A crazy-easy, goes-with-any-veggie dip that can be made ten minutes or three days before your guests arrive.
A beautiful platter of fresh vegetables served with a great dip is all you need to get a party started. Friends and drinks don’t hurt. This lemon and garlic aioli is super simple to pull off, it compliments a variety of raw and blanched vegetables and it fits in just as well at a laid back summer happy hour as it does a holiday cocktail party. This is one you will make over and over again.
Isn’t aioli just fancy mayonnaise? Basically. Technically, aioli sometimes refers to a specific sauce (olive oil and garlic emulsion with no egg yolks) but more often than not is used to describe seasoned mayonnaise. In this case, lemon, garlic, more garlic and tabasco.
Play up the theme of your gathering by choosing color-specific vegetables. For Valentine’s Day, go all in with red, pink and purple vegetables. Easter calls for a rainbow of pastels.
As much as I love things wrapped in bacon, sometimes the occasion calls for something a little lighter or perhaps quicker and easier to prepare. A crudités spread can be customized to compliment whatever you are serving for dinner. Set it alongside a charcuterie and cheese board and your apps are done. All of your friends’ dietary restrictions, real and preferred, are met with something they can enjoy as you sip on your drinks and catch up.
Go for high-quality real mayonnaise here. And the recipe proportions are just a starting point. As is, each of the handful of ingredients comes through in a big way with just a touch of sugar for balance. Add a splash more lemon if desired or amp up the spice with more Tabasco.
My go-to vegetables:
- Persian cucumbers, quartered
- grape or cherry tomatoes (on the vine if you can find them)
- cauliflower (all the colors!)
- raw zucchini, shaved with a y-peeler and rolled up
- bell peppers sliced into rings or strips
- Belgian endive, quartered or whole leaves separated
- radishes, halved or quartered
- multi-colored carrots, cut into long spears
- blanched asparagus
- sugar snap peas
Enjoy! This one is a keeper.
Crudités with Lemon Garlic Aioli
Adapted from epicurious
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 5 garlic cloves, put through a garlic press or grated on a microplane
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- paprika and/or fresh herbs to garnish (optional)
- selection of fresh vegetables for dipping
Instructions
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Whisk the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, sugar, and Tabasco together in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust ingredients as needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, preferably several hours or overnight. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and/or chopped fresh chives or parsley. Serve with your favorite fresh vegetables.
MAKE AHEAD: Aioli can be kept covered in the refrigerator for a week.
Recipe Notes
Go for high-quality real mayonnaise here. And the recipe proportions are just a starting point. As is, each of the ingredients comes through in a big way with just a touch of sugar for balance. Add a splash more lemon if desired or amp up the spice with more Tabasco.
***If you have a severe gluten allergy or sensitivity or otherwise are serious about eliminating gluten from your diet, always check your labels carefully and buy certified gluten free products.
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