Bunny Bread Crudité Platter Recipes

BUNNY BREAD CRUDITé PLATTER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350° F.
• Use one of the dough balls to form the body and the head of the bunny. Make one piece larger and slightly oval for the body and one round for the head. Place on a greased baking pan.
• Divide the other ball in half. Use one half to create balls to form the hands, the feet, the cheeks and the nose. Use the other half to make two ears.
• To make the ears simply divide the dough into two pieces and roll them slightly in your hands to form a tube. Shape them and press them into the head to give the appearance of floppy ears.
• Brush egg all over dough.
• Add the raisins as eyes and place the sliced almonds into the dough on the face to look like teeth.
• Let dough rise for about 20 minutes before baking.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until bread is golden brown. Remove from oven; cool.
• Place bread on a platter lined with lettuce. Cut a bowl in the belly of the bunny and add some dip. Decorate sides of bread with assorted sliced vegetables like carrots, celery, tomatoes and cucumbers.

CRUDITE PLATTER

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Fill a large bowl with ice water and salt generously. Drop the beans into the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Scoop them out of the water and immediately plunge the beans into the ice water, to stop their cooking and set the color. Cool, remove them from the ice bath, and pat dry. Repeat with the broccoli and asparagus. (The asparagus may take a minute less, depending on their size.)
• Attractively arrange all the vegetables on a large serving platter and serve with the dip of your choice.
• Drain the yogurt in a coffee filter or cheese cloth-lined sieve, set over a bowl, until thickened to about 1 cup, about 2 hours.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the curry and cook, stirring, until fragrant about 30 seconds more. Set aside to cool.
• In a bowl, combine the drained yogurt, curry mixture, mayonnaise, chutney, scallion, hot sauce, lime juice, and coriander. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Yield: about 2 cups
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a roasting pan, rub the 2 onions in their skins with the 2 tablespoons oil. Bake until squishy soft, turning them once, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Peel the onions and set aside.
• Meanwhile, finely dice the remaining onion. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 cup oil and heat until hot. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally until they just begin to lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 18 minutes more. Strain the onions through a sieve over a bowl. Transfer the onions to a paper towel-lined plate and spread them into a single layer. Reserve 1/4 cup of the onion oil and let it cool completely. (Reserve the remaining oil for dressings or marinades.)
• Puree the roasted onions in a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, and salt, and pulse until smooth. While the motor is running, drizzle in the 1/4 cup of reserved onion oil until incorporated. Season with pepper and hot sauce, to taste. Transfer the onion dip to a serving bowl and stir in the scallion. Refrigerate until very thick, about 3 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve top with the fried onions.
• Yield: about 4 cups

EASTER CRUDITES BASKET WITH SPINACH DIP

Steps:

• For the spinach dip: Mix together the spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, carrots, garlic, lemon juice and some salt and pepper in a medium bowl until well combined. Chill for at least 2 hours.
• For the veggies: Bring a large pot of water to a boil; prepare an ice water bath. Blanch the asparagus briefly in the boiling water, until bright green but still crisp. Transfer to the ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain and blot dry with paper towels.
• Fill the bottom of the Easter basket with the kale and arrange the asparagus, carrots, celery, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, green onions and jicama on top of it, leaving a space in the center for the dip.
• Put the dip in the hollowed-out cabbage and place in the center of the Easter crudite basket!