Crudité 🥒🥕

Today’s lesson is 393 words, a 1 min 34 sec reading time. Subscribe here. 📍 Introduction: What is crudité? It’s an assortment of beautifully cut vegetables & a dip or sauce to pair them with. A few reasons why crudité is fab: * One beautiful platter can replace the need to make multiple appetizers * Healthy (so many raw veggies!) * Stores easily (can keep components in jars or Tupperware for up to a week) * Crowd pleaser - kids, vegetarians, health nuts all love it * An ideal way to practice your knife skills 💪🔪 * Great for hosting - can prepare ahead * Ideal for a pre-dinner snack - filling, nutritious, healthy * Pretty! Nothing like a big platter of different colored veggies * Easy to save leftovers for later & spruce up with a few additions * Can be dressed up or down (e.g., as simple as cut carrots & celery, or as decadent as adding fried zucchini, nuts, cheese, crackers, olives, TBD!) * “Is a blank canvas for creativity - or leftovers” - use up whatever you have - jams, cheese, meats, olives * Leftover crudites (which often include items like carrots, celery and peppers) can easily be diced up and incorporated into a soup ✅ Instructions: * Wash & prep lots of veggies * Add a creamy dip or dressing * Add something salty (optional) * Add something sweet (optional) ✨ Variations/Inspiration * Crunchy veggies: carrots, cucumber, snap peas, celery, radish * Soft vegetables: tomatoes, olives, green beans, squash, zucchini, asparagus, endive, bell peppers * Creamy dip: hummus, white bean, baba ganoush, pico de gallo, guacamole, mango salsa, spinach artichoke, ranch, cheese spread * Dressings: vinaigrette, green goddess, balsamic * Cooked vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli * Salty: cheese (e.g., feta, cheddar, brie), olives * Sweet: fruit (e.g., apples & grapes), dried fruit (e.g., apricots, sun-dried tomatoes), baguette * Other: nuts, diced or sliced salumi 📝 Notes, Tips & Tricks: * Pronounced “crew-dee-tay” in French * While a “proper” crudité tray only contains raw vegetables, it’s okay to steam or blanch the tough ones for some variety. * Since this is a simple dish, presentation is important. Consider contrasting colors and textures as you arrange. * For cooked veggies, you want to make sure they aren’t soggy. We recommend steaming them or blanching (see the lesson on blanching & shocking in “How to Boil Water”) * Store leftover crudité in the fridge - either submerged in water or wrapped in a damp paper towel/napkin inside a plastic bag 🎓 Further Study: * 16 Drop-Dead Gorgeous Crudités Platters * Platters and Boards: Beautiful, Casual Spreads for Every Occasion ————-————-————- 🎧 Prefer to listen? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify or Overcast. 💡 Have ideas for what we should teach next? Fill out this survey. 📚 Want to learn more? Check out our Table of Contents or Subscribe This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.trylifeschool.com