Crudite Christmas Tree With Sour Cream And Chive Dip Food

CRUDITE DIP

Steps:

• Combine the first 9 ingredients; mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. If desired, sprinkle with additional parsley. Serve with vegetables.

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.

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 TREE SOURS

Steps:

• Make the cordial: Bring 4 cups water, 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar, the zest of 2 lemons, the juice of 5 lemons and 7 ounces spruce or fir needles to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 2 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, repeating to remove all the needles; let cool. Make the drinks: Combine 1/3 cup each sparkling water and bourbon, 3 tablespoons of the cordial, the juice of 2 limes and 3 dashes bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake, then strain into 2 ice-filled glasses and garnish with spruce or fir sprigs. Refrigerate the remaining cordial for up to 2 weeks.

ASPARAGUS FRIES WITH SOUR CREAM AND CHIVE DIP

Steps:

• For the sour cream and chive dip: Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, chives, garlic, lemon zest and juice and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. You can make this up to 2 days before as it gets better tasting with time.
• For the asparagus tempura: Fill a 9- to 11-inch saucepan, large pot or large Dutch oven with about 4 inches of oil. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 to 360 degrees F. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
• Whisk the flour, cornstarch and baking soda together in a large bowl. Transfer half of the of the flour mixture to a second large bowl. Keep the club soda nearby, but don't make the batter until you're ready to fry.
• Create an assembly line from left to right: the asparagus, one bowl of flour mixture for dredging and the second bowl of flour mixture that will become your tempura batter.
• When you're ready to fry, stir the club soda into the second bowl of flour.
• To fry, use your fingers to dip 2 to 3 asparagus spears into the dredging flour, shake off the excess, then dip in the batter. Lay or slide the coated asparagus into the hot oil and deep-fry until golden, about 3 minutes, turning it in the oil for even cooking. Lift the cooked asparagus with tongs or a spider and let excess oil drip back into the pan before transferring to the prepared wire rack. Skim the surface of the oil occasionally to keep it clean and to fish out stray crispy tempura bits.
• Bring the oil back to 350 to 360 degrees F between batches. Stir the batter to keep it from separating, then repeat with the remaining asparagus. Serve the fries immediately with the dip.