Pinterest and Presentation

Like every other female, I spend a decent amount of time browsing Pinterest for party ideas. A lot of times, the ideas fall into two categories: cheesy, as in the case of food cut in goofy shapes for a holiday (you know, like a Christmas tree shaped vegetable platters or green dyed cupcake), or completely unrealistic. Once, I saw tiny individual lunch bags, cut with pinking shears and stamped with a little design, used to serve a tiny handful of potato chips. Was it adorable? Of course. But how many of us out there are going to go through that much effort for potato chips? 

Or take the appetizers served on individual spoons idea- what host has 30+ little spoons to dish out a deviled egg on? And then as a guest, what do you do with your spoon when you're done eating?

So today I thought I'd share some of my favorite realistic inspiration- things that are executable by the average hostess, and beneficial for the guests.

My favorite is this idea for a summer clambake- three big buckets make for easy cleanup, and give a perfect rustic, summer look to your party. The containers really suit the theme.

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I liked this photo of a make your own sandwich bar, probably because I do a lot of "make your own" parties, but also because it seems like a party a real person might throw. Things on Pinterest are usually so perfect they make you feel bad about yourself! But this is attractive, yet still easily accomplishable

I like how all of the ingredients are grouped, organized, and neatly presented, especially the rolls in the lined basket. The only thing I'd change would be to decant the feta and mustard into bowls or squeeze bottles- I hate serving anything in it's original grocery store packaging.

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I really love this cheeseboard. It's easy to put together- three large wedges of cheese, a bunch of grapes, a spilled handful of almonds. Plus it's adaptable- swap out the marble board for slate, or a wooden cutting board, or whatever you have. If you forget to buy flowers, fill a drinking glass with tall grissini and there's your height element. Just make sure you remember cheese knives and make the first cut- no guest ever wants to be the first to cut into something! 

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Another idea to change up your buffet display is to use height, instead of reaching for a big, flat platter. Using a taller serving piece in an unconventional way, like this tiered tray used for a s'mores bar, adds a lot of visual interest. This idea could easily be adapted for various breads for a crostini bar, or as another way to serve fruit.  

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Finally, I think one of the best ways to up your presentation game is to have drinks presented nicely. The easiest way to do that is to fill a glass pitcher, and add sliced fruit or herbs to it- and it's much easier and faster than Pinterest's other idea, dipping individual glass rims in colored sugar.  

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What are your favorite tricks for presentation?

Arranging a Bagels and Lox Platter

 

New Year's Day is the perfect day for a lazy brunch with friends, to sit around in PJs and recap the events of the night before. It's also the perfect time for a bagel spread- what hungover hostess wants to spend the morning cooking? All you'll have to do New Year's Day is pick up the bagels and arrange the toppings on a platter- easy!

So today I figured I'd share my tips for making your bagel platter look a little nicer.

1. Arrange all your toppings neatly. Fold your smoked salmon slices in half and line them up. Line up your tomato, red onion, and lemon slices (if using) next to that. It's neater looking and easier to pick up.

 

2. I love using radicchio to make bowls to hold toppings. I saw this tip on an episode of Barefoot Contessa.  All you have to do is cut the core from a head of raddicchio, remove the two outler leaves, and fit them into each other to make a bowl. You can fill that with your cream cheese, whitefish, whatever.

 

3. Finally, I like to fill in any empty spaces with bunches of fresh parsley or dill. A little green alwasy makes everything look better.

 

Raddicchio Bowl

 

If you need to take up more room, you can put some bagels on the platter. Otherwise, just pile them in a big bowl lined with a napkin.

 

  

Simple and effective! What are your favorite presentation tricks?

Fall Entertaining Favorites

Today, I have a roundup of some elegant fall entertaining items. I have plain white dinnerware, and I love updating it seasonally by adding new linens or a fresh serving platter. I'm especially obsessed with the table runner below, which would look great set against those gold chargers. And the bronze tiered tray is perfect for Thanksgiving appetizers or dessert. And I had to include a Lenox platter- the Autumn pattern is my mom's wedding china, and I love it for the fall.

Gold napkin ring, $2.95, Pier One

 Decorative pumpkin, $9.95,  Pier One

 “Autumn” serving platter, $279, Lenox

Cake stand, $45, Martha Stewart 

Table runner, $25, World Market

Gold charger plates, $9.99 for 6, Bed Bath and Beyond

Red Cambria dinnerware, $32-$115, Pottery Barn

Mustard napkins, $9.99 for 6 World Market

Tiered serving tray, $40, Pier One

 “Gratitude” script placemat, $5.95, Pier One

Presentation: Caprese Salad

It’s been said a lot and I have to agree: you eat with your eyes first. A five star meal doesn’t stand out as much if you serve it in a fast food way. My mom loves to tell the story of my grandmother’s friend Josephine, who was fond of serving crappy cuts of meat and chicken at dinner parties.

 “Josephine made shit, but always put it out on her best china platters and set a nice table, and everyone loved it! Meanwhile your aunt Millie was the best cook, but no one ever commented because she would just dump it from the pan onto a plate.”

Thanks to food blogs and Pinterest, I think people, at least unconsciously, pay more attention to how food looks. So many of my friends have “Entertaining” pin boards, which feature nothing but elegantly arranged cheese boards and cute little appetizer buffets.

 

So I thought I’d start a series of posts called Presentation, where I’ll highlight easy ways to make your dishes look better. The focus will be on simple tricks, so that you don’t spend as much time arranging as you did cooking. I’ll post whenever I have ideas, and to start, here’s a pretty way to serve the classic Caprese Salad.

 
 Here’s my tips:

• Try using various colored tomatoes. I went with red and yellow heirlooms, but I think adding in Green Zebras would make a big impact too.  Use a mix of large tomatoes and small cherry ones too, as the flavor is different, and the visual impact is better.
• When serving large groups, I use Belgioso mozzarella cheese. It comes pre-sliced, which makes life easier, and since you can purchase a double pack in Sam’s Club for around $10, it’s also cost-effective. Of course, if you live near a good Italian deli, get their fresh mutz, or spring for delicious, creamy burrata.
• To assemble, slice your tomatoes about the same size as your cheese. Going around your platter in concentric circles, place a slice of tomato, slice of cheese, slice of basil, over and over till you’ve filled it in. Add some halved cherry tomatoes and torn basil leaves in the center.  The platter can be assembled a couple of hours ahead at this point.
• Garnish just before serving- use loads of fresh basil, big pieces of flaky sea salt, and a bright olive oil. My dad buys me fancy balsamic for my birthday each year, so I added a few drops of that as well.