Crudité Platter with Roasted Garlic Aioli

This is a great party platter to serve any time of year--just change the vegetables according to the season. In winter, I like to blanch the vegetables (see directions below) to give them extra flavor and color. Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 15 minutes.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1  bunch baby carrots, peeled with about 1 inch of green tops left on
• 1/2  head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/2  head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2  pound  asparagus, trimmed
• 1/2  pound  green or wax beans
• 1/2  pound  fingerling (or small red) potatoes
• 1  Belgian endive, leaves separated
• Slices of orange, red, or yellow bell peppers, or 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
• Sea salt
• Roasted Garlic Aioli

Preparation

Blanch carrots by cooking in boiling salted water 1 minute or until they turn bright orange; remove from water with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside; repeat process with broccoli and next 4 ingredients. (Broccoli and asparagus need to boil only about 30 seconds; potato takes about 10 minutes.) Arrange blanched vegetables on a platter with endive and bell peppers or tomatoes. Serve with a bowl of sea salt for sprinkling and a bowl of Roasted Garlic Aioli for dipping.