Looking for an eye-catching but easy appetizer to make for your next tailgate party? Meet the crudité platter. Crudités, the French word for “rawness,” are raw veggies served with dips like ranch, hummus or aioli.
Maybe you’ve already met the crudité platter as the sometimes-basic veggie tray at wedding receptions and baby showers that often goes overlooked. But the crudité platter has serious potential to be the most beautiful, Insta-worthy dish on the table.
For a fresh take on crudités, we asked Katia Mangham of Gourmet Girls how to prepare and style crudité platter like a pro.
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Start with what’s seasonal
Mangham doesn’t go by a grocery list. Instead, she starts with a trip to the farmers market to see what’s seasonal. Then, she goes to the grocery store for veggies that aren’t in season locally. Zucchini and squash are in season now. Okra is always a crowd pleaser, Mangham says, and it’s ripe throughout the fall. Mangham grills okra with a little olive oil and salt.
Heirloom tomatoes aren’t at the farmers market anymore, but are still available at grocery stores. If tomatoes aren’t at their prime, you can roast them for a grilled vegetable platter.
Pick a variety of veggies
Mangham suggests selecting six to eight vegetables for a variety of flavors, colors and textures.
She supplements celery, bell pepper and carrots with unexpected veggies like purple bell peppers. The more unusual the vegetable, the better. If Mangham uses a lot of squash, for example, she might add squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese.
She tries to keep the cuts and shapes of vegetables interesting, too. “If I’m going to put both zucchinis and cucumbers on a tray, I would maybe do the cucumbers in slices and the zucchini in sticks,” she says.
Pro tip: Avoid bagged baby carrots. Colorful heirloom carrots are way more appealing.
Color coordinate
Mangham arranges vegetables in a rainbow or ombre pattern or by contrasting colors. For example, yellow tomatoes, orange carrots and orange bell pepper could create an ombre look. Green vegetables are her go-to for spring crudités.
Know how to prep properly
Crudité platters should include mostly raw or blanched veggies. Mangham tries to keep grilled or roasted veggies to a minimum for the sake of presentation.
She blanches asparagus, green beans, sugar snap peas and sometimes carrots. Blanched or grilled veggies will wilt, so it’s best not to prep them in advance, she says.
Finally, cut the time of chopping veggies by investing in a good knife.
Add some sauce
Mangham pairs crudités with her homemade dill ranch sauce, which she sells by the quart. Hummus, a yogurt dip with herbs and spices or a spinach dip with sour cream and a little grated Parmesan also go well with crudités.
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Get your garnish on
Mangham separates veggies with garnishes. Her go-to garnishes include pea shoots, microgreens, edible flowers and fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.
But you don’t need a lot of garnish to make the plate pretty. Colorful, interesting veggies are what really make a crudité platter.
“The prettier you make food, the more appealing it becomes,” Mangham says. “You eat with your eyes first.”