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| Serving my cream of pumpkin soup from my copper bain-marie which I mentioned in my earlier blog- "How it all began/Searching for ingredients." The three cyclinders hold the soup.The vessel they sit in is a water bath, which is kept warm by the sterno pot below it. It all sits in a wonderful holder with brass trim and handles. photo by Chichi Ubina www.chichiubina.com for Greenwich magazine |
Into The Woods
It was a crisp early fall day in 2000 .I was preparing a dinner to be featured in the Entertaining section of Greenwich magazine. The theme of the dinner, Into the Woods. Fall inspired the décor and menu.
The color palette, straight from nature. Orange, ochre, burgundy. The accessories, also nature inspired. Woodland moss, branches, twigs, leaves, dried grape vines, abandoned birds' nests, pumpkins, apples and pears.
We gathered outdoors for hors d’oeuvres and the first course, cream of pumpkin soup.The tables were covered in tapestry draped over burlap. Fine bone china was used to make the woodsy setting elegant. Each rustic wood seat had a burgundy colored velvet pillow. The backdrop, a field of wild grasses and trees with the changing leaves of fall.
The dinner continued indoors at sunset, taking the woods with us.
The dining table was covered, in woodland moss, plates cozily nestled at each place setting. Twig topiaries alternating with candles that resembled tree branches . Birds' nests at each place holding a name card.
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| Drawing from my journal, year: 2000. This shows the table set outdoors, with tapestry over burlap. Bone china soup and saucer. Rust colored linen napkins tied with twig cord. |
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| menu page from my journal, year: 2000 The Menu (in case it's hard to read from my journal above) Gravlax with Creme Fraiche and Black Caviar (sevruga) on Toast Points Gravlax is Scandanavian for cured raw salmon. It's cured in it's marinating herbs and spices for 48 hours with a mixture of sugar, kosher salt, fresh bunches of dill, and white peppercorns. Easy to make and absolutely delicious! Batter Fried Sage Leaves Olive Tapenade on Grilled Garlic Baguette Rounds Cream of Pumpkin Soup White wine: 1998 Montagny 1st Cru, La Grande Roche, Louis Latour Deviled Cornish Hens Fried Julienned Sweet Potatoes, Leeks and Eggplant Skins Bill's Haricots Verts My husbands recipe for French green beans. Red wine: 1995 Aloxe-Corton 1st Cru, "Clos du Chapitre", Cote d'Or, France Cheese Course: Banon, Vacheron Mont d'Or, Chabichou, Morbier Dessert: Chocolate-covered Poached Pears  Setting the table indoors with the outdoors. Moss covered table, tree branch candles, pears, birds' nests' and twig topiaries. Photo: chichiubina.com for Greenwich magazine. |
The recipes for the fried sage leaves and the chocolate- covered poached pears are below. If you would like recipes for the Gravlax, the Cream of Pumpkin Soup or the Deviled Cornish Hens , please post a request in comments at the bottom of this blog and I'll be happy to list them. I will also take a photo of the Deviled Cornish Hens I am making for a dinner party on Octomber 8th and post it soon after!
Batter Fried Sage Leaves recipe:
serves 6-8
serves 6-8
The batter:
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour sifted
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 extra large eggs separated
¼ cup vodka
1 cup cold water
about 25 fresh sage leaves, washed and patted dry
vegetable oil- enough to reach 1” in a deep fryer
In a large bowl, add one at a time, the flour, salt, pepper, olive oil, egg yolks, vodka and water. Stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Cover the bowl and let batter stand in a cool place for about 2 hours.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer until very hot. While the oil is heating, beat the 2 egg whites until stiff.
Fold them into the batter and mix gently until completely incorporated. Holding each sage leaf by the stem, dip into batter, and fry about 30 seconds until puffy and golden brown. Using a spider strainer, remove the sage fritters to a paper towel–lined
cookie tray. Arrange on a platter with fresh sage bouquets and wedges of lemon.
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| I found this piece of tree bark in the flower district in NYC and I wrapped it around a vase. | You can find Natural Tree Bark vases online at event or floral supply stores. I also like Jamali, located in NYC's floral district. Luckily, you can find them online if you can't make the trip. http://www.jamaligarden.com/ They have moss, birds' nests, birds, and vines! |
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| My chocolate covered poached pears sit on a layer of fresh lemon leaves. Lemon leaves can be purchased at any florist shop (they usually have them on hand or else they can order them for you). Chocolate Covered Poached Pears Serves 6 Recipe from Maurice Moore-Betty's Cooking for Occasions 1971 1 cup sugar 4 cups water juice of one lemon 2 cinnamon sticks 6 whole cloves 6 Anjou or Comice pears with stems attached 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate 4 ounces semisweet chocolate 8 tablespoons sweet butter, softened lemon leaves crystallized mint leaves for garnish To Poach Pears: In a large saucepan, large enough to hold the pears, dissolve sugar in water. Add lemon juice and spices, bring to a simmer and covere 10-15 minutes. Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact. Cut a slice off bottom of pears so they can stand upright. Poach the pears gently for 40 minutes or until they are tender when pierced. Cool the pears in the poaching syrup and chill overnight in their syrup. Note: You can poach the pears 2 days ahead and keep them in their syrup in the refrigerator until ready to dip in chocolate. Chocolate Glaze: Melt chocolates in a bowl set over simmering water. Stir in the butter until thoroughly incorporated and melted and smooth. Remove pears from syrup, gently pat dry with paper towels. Have your serving platter ready and covered with lemon leaves if using. Holding a pear gently by its stem, lower the pear into the chocolate mixture. Lift each pear and let excess chocolate drip off. Arrange lemon leaves on a serving dish and garnish each pear with a crystallized mint leaf. Let the chocolate set for 45 minutes or put the platter into the refrigerator for up to 36 hours. My next blog will be on Sunday, October 9th. Hope to hear from you. And, start Entertaining! |
