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How To Create a Crudite Platter for Summer Entertaining



One of my favorite appetizers to enjoy in the Summer (well, anytime really, but especially Summer) is a crudite platter.  Fresh, raw veggies is a light appetizer and perfect for the Summer when it is too hot to cook.  In Arizona we try to avoid turning on the oven in the Summer, because we live in an oven. The perfect pairing for crudite? Wine. Sequoia Grove Winery asked me to provide summer entertaining ideas using their wine and I knew exactly what I would make.

Best Tips for How to Make a Crudite Platter

Keep your veggies cold
.  I serve straight from the refrigerator on top of a bowl of ice.

Dips.  I like to use a black olive dip and tzatski.  Other options are ranch or another favorite salad dressing of yours for dipping.

Wine.  Serve with chilled white wine.  Sequioa Grove’s Chardonnay is a delicious pairing.

To keep the white wine chilled, I made floral ice cubes.  Since I was not using the floral ice cubes in any drinks and just for looks, you can use any flower petal.  If you wish to use the floral ice cubes in drinks, be sure to check out that your flower is edible and use pesticide free!

A simple way to make floral ice cubes is using a mini muffin pan! I love the shape so much better than an ice cube tray!

Color!  We eat with our eyes first.  Pick colorful vegetables for your platter! Instead of white cauliflower, I used orange. Beets, radishes, and heirloom carrots are vibrant picks that taste delicious with the dips.  Step away from the typical orange carrots and celery crudite- add interesting veggies to your platter!
Quality.  We are pretty much relying on the veggie to provide the deliciousness and therefore, we want quality ingredients.  Try to use organic when possible and the freshest vegetables available. The lettuce and tomatoes in our crudite platter was plucked out of my garden!
While you are enjoying your appetizer, decant your red wine for dinner.  Or have it with the crudite.  If you have been on A Bubbly Life long enough, you know that I enjoy red wine with everything. Sequoia Grove’s Cabernet Sauvignon is phenomenal.  Keep it for every dinner.  Im obsessed and this post is going to end up costing me a fortune because I am gonna buy a ton of it.








Visit Sequoia Grove on Facebook & Twitter & Instagram & in Napa Valley- in one of the last Sequoia sempervirens- in a 110 year old barn- with 18 acres of vines. All the heart eyes and glasses raised!


Post sponsored by Sequoia Grove Winery.  All opinions are my own and thank you for supporting sponsors that keep A Bubbly Life going!

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