Crudités and dip are party staples. Choose whatever seasonal veggies you like, but mix up the colors. Some veggies, such as carrots and peppers, can be served raw, while others, like zucchini and asparagus, should be blanched but still have a slight crunch. There's nothing sexy about a limp piece of asparagus! And keep the vegetables separate—it makes it easier to refill the platters.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 20

　　

For the Aïoli

1 cup mayonnaise

　　5 garlic cloves, put through a garlic press

　　Juice of 1/2 lemon

　　1 teaspoon sugar

　　1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

　　

For the Crudités

1/2 lemon

　　3 cups button mushrooms, wiped clean with a paper towel

　　One 1-pound bag peeled baby carrots

　　2 bunches of radishes

　　2 red bell peppers, sliced

　　2 yellow bell peppers, sliced

　　1 bunch of asparagus

　　1 bag or box of cherry tomatoes

　　5 green or yellow zucchini

　　1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (optional)

　　

Step 1

1. Mix all the aïoli ingredients in a large bowl and season to taste. The aïoli will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

　　

Step 2

2. Rub a little lemon on the mushrooms to prevent them from turning brown.

　　

Step 3

3. You can make the platter up to a day ahead and store the vegetables in separate Ziploc bags. It's best to blanch the vegetables the morning of the party. (You can blanch the asparagus in boiling water with a teaspoon of baking soda, secured with a rubber band, for 30 seconds. Place the spears in an ice bath and drain—don't leave them in the ice bath or they'll get soggy.) Repeat with the zucchini, blanching it whole, cutting it on an angle to the desired thickness.

　　

Step 4

4. Arrange the veggies on a platter with a bowl of aïoli and scatter the herbs on top if you like.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lulu Powers Food to Flowers: Simple, Stylish Food for Easy Entertaining by Lulu Powers with Laura Holmes Haddad, © April 2010 William Morrow