Garden Party 2013

Remember Garden Party?  We have a progressive dinner with two other couples and rotate courses from house to house.  It's always a summertime highlight, it's always elegant, and it's always a 5 star quality dinner.

Well, we get tired too.  We get busy too.  We sell farms, remodel our homes, have kids home for the summer and sometimes even this elite foodie group calls it quits.

So, that said, Garden Party 2013 is a bit different than past years.

It was a potluck.  We each kept our assigned course and we cheated.

Big time cheated!

We went to the farm, Karen brought the centerpiece because she had already made it for our usual style of Garden PaRtY.  Shelly still brought out real dishes to the barn because we aren't that pathetic that we'd use paper.  No tablecloth this year, we were slummin'.  Vern was still in his swimming trunks when we arrived.  It was a casual Garden Party.

 The weather was beautiful, we had our appetizers out by the pool, they were served by Mark and Karen.

They served Sangria from a box, and a nice selection of appetizers from Trader Joes and Cash and Carry.

 Hubby and I served main course in the barn.  We served a leftovers style dinner with leftover BBQ tri-tip that we had in the freezer from reunion, sliced thin on slider buns with a nice selection of Kraft BBQ sauces, corn salad made from leftover corn from the night before, and ruffle potato chips with ready made french onion dip.  We served a red meritage wine from Barbed Wire.

 Vern and Shelly served chocolate peanut butter pie and blueberry pie ala mode purchased from Bellewood Acres.  It was served with a espesso hazelnut vodka over ice.

 While it wasn't swanky the friends were still great, the food was actually good, the setting was beautiful, the weather perfect and we had entertainment from the Abbotsford Airshow.

Karen's flowers were a hit and I hope to get a lesson.

 As for 2013, we get tired too, it's all we got, folks.  

Rest assured, we will be back next year in all of our glory!

Zwielbelkucken Recipe

I made a German Onion Cake for Garden Party this year.  It is traditionally eaten in the Fall with the new wines.  It was the easy part of the appetizers for me this year, so I thought I'd share.  It is a nice September recipe to eat with the bounty of the garden and enjoy with the new wines.

*For once in my life... I followed the recipe instructions!

If you look closely at the photo below you can see it in the background, I placed it on a cake stand and garnished it with nasturtiums. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups onions, coarsely chopped ( 3 large)
• 2 tablespoons butter ( 1/4 stick)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 3/4-1 cup milk
• 1 eggs, well beaten
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1. In medium skillet, saute the onions in butter over low heat until they just begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
2. Season with 1/4 tsp of the salt, the marjoram and the pepper.
3. Set aside to cool.
4. Preheat oven to 450°F.
5. In a food processor bowl place flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and the remaining salt; mix.
6. Add the shortening and process just until it is the texture of soft crumbs.
7. Add the milk and mix quickly to form a soft dough.
8. Oil a 10 inch round cake pan and lightly use your fingers to spread the dough out evenly.
9. Spread the cooked onion over the top.
10. Beat the egg and sour cream together.

11. Spoon the mixture over the onion, and spread it out to the very edge of the pan.
12. Sprinkle lightly with poppy seeds and paprika.
13. Bake for 20 minutes.
14. Let cool slightly, then cut into wedges.

Garden Party 2012 Sparkling Dessert

 We always say that dessert is all about the lighting.  Mark and Karen created such a gorgeous table with sparkle and candle light that it left me speechless.  Everything was clear glass,candles, white flowers and water and white dishes reflecting and shimmering in the night.  It was challenging as the breeze picked up.

 Karen baked butter cookies and painted them with edible silver glittter and vodka for take home favors.  

Hearts and poodles!  Their dog, Shadow is a standard poodle.

The menu cards read as follows:

Dessert Bites

Mixed Berry almond cobbler, Chocolate cake with Almond cream filling, Cherry chip Amaretto ice cream tiramisu tipper, Shadow Butter cookies, cookie brittle, amaretto Florentines, Assorted chocolates, 

Orange blossom Muscat, Coffee.  

Textured paper and many fonts, pearls and shimmering flowers made for a pretty menu card.

There were bite sized treats for us to nibble arranged on crystal cake stands.

 Karen had glass candle stands, glass paperweights, bottle stoppers, glass insulators, crystal bowls and glass votive candle holders, all clear and sparkling in the candle light.

The round paperweight belonged to Mark's grandfather and was blown for him by a fellow chemist.

