The New Crudité Platter Recipes

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

THE NEW CRUDITé PLATTER.

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the salt + pepper to your liking. Cover and keep stored in the fridge for up to 1 day.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot, pour in enough oil to fill the pot about 1/3 of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 2 minutes.)
• While the oil is heating, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and a small pinch of cayenne. Add the sparkling water and stir until just combined and still lumpy.
• Grab the zucchini blossoms and carefully open the flowers and stuff inside one cube of mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining flowers. If you are using sliced zucchini, just serve the mozzarella along side the veggies on the Crudité platter.
• Dip the asparagus in the batter and fry, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden and crispy, about 60 to 70 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the zucchini blossoms and or sliced zucchini. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
• Place a bowl of hummus and a bowl of the avocado ranch on a platter. Arrange both the fried veggies and the fresh veggies around the dips. Serve.