Cooking with Karen Crouse

Crudités is a fancy word for raw vegetables and are a beautiful and healthy accompaniment to just about any meal.

I love my garden. I take every opportunity to gather the first vegetables that emerge, then find an out-of-the-box way to present their rainbow of colors to my guests. This recipe puts them in-the-box and only requires assembly. Instead of a platter, I put them in the bamboo boxes used for organizing drawers to make them look like little raised garden beds. I also found mini gardening tools in the dollar bin at Target and put them on and around the ‘raised beds.’ They added to the garden theme and doubled as serving utensils. My crudites were a hit, and everyone ate their veggies that day.

Photo by Karen Crouse

CRUDITÉS

“In Raised Beds”

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

• Whisk

• Measuring cup and spoons

• Cutting Knife

• Cooking scissors for the Radicchio bowl

• Bamboo drawer organizer boxes (3” x 9”)

CRUDITÉS

A selection of four raw vegetables, garden-fresh or store-bought, such as:

• Radishes with the top leaves

• Green beans

• Carrots with tops

• Broccoli crowns

• Cherry and/or pear tomatoes, cut in half

• Cucumbers, peeled and quartered

• Celery peeled and cut into sticks

BUTTERMILK RANCH DRESSING

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium-size head of Radicchio

• ¼ cup good quality mayonnaise

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• ¾ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp pepper

• 1 ½ tsp dried dill ( 3 / 4 teaspoon if fresh)

• ¼ cup finely chopped chives

• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

• ½ cup sour cream

• ½ cup buttermilk

PREPARATION: Using a whisk, combine all ingredients. Taste and add additional lemon juice, chives, and/or salt to taste.

NOTES: If you are not serving the dressing right away, I suggest you add the garlic the day of since it becomes more intense and can be overpowering. The dressing can be made ahead of time and will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

TIP: For a more colorful presentation use heirloom carrots and cut them in half lengthwise to showcase the different colors on the insides.

PRESENTATION

FOR THE ‘RAISED BEDS’

Stack the vegetables in their individual bamboo boxes. For a fresh-from-the-garden look, I prefer to keep the leaves on the carrots and radishes.

For The Radicchio Bowl cut the bottom of the head of Radicchio flat. Using a knife, core out most of the center leaves, making the ‘bowl’ as deep as you can. Use the kitchen scissors to snip the remaining leaves and refine the sides…think Edward Scissorhands. Just before serving, pour in the buttermilk dressing.

Stagger the boxed vegetables on your table or counter and place the Radicchio bowl within reach.