Simple Piped Crudites Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the first 9 ingredients; mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. If desired, sprinkle with additional parsley. Serve with vegetables.

Steps:

• Separate celery stalks, and wash thoroughly. Using a vegetable peeler, peel away any tough, stringy fibers from the outside of each stalk. Cut each stalk into 4-inch-long pieces; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Snip the tips off each pea pod, and place in boiling water. Blanch for 15 seconds. Drain, and immediately rinse under cold water.
• Slice radishes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds; set aside. Working with a channel knife, cut about 6 parallel, evenly spaced grooves down the length of the cucumber. Slice cucumber crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; set aside. Using the channel knife, slice about 8 parallel evenly spaced grooves down length of daikon. Slice into 1/4-inch rounds and set aside.
• Slice the carrots in half lengthwise and set aside. Just before piping, separate endive, and trim ends.
• Arrange vegetables on large platters. Spoon the cream cheese into a pastry bag fitted with a pastry tip or a freezer bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe cream cheese onto each vegetable. Garnish with chives and mint leaves.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Fill a large bowl with ice water and salt generously. Drop the beans into the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Scoop them out of the water and immediately plunge the beans into the ice water, to stop their cooking and set the color. Cool, remove them from the ice bath, and pat dry. Repeat with the broccoli and asparagus. (The asparagus may take a minute less, depending on their size.)
• Attractively arrange all the vegetables on a large serving platter and serve with the dip of your choice.
• Drain the yogurt in a coffee filter or cheese cloth-lined sieve, set over a bowl, until thickened to about 1 cup, about 2 hours.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the curry and cook, stirring, until fragrant about 30 seconds more. Set aside to cool.
• In a bowl, combine the drained yogurt, curry mixture, mayonnaise, chutney, scallion, hot sauce, lime juice, and coriander. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Yield: about 2 cups
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a roasting pan, rub the 2 onions in their skins with the 2 tablespoons oil. Bake until squishy soft, turning them once, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Peel the onions and set aside.
• Meanwhile, finely dice the remaining onion. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 cup oil and heat until hot. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally until they just begin to lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 18 minutes more. Strain the onions through a sieve over a bowl. Transfer the onions to a paper towel-lined plate and spread them into a single layer. Reserve 1/4 cup of the onion oil and let it cool completely. (Reserve the remaining oil for dressings or marinades.)
• Puree the roasted onions in a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, and salt, and pulse until smooth. While the motor is running, drizzle in the 1/4 cup of reserved onion oil until incorporated. Season with pepper and hot sauce, to taste. Transfer the onion dip to a serving bowl and stir in the scallion. Refrigerate until very thick, about 3 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve top with the fried onions.
• Yield: about 4 cups

Steps:

• Prepare a large pot of boiling salted water, and fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Remove the tough bottoms of the asparagus stalks. If they are thick, peel the stems half-way up the stalk.
• Add the carrots to the pot of boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Immediately remove the carrots with a slotted spoon and plunge them in the bowl of ice water. Drain the carrots when fully cooled.
• Add the asparagus to the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Immediately remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon and plunge them into the reserved bowl of ice water. Drain the asparagus when fully cooled.
• Slice the radicchio into wedges.
• Arrange the carrots, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and radicchio on a platter and serve with the Herb Dip.
• Place the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, scallions, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and blend. Serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Combine the ingredients in a medium bowl, and mix until thoroughly incorporated. The cream cheeses will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
• For the Carrot Cardamom Cream Cheese: Place carrot juice and cardamom in a small saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the juice and discard the cardamom pods. Let juice cool. Add half of the carrot juice to the cream cheese (reserve the rest for another use) and mix well. Add salt to taste.

Steps:

• In a nonreactive bowl, stir together vinegar, 1/2 cup hot water, sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt until salt and sugar have dissolved. Pack vegetables into a nonreactive container, such as a canning jar.
• Pour vinegar mixture over vegetables. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 week. Drain and serve.