentation is important. Consider contrasting colors and textures as you arrange.
* For cooked veggies, you want to make sure they aren’t soggy. We recommend steaming them or blanching (see the lesson on blanching & shocking in “How to Boil Water”)
* Store leftover crudité in the fridge - either submerged in water or wrapped in a damp paper towel/napkin inside a plastic bag
🎓 Further Study:
* 16 Drop-Dead Gorgeous Crudités Platters
* Platters and Boards: Beautiful, Casual Spreads for Every Occasion
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