THE RAW

CRUDITÉS (on the cover)

Building a beautiful crudités platter is easier than you might think and makes a spectacular centerpiece with its beautiful colors and textures. Pair your crisp veggies with dips and sauces that reflect the season. You can find everything you need to make a vegetable platter at the grocery store, but if you want to step it up a notch, plan a trip to your local farmers market—you will see and taste the difference.

Pro tip: Refresh vegetables in ice water. Sometimes even fresh vegetables become stale and limp as they sit in the refrigerator. To fix this, fill a large bowl or your kitchen sink with ice water. Drop the vegetables into the ice water, let them sit for 1–2 minutes, then remove and dry them on a clean kitchen towel. The ice water will instantly crisp up and rehydrate almost any vegetable, especially carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, and radishes.

If preparing your platter ahead of time, keep your vegetables fresh by covering them with damp paper towels and storing them in the refrigerator. The wet towels will keep the veggies hydrated!

Spicy Feta Dip

Makes 1 1/4 cups

Level: Easy | Prep Time: 15 minutes

The salty tartness of whipped feta combined with jalapeño makes this a perfect match for a crudités platter.

1/2 cup parsley leaves and stems, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon lemon zest

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 jalapeño, stems and seeds removed

8 ounces feta cheese

1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Place parsley, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, garlic, and jalapeño in the base of a food processor. Pulse ingredients together until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, pour mixture into a bowl, and set aside. Add cream cheese and feta cheese to the food processor. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Spread whipped feta into a shallow bowl and top with parsley-garlic-jalapeño mixture.

RADISH TERRINE WITH CHILE CRISP (OR BALSAMIC)

Serves 8

Level: Easy | Prep time: 10 minutes;

Total time: 6 hours

This recipe is worth the investment in a set of silicone mini loaf pans—which you can use later to experiment with compound butters or make mini loaves of zucchini bread. If you want a little spice, opt for the chile crisp version; for a concentrated sweet flavor, use balsamic. Please, use only high-quality balsamic from Modena or Monticello.

6–8 small, round radishes, about 1/2 inch 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (preferably European), diced and softened 1 tablespoon chile crisp or balsamic vinegar

Slices of fresh bread

Fleur de sel

Remove taproots and leafy tops from the radishes, forming perfectly round spheres. (If in good condition, reserve the leaves for another use / to add to your braising greens.) Wash and thoroughly dry. In a large bowl, fold softened butter and chile crisp (or balsamic vinegar) with radishes using a rubber spatula. (Alternatively, use a hand mixer to whip chile crisp with butter, then fold in radishes.) Transfer radish butter to loaf pan and spread it to the edges; smooth the top and try to remove any air bubbles. (Alternatively, transfer butter to a sheet of parchment paper and roll it into a log.) Refrigerate the terrine until very firm, 4–6 hours.

Push the terrine out of the silicone mold (or remove the parchment wrap) and transfer it to a work surface. Using a very sharp knife or gently serrated bread knife, cut the terrine into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Serve with slices of fresh baguette and finish with fleur de sel.