May 28, 2015
Summer is here and we are all looking for entertaining tips and hints for effortless, stress-free hosting. With an easy make-ahead menu, refreshing drinks and simple, sophisticated table setting ideas any hostess can feel relaxed, enjoy the great weather and the company of good friends.
For inspiration, check out Victoria Amory’s menu, below. Recipes are featured in Palm Beach Entertaining: Creating Occasions to Remember and I’ve included one of my favorites here, along with a few tips on hosting a relaxed gathering.
Menu for Eight:
Champagne and Pink Grapefruit Cocktail
Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Tarts
Turkish Eggplant and Yogurt Salad
Parsley and Walnut Salad
Orange and Red Onion Salad
Shrimp Skewers with Cumin & Honey
Chocolate Almond Cake
Hostess Tips
Summer entertaining is all about being relaxed. Shop your closets and use items from your home to set an interesting, casual, yet elegant table. Victoria has been known to repurpose golf trophies as silver mugs and her potted annuals add a casual elegance to “Lunch with the Ladies,” featured in Palm Beach Entertaining. Using objects you already have makes the table original and personal.
Almost everything on Victoria’s menu can be prepared the evening before your party and finished just before guests arrive! This allows for a stress free gathering the hostess can enjoy.
Using store-bought frozen puff pastry for the Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Tarts will save you the trouble of making dough and rolling it out. These tarts are so delicious no one will ever know.
Layer the Turkish Eggplant and Yogurt Salad in a shallow glass bowl and show off your layering skills! An easy way to elevate your table decor is to also layer your serving plates, so place the glass bowl on an attractive platter sprinkled with a few flowers from the garden.
Yield: Serves 8
Just as delicious as other flour-based cakes, this simple, four ingredient confection can be made ahead.
2 cups dark chocolate chips
5 extra-large eggs, separated
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1 cup ground almonds
Preheat oven to 350F and butter a 9-inch springform pan. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water until smooth.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until pale in color and double in volume. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Using a spatula, add the ground almonds to the egg and sugar mixture, and then stir the melted chocolate into the mixture. Fold in the egg whites in 2 batches and pour into the prepared pan.
Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the edges begin to separate from the pan and the center is jiggly. The cake will finish cooking as it cools. Place on a wire rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Remove the cake from the pan, transfer to a decorative plate and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
 | If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram with the #anniefalk so we can all see it! |
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