DIPS AND SALSAS

DIPS AND SALSAS ARE THE MOST BASIC party food. Put out a bowl of tomato salsa and chips or some creamy spinach dip and vegetables and most people will be satisfied. Cooks generally focus on the dip and don't give the accompaniments much thought. Chips are a given, but flatbreads and crackers work equally well. As for vegetables, we find that platters of raw broccoli and cauliflower are often inedible.

In our testing, we found the preparation of vegetables for crudités to be essential. There are two key elements: how the vegetable is sliced and whether or not it should be blanched (cooked briefly in salted boiling water) to make the texture more palatable and to improve its flavor.

The information that follows details the findings of our testing. When deciding which vegetables to use together for crudités, consider these factors: First and foremost, use what's in season and looks good at the market. Second, choose a variety of colors. A platter consisting entirely of green vegetables is not as attractive as a platter of green, white, yellow, orange, and red vegetables. Last, consider the texture of the vegetables. Crunchy, hard carrots work well with crisp, juicy bell peppers and soft cherry tomatoes.

Each of the preparations listed below yields about three cups of vegetables. Plan on serving 12 cups of vegetables with any of the dip recipes that follow. This translates to an average of four vegetables for a crudités platter to accompany a single dip.

ASPARAGUS: Snap tough ends from 12 ounces asparagus. Blanch in boiling salted water until bright green, 20 to 30 seconds. Drain, shock in ice water, drain again, and pat dry.

BROCCOLI: Cut florets from 1 small bunch (about 1 pound) into bite-sized pieces. Blanch in boiling salted water until bright green, about 1 minute. Drain, shock in ice water, drain again, and pat dry.

CARROTS: Blanch ³/₄ pound baby carrots in boiling salted water until bright orange, about 15 seconds. Drain, shock in ice water, drain again, and pat dry.

CAULIFLOWER: Cut florets from ¹/₂ medium head (about 1 pound) into bite-sized pieces. Blanch in boiling salted water until slightly tender, about 1 minute. Drain, shock in ice water, drain again, and pat dry.

CELERY: Trim ends from 4 medium stalks (about ¹/₂ pound). Cut stalks in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 3-inch lengths.

GREEN BEANS: Trim ends from 8 ounces thin green beans. Blanch in boiling salted water until bright green, 15 to 20 seconds. Drain, shock in ice water, drain again, and pat dry.

PEPPERS: Stem and seed 3 small red, yellow, or orange bell peppers. Cut into strips about 3 inches long and ³/₄ inch wide.

SUGAR SNAP PEAS: Remove ends and strings from 8 ounces sugar snap peas. Blanch in boiling salted water until bright green, about 15 seconds. Drain, shock in ice water, drain again, and pat dry.

TOMATOES: Stem 1 pound cherry tomatoes.