Lemon Butter Dipped Baby Vegetable Crudites Recipes

LEMON BUTTER-DIPPED BABY-VEGETABLE CRUDITES

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; season generously with kosher salt. Working in batches, cook green vegetables until just tender and bright green, 2 minutes for asparagus, 3 minutes for Romanesco and peas, and 1 minute for fiddleheads. Transfer to ice-water bath. Drain; pat thoroughly dry.
• Heat 6 tablespoons butter in a small bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water until almost melted but not quite translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in remaining 6 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is opaque. Whisk in lemon zest.
• Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Dip half of each cooked and raw vegetable in butter, letting excess drip off; transfer to baking sheets. Sprinkle with pink salt. (If butter becomes too thick, place over simmering water to gently reheat.) Refrigerate until butter hardens, at least 20 minutes or, loosely covered, up to 2 hours; serve cold.

CRUDITéS WITH LEMON-GARLIC AïOLI

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.

WINTER CRUDITéS

Steps:

• PLAN AHEAD
• If serving crudités at a party, plan on 1/8 to 1/4 pound of vegetables for each guest. The selection shown here is a suggestion; feel free to vary the vegetables as desired and by season. Some vegetables (celery and carrots) can be served raw; others should be steamed.
• Prepare to Steam
• Set a steamer basket (or a colander) in a Dutch oven (or a pot with a lid). Fill with enough salted water to come just below basket, and bring to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath; place a colander inside, over the ice. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
• steam vegetables
• Working with one kind at a time, steam vegetables, starting with the mildest-tasting and ending with the most pungent (this will keep potatoes, for example, from tasting like Brussels sprouts). Place vegetables in the basket; reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and steam as directed. Add water to pan as needed between batches to prevent scorching.
• cool and drain
• With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to the colander in the ice-water bath to stop cooking (add ice as needed after each batch). Once completely cooled, transfer vegetables to paper towels to drain. Pat dry.
• Store
• Vegetables can be prepared up to 3 days ahead; wrap each type of vegetable separately in paper towels, then plastic (so flavors don't mix), and refrigerate.
• Serve
• Arrange on a platter with dip alongside.
• Lemon-Thyme Dip
• In a bowl, stir to combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Dip can be refrigerated, covered tightly with plastic wrap, up to 3 days; transfer to a small dish and garnish with additional thyme just before serving.