Cooking web notes

Creating The Perfect Vegetable Tray

If you are hosting a party, you will need to create a presentably appealing vegetable tray. Creating a veggie tray is really easy if you plan ahead and gather everything that you will need before you begin to assemble your tray.

You will need a round serving tray or a specially designed veggie tray that has divided cavities for placing your vegetables in. If your tray doesn't come with a vegetable dip container, you will need to supply one.

It is recommended that you choose 5-7 vegetables to present on your party tray.

Pre-Preparation:

Wash and pat dry all of your vegetables. Cut off any roots, stems or unwanted leafy portions.

Vegetable Selection:

Leafy Lettuce: Separate the lettuce leaves and use them to line your vegetable tray.

Broccoli: Cut florets off the stalk into individual serving-sized pieces.

Cauliflower: Cut pieces from head of cauliflower into individual serving-sized pieces.

Cherry Tomatoes: Remove stems. Wash and pat dry.

Cucumbers: You can remove the skin or leave it, that is entirely up to you. Slice cucumber into 1/4" thick round slices.

Carrots: If using baby carrots, you will will not need to slice them down. If using full-sized carrots, you will need to slice them down into sticks measuring approximately 1/4" by 4" in size.

Celery: Cut off leafy portions. Cut celery stalks into 4" long pieces.

Radishes: Cut off top portion of radishes and any roots that might remain. It is best to use radishes that are less than 1 1/2" in diameter.

Mushrooms: If you are using baby mushrooms, leave just a 1/4" of the stem remaining. If using larger sized mushrooms, slice them down into individual pieces.

Green Pepper: Remove the stem and seeds. Cut down into sticks measuring 1/4" by 4" in length.

Assembly:

Arrange the lettuce leaves on your tray, covering the entire bottom of the tray. Take your prepared vegetables and arrange them around the tray in sections. Try to keep your colors separated and spread out the green colored vegetables. I like to use a green vegetable, then a colored vegetable and then another green vegetable and so forth as I go around my tray. Leave an opening in the center of your tray for your vegetable dip.

Once you have all your vegetables onto the tray, its time to garnish the tray.

Garnish Ideas:

If you are using a flat serving tray, you can separate your vegetable sections by laying a celery stick between each section. I like to add some additional color by garnishing with green and black olives, purple cabbage curls, radish shaped flowers or even a few green and red grapes.

Here is a great dip recipe.

Dill Weed Vegetable Dip Recipe

1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. dill weed
1 tbsp. parsley
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. minced onion

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Chill for several hours before serving. Serve with raw vegetables. Makes 2 cups.

Shelly Hill has been working from home since 1989 in Direct Sales and is a Manager with Tupperware. This article is copyright 2009 by Shelly Hill.