I love impromptu dinner parties with the neighbors, family and friends but sometimes a little extra planning makes a wonderful dinner go into ‘over the top’ and truly memorable. The differences are all in the details and having the time set aside to make sure they come together. My suggestion is always to have a theme! And no it doesn’t have to be pirates or unicorns, although that is fun too! Sometimes your napkin selection, a favorite dress or clipping out of a magazine can the the inspiration that ties is all together. In this case, it was love. So I choose a few pinks, and then grounded it with some clean black and white. (And I maybe love me some Kate Spade :)
Above is the table all set and ready for guests to walk in the door. I took the time to add Menu and Place Cards to each setting so guests would feel they had a carefully selected spot and knew what to expect for the evening. Since dinner was the event I kept everything central to the dining room.
Creating the setup and look was easy because I spent some time outlining what I planned to do and focused on what I needed to make that happen. Since dinner was the event I wanted the table to express the extras that are often neglected in a more casual setting. So beyond the menu and place cards were the additional little details like salt cellars at each seat and the more impactful fresh flowers.
Printed Menus Cards up their game with some easy to add ribbon and floral detail. I found all the accouterments in the scrap book aisle at the local craft store.
Spending a few minutes to lay out the cards and then the table make creating and setup a breeze when it comes time to production. After I laid this one out I decided the card needed something more so I added the paper flowers to each menu.
Laying out the table also helps to make sure you have enough space for everyone and everything. As well as it allows you to know things like how many flowers to buy the morning of the party.
And voila! Ready for guests!
Now it time to show off some of the food we enjoyed that night (I know you read the menu already!) :)
The Menu was a combination of things I thought the Guest of Honor would enjoy and some recipes I wanted to try out. Nonetheless, nothing was an experiment that day! I had tried everything fully or at least the individual components the week or so before. It is no fun to being trying to figure something out for the first time with the added pressure of guests on their way (that is pressure enough!).
Simple but refreshing salad to open up your taste buds for the meal! Spring Mix with Yellow and Red Cherry Tomatoes and Crumbled Feta. Dressing was a Balsamic Vinaigrette.
This was a modification of a full tart to make them individually for each person. Puffed Pastry with a ricotta lemon base and squash and zucchini florets on top. Baked and thoroughly enjoyed!
Here is the complete plate with the pork, blood orange glaze and fresh blood orange slice on the plate, fingerling potatoes and the vegetable floret tart.
And then of course there is dessert! I mean it is a Birthday Party for crying out loud! I could not decide between cake and another amazing dessert and since the GOH loves to eat on the lighter and fresh side, I decided it was worth doing both!
I know this really doesn’t look like much here. It seems to be on the boring side from the outside but trust me it is an explosion of flavor and fun in your mouth! This is a Black Russian Bundt Cake complete with a liqueur glaze soaked into the cake :)
Now this… this was the start of the show! This is a traditional Pavlova. (I am not sure why I was so Russian influenced when it came to dessert for the party but here we are!) This is delicately baked meringue that is stacked with fresh berries and whipped cream right before devouring.
The highlight reel.
That’s a wrap!