Winter Crudites With Buttermilk Dip Food

WINTER CRUDITES WITH BUTTERMILK DIP

Steps:

• Combine buttermilk, creme fraiche, dill, lemon zest and juice, and cayenne in a bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day. Stir until smooth before serving.
• Arrange crudites in glasses (or on a platter), and serve, with dip.

WINTER CRUDITéS

Steps:

• PLAN AHEAD
• If serving crudités at a party, plan on 1/8 to 1/4 pound of vegetables for each guest. The selection shown here is a suggestion; feel free to vary the vegetables as desired and by season. Some vegetables (celery and carrots) can be served raw; others should be steamed.
• Prepare to Steam
• Set a steamer basket (or a colander) in a Dutch oven (or a pot with a lid). Fill with enough salted water to come just below basket, and bring to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath; place a colander inside, over the ice. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
• steam vegetables
• Working with one kind at a time, steam vegetables, starting with the mildest-tasting and ending with the most pungent (this will keep potatoes, for example, from tasting like Brussels sprouts). Place vegetables in the basket; reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and steam as directed. Add water to pan as needed between batches to prevent scorching.
• cool and drain
• With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to the colander in the ice-water bath to stop cooking (add ice as needed after each batch). Once completely cooled, transfer vegetables to paper towels to drain. Pat dry.
• Store
• Vegetables can be prepared up to 3 days ahead; wrap each type of vegetable separately in paper towels, then plastic (so flavors don't mix), and refrigerate.
• Serve
• Arrange on a platter with dip alongside.
• Lemon-Thyme Dip
• In a bowl, stir to combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Dip can be refrigerated, covered tightly with plastic wrap, up to 3 days; transfer to a small dish and garnish with additional thyme just before serving.

WINTER CRUDITES WITH WALNUT-GARLIC DIP

Steps:

• Cook potato in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Cool completely. Blend nuts, * cup oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano in processor 1/3 until almost smooth. Add potato, 1/3 cup oil and 2 tablespoons water. Using on/off turns, process just until potato is blended and mixture is creamy (do not over-process or mixture will become sticky).
• Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Mix in parsley. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve with vegetables.

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.

CRUDITES WITH BUTTERMILK PEPPERCORN DIP

Steps:

• Prepare a large bowl of ice water, and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add 1 tablespoon salt. Trim beans, and place in the boiling water. Blanch until the color becomes bright green, 15 to 25 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer beans to the ice bath to cool. When cool, remove them from the ice water, pat dry with a paper towel, and set aside. Trim woody ends from asparagus, and immerse in the boiling water. Blanch until bright green, about 30 seconds; transfer to the ice bath to cool. Remove them from the ice water, pat dry, and reserve.
• Separate celery stalks, and wash thoroughly. Using a vegetable peeler, peel away any tough, stringy fibers from the outside of each stalk. Trim the bottoms and tops off each stalk, and set aside. Peel jicama, and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks, measuring 3 to 5 inches in length. Set aside. Wash cucumber very well, and cut in half (if using regular cucumbers); cut cucumber into spears, and set aside. Trim scallions to 9-inch lengths, and set aside. Wash and peel carrots, and cut lengthwise into strips measuring 1/4 inch in diameter. Set aside.
• Wash squash and zucchini very well, and cut into 1/16-inch-thick slices lengthwise, preferably on a mandoline. Peel daikon, and cut into 1/16-inch-thick slices lengthwise. Set aside all the slices, covered with a damp towel, until serving time. Wash and dry cherry tomatoes. Set aside.
• To make dip, combine sour cream, buttermilk, pepper, chives, thyme, shallot, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl, and stir well to combine. Set aside
• Place beans, asparagus, celery, jicama, cucumbers, and carrots in serving glasses. Roll up squash, zucchini, and daikon strips, and place on the serving platter with the other vegetables. Place tomatoes in a bowl or glass. Serve crudites with dip on the side.

BUFFALO CRUDITéS WITH BLUE CHEESE DIP

Steps:

• Make the dip: In a small bowl, stir together the blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. Thin with milk until spoonable. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside. (Dip keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator; thin as needed with more milk.)
• Just before serving, prepare the crudités: In a large bowl, stir together the hot sauce, olive oil and garlic until combined. Toss with vegetables until evenly coated. Serve with the dip.