 My view on the patio is a peek at their cozy, sweet patio.  Wouldn't  you love to curl up on the sofa with a cup of coffee and a good book in this cheerful spot?

 Every single bite of the Dessert Bites was delicious.  Everything was baked and made from scratch including the ice cream.  No one bakes like Karen.  She is the best baker I know and I aspire to her level of baking.  In the left corner you can see the tiramisu tipper, it was served in a darling, tiny glass and was crazy good.

 It was another wonderful Garden Party year for everyone.  Every year I think it can't get any better than the year prior.  But it does.  Every. Year. Better. and Better.

Thank you, dear friends.

Garden Party 2012 Main Course at the Farm

 Vern and Shelly hosted main course at the farm.  We sat in a boxwood walled garden room off the kitchen. Shelly used old canning jars filled with purple and violet hydrangeas and candles.  They were hanging from galvanized piping planted in big pots of lavender with crystal butterflies and flowers twisted and vining over the piping.

 The dinner table was set with Shelly's Mom's Lily of the Valley china with purple glass accents.

 The menu place cards were wrapped around our silver and purple napkins and then tied with a pretty polka dot  ribbon.  The menu read as follows: 

fresh green pea soup with grape salsa, apple and arugula salad, prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin with blueberry-balsamic sauce, mashed sweet potatoes with lime chipotle topped with zucchini blossom, oven roasted vegetables... fennel, asparagus and haricot verts.

 I love to see the barn and the silo in the background of the photos.  A sweet reminder of the farm and the farmers, where we all get our food.

 Hubby and I were relaxing, our course is finished and all that is left is to enjoy.

The pea soup with grape salsa was delicious and so pretty served in a Lily of the Valley china teacup. 

 Their main course was gorgeous, it makes my mouth water to see it in the photo.  Stuffed zucchini blossoms are labor intensive and pretty.  The lime chipotle sweet potatoes had a spicy kick that went beautifully with the tender pork.  Everything was so delicious.

 Hops were twined through the center of the table's centerpiece for an added depth.

 I loved the dripping candles and the wax falling on the hops.

 As we dined, laughed and visited at the farm the Summer light grew dim I could see a glimpse of my favorite, Fall light, to come in the next season.

The quote on the menu cards sums it up for us.

"let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom" -marcel proust

Dessert will be posted early afternoon today.

Garden Party 2012 Appetizers

 Appetizers were at our home this year.  We decided to celebrate our prolific fig tree.  I found a beautiful tablecloth featuring figs at Williams Sonoma in January, then I kept my eyes open for ideas and small touches for our table.  Small purple plates and chargers amped up dishes that I already owned.

Each year I  incorporate a cooking technique that I haven't tried before, this year I canned jam for favors.

The fig jam and peach jam sealed.  I added a piece of silver stamped with each guest's name for their place setting.

Dahlias, fresh figs, foxgloves and black berries were used on the table.   Since there was a grey band on the tablecloth I incorporated silver on the water and cocktail glasses and the jar lids and bands on the jam. 

 In June I planted the patio pots, keeping in mind Garden Dinner 2012, using fig and peach jam colored plants.

 Each year I like to get a picture of our guests, it's so fun to get the party started because the work is finished and all that is left is to enjoy!  We have so much fun preparing, planning, keeping secrets and then it's here and we get to share with our dear friends.

 The gourg`eres didn't photograph very well but they were pretty in real life.  A gourg`ere is a savory puff pastry.  We used mango chutney with ham and dried cherries and golden raisins in the filling.  The Asian meatballs were made with ground veal and pork sausage, with a hoisin and blackberry jam glaze.  The tartlets with puff pastry had Brie and fig jam.   I also made some using peach jam.  Later I'll post the recipe for Zwiebelkucken, it's a German onion cake recipe, I got this dish idea from our librarian, Chris.

 The quinoa salad was refreshing served with the sake chicken skewers.

 Our finish, the bramble berry jelly was made with black berry brandy and grape gelatin on the top, for the clear layer it was gelatin with gin that had been marinated with lemon juice and lemon hulls.

 Behind the scenes, we used flowers, mint and basil for garnish.  Hubby squeezed 32 fresh limes for the basil gimlets.  We shopped, gathered,  taste tested, sipped and critiqued, chopped, diced, squeezed, mixed, baked, boiled, baked and enjoyed every step.  I learned new techniques.  We worked frantically until the minute our guest arrived and then we relax and enjoy good food and good friends.

Main course at the farm coming up next.