The point of parties is, obviously, spending time in the charming company of loved ones (along with the folks from the accounting department). When the food is good, that’s great. When the food is thoughtful, special, and made with love — that’s where the magic comes in. It doesn’t take much to add a little dazzle to some party staples, just a few extra minutes and some top-quality ingredients. The result is delicious food that is easy to prep ahead of time, for less stress when the party starts.
For example, rethink the crudité tray. There’s nothing wrong with some cut-up vegetables and a bowl of dip, and guests are often grateful for the brief respite from the endless parade of cookies and knock-out cheese and charcuterie boards. But a next-level host can actually improve on nature’s bounty in a few simple steps with a tip from the pros.
Start with an easy restaurant trick. After peeling and chopping vegetables for your crudités, store them in salted water in the refrigerator until you are ready to create your platter. They’ll keep up to a day or two, and the cold salted water ensures that the vegetables are seasoned and retain their crunch.
World-class restaurants like The Nomad and Eleven Madison Park use another simple trick to make vegetables the star of the show. Borrowing from the classic French combination of radishes, butter, and salt, the chefs enrobe perfect vegetables in clarified butter and sprinkle them with sea salt for a perfect one or two bite snack. We loved it so much, we took the technique home in a tinfoil swan to share with our own guests.
The method couldn’t be simpler. Stack the deck in your favor by scouring the market for lovely, colorful, in-season fruits and vegetables. Start with the classic radishes, and add radicchio leaves, and a rainbow of carrots, as well as apples and pears — use what’s in season near you. Scrub the carrots and radishes, leaving the stems on so there’s something to hold, and separate and wash the radicchio leaves (Belgian endive works nicely here as well). Let the vegetables soak in cold, salted water while you tend to the butter.
Sarah Crowder
Use a high-quality butter here, because with so few elements in the mix, each one has to be the best. Melt the butter slowly in a double boiler, or float a metal pan in water on low heat, letting the butter soften. In a pinch, you can pop it in the microwave until it’s just beginning to melt.
Sarah Crowder
Take that off the stove and set it aside. Pat the vegetables dry, then dip them into the butter, leaving a little room at the top of each vegetable for guests to grab, and place them on a paper-lined baking sheet, taking care not to let them touch one another. Carefully place the tray into the freezer for a few minutes until the first coat has hardened, then repeat the dip-and-chill process until the butter is thick enough to your liking. On the last coat, sprinkle flaky salt for crunch, plus a pinch of any other seeds or spices you might like. Everything bagel seasoning and black sesame seeds are a visual treat, while pimentón adds a kiss of smoky heat. Chill the vegetables and place on a pretty platter just before serving. Guests can pick them up at the unbuttered end, and eat the tops if they’d like.
We also love using this trick with a creamy buttermilk dressing or green goddess and crudité or Belgian endive. Dip the vegetables in the dressing, shake off the excess, and coat them with seasonings.
Sarah Crowder
Apples and pears tend to brown quickly, so scrub and slice them right before dipping, and swap the salt for crunchy sugar (the fancier the better; we love demerara sugar here), and whatever baking spices you’d like — a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice works nicely here. They may be a bit trickier to pick up, so have a few cocktail picks at the ready. Or, serve them with some simple sugar cookies to use as a base, and the combo will taste like a buttery, one-bite pie.
Sarah Crowder