I know this isn’t much of a recipe, but crudités are actually a surprisingly important part of a meal — especially if you’re serving little finger foods to munch on before Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, I have a few thoughts for you to keep in mind.
First, color is key. Choose a variety of different veggies in bright, vibrant colors — red and yellow peppers, orange carrots, green broccoli and asparagus. I seriously detest celery, so it never shows up on a platter when I’m hosting (supermarkets always include it in their pre-made selections because it’s cheap, at least that’s my guess). I added some cut cheese and spicy smoked chorizo, and served all of it with hummus and homemade butternut squash dip (recipe to come!) — absolutely delicious.
Second, make sure to blanch any veggies that aren’t at their best raw — broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, and even carrots will be prettier and more delicious after a minute or so in boiling water.
Last, I like to sprinkle a little sea salt over the veggies — sometimes plain vegetables can be a little bitter, and the tiniest bit of salt really helps. Prepare them this well and you may not even need dip to go with them!
7 responses so far ↓
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2 Sara // Nov 14, 2010 at 6:09 am
Finger foods are my favorite foods! And I’m pretty much on the edge of my seat waiting for that butternut squash dip recipe!
3 Katya // Nov 14, 2010 at 7:07 am
This is so unexpected but great! thanks
Style Defined NYC Pixie Warhol
4 Joanne // Nov 14, 2010 at 11:40 am
I’m glad to hear you’re a fellow celery detester. I absolutely hate the stuff! But I do love a really colorful platter. Great tips.
5 Nicolette // Nov 14, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Looks great! Cooking with color is the best, and sometimes easiest. When I make lunch sometimes I think about the colors to make it complete, plus you really don’t need many ingredients which I love. Hope you had a great weekend!
xo,
nicolette
6 Melanie's Randomness // Nov 15, 2010 at 8:10 am
Ooo we always have a plate of finger foods at the holidays. I love the colors of peppers so we always have all of them!
Melanie’s Randomness
7 Gwen // Nov 21, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Never thought of blanching the veggies, but I will for my friend’s upcoming bridal shower. Thanks! Can’t wait for the butternut squash dip, either.
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