Crudités

An extremely attractive way to begin a meal—or to form the main body of a hot summer day’s luncheon—and one that always creates a particularly sympathetic atmosphere at table consists of presenting a large and colorful still life of seasonal vegetables, whole and raw when possible, peeled, sliced, grated, or chopped if necessary, garnished with peeled hard-boiled eggs and bouquets of fresh herbs—basil, dill, chervil, tarragon, hyssop, lemon thyme, leaf thyme (parsley and chives should be chopped and served in dishes apart). Oil, vinegar, lemon halves, a pitcher of heavy cream, mustard, and seasonings are served apart, and each guest fabricates his own salad or series of salads, seasoned to personal taste or whim (the lemon, cream, and dill are for small, firm cucumbers, the seeds still unformed, peeled and split in four, the sticks to be dipped in the sauce). The vegetables, depending on the season, may be chosen from tender young broad beans and young artichokes, quartered bulb fennel, celery hearts, Belgian endives, tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, Italian sweet green peppers, cauliflower (raw if tiny and sweet), parboiled green beans (which, like parboiled cauliflower, are marvelous rapidly drained and served alone, hot, accompanied by olive oil and lemon), freshly parboiled asparagus . . .