Making the Healthiest Party Appetizer Sexier

Crudites are the boring, oft-ignored platters that most hosts put out on the holiday table because they feel like they should (and then end up tossing later). It’s a shame, because they’re also often the healthiest offering amid cheese boards and desserts of all stripes and could help add some balance to your noshing.

It’s not that people don’t like raw vegetables—it’s that they don’t like bad raw vegetables. Of course the crudites will go untouched if the selection is dried-out carrot sticks, raw broccoli florets, and soft, unappetizing zucchini spears—and tragically, that’s what you tend to get with a pre-packaged grocery-store tray or a thoughtless caterer.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! The key to making sexy crudites is paying special attention to vegetable selection, arrangement, and pairings. And the bar for great crudites is now really low -- if you make a show of how totally, crazily, life-alteringly delicious these raw vegetables are—and set them off with flavorful, homemade dips—your guests will be thrilled.

Here are three tips for making crudites sexy. Follow them while prepping for your New Year’s guests:

Watercress Dip and Roasted Carrot and White Bean Dip

1. Tap your inner artist. Vegetables come in such an array of colors, textures, sizes, and shapes -- it’s a great opportunity to think about food from an almost entirely visual perspective So when you’re choosing them, think about what they’ll look like as much as what they’ll taste like—and get creative. Do you want to do a play on the color green, with everything from pale celery to almost-black kale? Do you want to run everything in a gradient rainbow, starting with red peppers and going all the way down to purple cabbage? Do you want to go minimal, just alternating one or two contrasting veggies like radishes and cucumbers?

2. Think seasonal. Carrots and celery are not required. It’s a great time to use lettuces and other leafy vegetables: Purple and yellow endives are beautiful on the plate and so texturally interesting, and make an easy scooper.  I love to slice small, tight heads of red cabbage into thin wedges (keeping the core intact so they hold together) to add something with a fiery bite, and they look beautiful arranged with tightly bundled romaine hearts. Lightly blanched cauliflower and broccoli are staples, but are particularly great in winter.

3. Pick a killer dip. You don’t need to satisfy every palette with different creamy offerings. Instead, focus on one amazing homemade dip that will pair well with what’s on the platter. I love things with a bit of bite, like radish, turnip, and fennel, alongside a creamy, herbaceous dip like a Green Goddess. 

Green Goddess Dip makes 1/2 cup
2 tbsp. parsley
2 tbsp. tarragon
2 tbsp. scallions
2 tbsp. chives
½ cup Greek Yogurt (full fat)
2 tbsp. crème fraîche
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine herbs in a food processor and blend until a smooth paste forms. In a bowl, combine yogurt with crème fraîche and vinegar. Add the paste to the yogurt mixture and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper.

~ Thanks to Lisa Elaine Held