Blanched Crudites Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare a large pot of boiling salted water, and fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Remove the tough bottoms of the asparagus stalks. If they are thick, peel the stems half-way up the stalk.
• Add the carrots to the pot of boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Immediately remove the carrots with a slotted spoon and plunge them in the bowl of ice water. Drain the carrots when fully cooled.
• Add the asparagus to the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Immediately remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon and plunge them into the reserved bowl of ice water. Drain the asparagus when fully cooled.
• Slice the radicchio into wedges.
• Arrange the carrots, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and radicchio on a platter and serve with the Herb Dip.
• Place the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, scallions, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and blend. Serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• 1. Mix all the aïoli ingredients in a large bowl and season to taste. The aïoli will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
• 2. Rub a little lemon on the mushrooms to prevent them from turning brown.
• 3. You can make the platter up to a day ahead and store the vegetables in separate Ziploc bags. It's best to blanch the vegetables the morning of the party. (You can blanch the asparagus in boiling water with a teaspoon of baking soda, secured with a rubber band, for 30 seconds. Place the spears in an ice bath and drain-don't leave them in the ice bath or they'll get soggy.) Repeat with the zucchini, blanching it whole, cutting it on an angle to the desired thickness.
• 4. Arrange the veggies on a platter with a bowl of aïoli and scatter the herbs on top if you like.

Steps:

• Equipment:cutting boardpeelerspoonchef's knife, 8-inchserving plateArrange the carrot, celery, cucumber, and bell pepper in a circle on a serving plate and put the broccoli florets and cherry tomatoes in the center. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, Crudités will keep for 3 days.Crudités with Blanched Vegetables: Tougher vegetables, such as broccoli, are easier for some people to digest when lightly blanched. To blanch the broccoli, put 4 cups of water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn off the heat. Add the broccoli and let sit for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse the broccoli with cold water to stop the cooking. Other vegetables that can be blanched prior to serving as crudités include asparagus, cauliflower, and green beans.