Spring Crudité & Buttermilk-Pepper Dip: Finger Food for a Baby Shower

Happy first day of Spring! According to the calendar, today marks the end of winter, although if you stepped out of my patio doors you’d still be knee-deep in snow.

So alright, forget about the frozen Canadian climate, there are other signs that show spring has indeed arrived. Clues like new life. And babies.

Today’s post is a very special one. I’m delighted to be part of a warm and loving group of girls who are throwing a virtual baby shower for a friend who is due any minute.

Amanda, baker, mommy — Happy Baby Shower!

Dear readers, if you are not yet acquainted with the fabulously talented Amanda of I am Baker, then I suggest you fill a plate with party food (menu below!) and head on over to introduce yourself. Her elegant baking blog is full of handy tutorials and incredibly original creations that will leave you shaking your head in amazement.

Aside from baker extraordinaire, Amanda is mother to three-soon-to-be four little ones, who photographs expertly, homeschools orderly, cooks creatively and writes candidly about it all at I am Mommy. What a girl. We want to wish her the very best for the birth ahead and this new chapter in her life.

Now, who’s hungry?


All photos by Tim Chin*

Individual Spring Crudité

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been a teeny bit bored at a baby shower. What? Just me? OK, I’ll admit it, if there’s no darling newborn to pass around, the highlight of the event is often the food.

Today, 17 of my food blogging friends and I bring our ultimate baby shower menu to you. Follow the links at the bottom of the post to discover what we’ve been cooking up!

For my contribution, I’ve made handy little individual crudité cups with a tangy dip. Now you no longer have to be within arm’s reach of the veggies & dip or stand in line at the food table to satiate your munchies. Instead, procure an individual crudité-in-a-glass from the closest tray and get your greens before you even think about storming the sweet table.

Vegetables

Really, you can serve any kind of suitable dipping vegetables. For this baby shower, I’ve gone with pale, spring green tones to symbolize new life! Don’t they look like new shoots, poking up from the snowy ground?

  • Endive. Pale green or purple. Remove outer leaves and discard, then separate leaves
  • Celery. Wash well, then slice in half lengthwise. Cut into sections.
  • Yellow baby carrots. Scrub well, then slice lengthwise into thin strips.
  • Yellow bell pepper. Wash well, then cut in half, remove core, and cut into matchsticks.
  • Baby asparagus. Blanch in boiling water for two minutes, then drain and cool. Trim to desired length.
  • Mini cucumber. Wash well. Slice lengthwise and trim to desired length.

Do-Ahead: Vegetables can be cut the day before. To store, place in an airtight container and cover with a damp towel or cloth napkin. Close lid tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Buttermilk-Black Pepper Dip

Homemade mayonnaise, plenty of fresh black pepper and a splash of tangy buttermilk make this simple dip the perfect accompaniment to spring vegetables. It’s also an ideal base dip, should you choose to personalize it with blue cheese, fresh herbs, or your favorite add-in.

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk well.
  2. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper accordingly.

Do-ahead: Dip can be made up to three days in advance. Store in an airtight container and give it a vigorous stir before serving.

Assembly

Once your vegetables and dip are prepped, it’s time to assemble the glasses. This could be done up to an hour in advance and the glasses refrigerated, but it really doesn’t take much time.

Equipment

  • Tray
  • Small glasses or shot glasses. Small plastic wine glasses could also work.
  • Small funnel
  • Ladle
  1. Place your glasses on one large or several small trays.
  2. Using the funnel and a small ladle, pour a small amount of dip into the bottom of each glass.
  3. Arrange vegetable sticks evenly among the glasses and serve.

Variation: These individual crudités from Martha Stewart are served in hollowed out baguette sections, making for a container that is meant to be eaten.

Find out what else is on the table at this virtual baby shower:

Drinks

Savory Bites

Desserts

Last But Not Least

  • Wenderly – A Bundle of Bebe Cards for the Bundle of Joy


*Props and thanks to Tim & Angela Chin who were around to photograph (and eat) my crudité. Say hi to them on their photography blog.

What do you like to make for a baby or wedding shower?

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68 Comments

  1. Oh Aimee this recipe looks fabulous, but your presentation is even more fantastic!! I LOVE the idea of adding a little dip to all the cups!!!

    Amanda’s going to be SO surprised!!

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  3. What a sweet idea. Lucky Amanda!

    I like to serve fruit kebobs and mini scones with clotted cream and preserves at showers. Anything that doesn’t requires utensils, like your dip, works for me.

  4. Whoa! I am loving these individual servings! Awesome! I have never seen anything like it and it really stands out! Yay! I feel like I really am at the baby shower!! ♥- Katrina

  5. First, that is the most adorable way to serve crudite that I have ever seen. I can see other variations on the individual cups, like hummus or herbed goat cheese.

    Secondly, I happen to have all the ingredients for the buttermilk dip on hand right now, and I’m making this today for afternoon snack. I’m sure it will be a big hit around here.

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  7. AIMEE!!! I LOVE THESE!!! I have never seen such a gorgeous and thoughtful and practical presentation… just WOW!!! I could seriously eat like seven cups. You are such a genius!

    THANK YOU SO much for the kind words… I had to re-read your post a few times because the tears kept blurring my vision… I dont deserve such amazing and thoughtful friends like you!!! You have NO idea how much this has touched me!!!

    THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

    LOVE you!
    Amanda

  8. Such a beautiful presentation for a beautiful young woman. Amanda is so deserving of this wonderful *virtual shower* and all you ladies are such great friends to hold it for her.

  9. What a yummy idea!! Perfect balance to all the sweets. And who knew that veggies could be so CUTE?! LOVE it.

  10. Aimee, you are such a smarty pants putting these in individual glasses! They do look like spring shoots, and I love that there’s no threats of a double dipper! Haha. You’re a genius, doll.

  11. I’m back again. I just wanted to say that we are eating this right now, and my four year old said “it’s better than good–it’s extra good!” We made it super peppery, and it’s so yummy.

  12. Amiee ~ not only is the recipe delicious and spot on, the presentation is so much fun and a refreshing break from the usual ranch dressing w/a tray of crudite. well done!

  13. Those individual cups are Simply Brilliant! An excellent party idea to get people away from the food table, but still eating the food. Love it!

    For baby showers, we like to serve wine! Helps to have the shower “post baby” so mama can have a few sips. =) The post-baby shower also avoids the need for silly games because the new mama sharing her birth story and the new bundle of joy appropriately steel the show.

  14. That is just about the prettiest hors d’oeuvres plate I’ve seen in I don’t know how long! Gotta click through the other great recipes…this will be bookmarked for potential wedding reception ideas, for sure. 🙂

  15. Hey, Aimee!

    I’ve just came across your blog. Wow! Great resource – I bookmarked it to “study” later 🙂

    But regarding this post, I must say these photos are stunning. I read the post, then just went back and indulged in admiring the photos, lol…Yummy!!

    Thanks for dedicating the time to create such well designed posts, both in terms of content and appearance!