Everyone loves cut-up raw and cooked vegetables served cold with something for dipping. I’ve adopted the French term crudités for this versatile snack but there doesn’t need to be anything fancy about them.
Crudités are sold in supermarkets, ready to go. But don’t buy those unless you’re absolutely desperate. Cutting vegetables for crudités is simple. As long as you keep the vegetables large enough to pick up easily and dip without accidentally dunking your fingers, you’ll be in good shape. But they should be small or slender enough to pop into your mouth or bite easily; usually about ½ inch wide is just right. Broccoli and cauliflower florets work best with an inch or so of stem to hold onto; core and seed bell peppers and slice into ½-inch-or-so-wide sticks, cutting the curved ends off, if you like.
You can prepare all the components of a crudité platter, including the dip, in advance. Some, like waxy potatoes — which are excellent — must be cooked first. Others, like asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and root vegetables, can be served raw or cooked. It’s generally best to cut them up before cooking so you have better control over doneness: Boil or steam them until crisp-tender (one step closer to raw than you might otherwise), then plunge them into an ice bath to shock and stop their cooking and capture the vibrant color. Also consider the possibility of roasted or grilled vegetables as crudités; they’re unexpected and a good contrast to whatever you’re serving raw. Just be sure not to overcook them: Crispness is key.
Store raw vegetables in ice water to keep them crisp, and cooked vegetables in airtight containers; both will hold for a day or so. Drain raw vegetables well and put them on a kitchen towel or paper towels to dry — dip doesn’t stick to wet vegetables. Bring cooked vegetables to room temperature.
Nearly any salad dressing also works fine.