How to Make a Quick and Colorful Crudite Platter
I love a beautiful charcuterie board; don’t get me wrong. But, there are times when I’m craving some bright, crunchy veggies and a tasty dip. Besides, when you’re enjoying some cocktails or wine, a crudite platter will offset the calories so zero guilt, right? I recently assembled this quick and colorful vegetable crudite platter for a night with friends and it ended up being a big hit.
Here are my easy tips for creating an inviting crudite platter your guests will definitely enjoy:
Think color: That’s the first thing I consider as I’m strolling down the produce aisle. My favorites are vibrant veggies such as bell peppers, rainbow carrots, green beans, radishes, persian cucumbers and multi-colored cherry tomatoes. Other possible options are colored cauliflower (comes in orange, purple, and green), snap peas, asparagus, and endive.
Think Texture and Size: I consider my guests when it comes to this aspect because you don’t want to see someone struggling to bite into something that will get caught in their teeth (that’s why I don’t serve raw broccoli) or worse yet, break a tooth (like on a whole radish)! So, be sure to cut your vegetables into easy to eat sizes and make sure they’re not too thick.
Arrange by Category and Color: I tend to arrange the vegetables in a circle and place the cherry tomatoes on the inside to help hold everything in place. I also prefer to break up the colors so the platter doesn’t look monochromatic on one side. Since some guests prefer one veggie versus another, I keep all the different varieties of carrots or peppers, etc. together to make for easy grabbing.
Provide a Variety of Dips: My go-to dips are a classic chickpea hummus or tzatziki but other tasty options are white bean hummus, tumeric yogurt dip or a beet and ricotta hummus. For more dip ideas, refer to this article….there are 35 options! Set the dips up either in the center of your platter or along the side. Just make sure you provide several different choices (dairy-free, nut-free, etc.) to accommodate all your guests and that they’re easily accessible!
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