Christmas Crudités Food

CRUDITE CHRISTMAS TREE WITH SOUR CREAM AND CHIVE DIP

Steps:

• For the dip: Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, horseradish, lemon juice, lemon zest, granulated garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a generous grinding of black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined and smooth. Transfer the dip to a medium bowl and fold in the chives and parsley. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water. Add the broccoli to the boiling water and blanch until bright green and crisp tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a strainer to the ice bath. Repeat with the cauliflower. Drain the vegetables well and pat them very dry.
• To build the tree, make a triangle of broccoli florets in the center of a serving platter. Place the cucumber piece, skin side up, at the base of the tree as a stump and scatter the cauliflower on either side. Decorate the tree with tomatoes, cucumber slices and pepper strips and stars, leaving one star for the top.

CHRISTMAS CRUDITéS

Steps:

• Make the dip: Combine the parsley, sour cream, chives, tarragon, anchovies, lemon juice, garlic, shallot, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a blender and puree until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and gently stir in the mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Arrange red and green veggies on a platter. Serve with the dip.

RAINBOW WINTER DIPS & CRUDITéS

Steps:

• To make the hummus, put the squash on a baking sheet and toss with the garlic, cumin, ground coriander, paprika and 1 tbsp oil. Roast at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 20 mins or until the squash is tender. Leave to cool. Put the squash in a food processor, add the garlic (squeezing the flesh out of the skins) along with the chickpeas and tahini, then blitz until smooth - loosen with 1 tbsp water if needed. Season. Mix the rest of the oil with the coriander seeds to drizzle over the hummus.
• To make the onion dip, put the shallots and spring onions in a roasting tin and drizzle with the oil. Roast at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 25-30 mins or until golden and soft. Leave to cool, then blitz in a food processor with the yogurt, garlic and half the chives until smooth. Season. Serve sprinkled with the remaining chives.
• For the beetroot dip, blitz everything in a food processor, except the yogurt and sesame seeds, until smooth. Swirl in the yogurt and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
• Serve the dips on a board with the veg crudités and breadsticks and crispbreads, if you like.