Tag: dinner party

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Recipes

Foodie Friday: Pear, chocolate & hazelnut tart

Bake this pear, chocolate & hazelnut tart for your next dinner party to send the guests home happy. This recipe uses RICO pears to bring a juicy edge to the delicious chocolate tart.

Pear, Chocolate & Hazelnut Tart

A decadent and rich chocolate dessert, perfect for a dinner party or weekend treat

  • Food Processor
  • Cling Film
  • Tart Pan
  • Large Bowl

Pastry Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups hazelnut meal
  • 1 1/3 cups whole spelt flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 125 g cold butter (cubed)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1-2 tbsp water

Filling Ingredients

  • 2-3 RICO Pears
  • cup cashew or almond butter
  • 1/3 cups maple syrup
  • 1/3 cups coconut sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cups almond milk
  • 50 g dark chocolate (melted)
  • 1/4 cup almond meal
  • 3 tbsp cacao
  • Pinch of salt

Pastry Method

  1. Place the hazelnut meal, flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse until combined

  2. Add the butter to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand

  3. Add in the egg yolk and 1 tbsp of the water and pulse again until it comes together as a dough. Add extra water if needed

  4. Roll the mixture into a ball, cover in cling film and place into the fridge for 15 minutes to rest

  5. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius

  6. Roll out the dough between two pieces of baking paper to around ½cm thick, place into a tart pan (preferably with a removable base) and press in gently around the edges, cutting off any excess and patching any areas that need it

  7. Prick base with a fork and bake the pastry for 15-20 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden, set aside to cool slightly

Pastry Method

  1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk and set aside

  2. Combine the cashew butter, maple, sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond milk in a large bowl and whisk until fully combined, then pour in the melted chocolate and fold through

  3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and fold again until just combined

  4. Pour the batter into the pastry tart and arrange the RICO™ pear slices on top, sprinkle with some flaked almonds

  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out reasonably clean *cooking times can vary so check on your tart as you don’t want it over or under cooked!

  6. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying warm with a dollop of ice cream! It is also delicious and fudgy cold!

Dessert
Modern Australian
baked, chocolate, dessert, pear, rico, tart
Categories
Dining Homewares Interiors Addict Shopping

Today’s tablescape is colourful and fun. We’re here for it!

It used to be that if you set the table for a dinner party and made the effort, everything was quite formal. You gave the meal a sense of occasion by bringing out the things you kept for best and using fancier and more things than you normally would. But the tables have turned (pardon the pun) and today’s tablescape is more relaxed, more colourful and a lot more fun. But no less fancy!

The bright new Mykonos range from No 22

Australian brands are teaming up with artists and calligraphers to create some some beautiful pieces to set your table. Here are just a few examples of the latest tablecloths, napery, plates and glassware that have crossed our desk recently.

Mrs Tablescape

I’m so enamoured with Mrs Tablescape’s new Nostalgia collection and I’m not even Australian. These pieces however, are Aussie as! Check out the tablecloth!

The Nostalgia tablecloth by Mrs Tablescape and Emma Elise

The napkins and tablecloths are a collaboration with Australian artist Emma Elise. Featuring fairy bread, Minties, TimTams and native flora, they’re expecting it to be their biggest seller yet.

No 22

Inspired by one of their favourite places, No 22’s Mykonos collection will make you feel like you are in Greece without having to leave your home! 

Perfect for entertaining, or for everyday use, this collection is designed to be mixed and matched, with napkins, placemats, tablecloths, plates and glassware! The menus, placemats and tablecloths have been designed in collaboration with Sydney-based calligrapher and artist Anastasia Tanuputri.

In The Roundhouse

And the brand who really got this trend started in our opinion, In The Roundhouse always offers up the most fun and colourful designs and they’re always adding to their collection, which lends itself perfectly to mixing and matching.

We particularly love the Italian range, created in collaboration with Sydney based artist Daimon Downey. These plates will keep that European summer feeling going and going! I have plenty of their plates and napkins in my own personal collection.

Shop In The Roundhouse | Mrs Tablescape | No 22

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Categories
Recipes

Foodie Friday: Oven-baked berry clafoutis with Prosecco

Today’s scrumptious oven baked dessert recipe is from Smeg.

Berry clafoutis

Easy and delightful, you can set-and-forget this dish in the oven. Here is a quick recipe that will impress all the guests at your next dinner party.

  • 2 eggs
  • 100 ml prosecco
  • 60 g mascarpone
  • 75 g cornflour
  • 25 g sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 400 g berries
  • icing sugar ((for serving))

  1. Set the oven to fan assist at 220°C and lightly grease a 25cm glass pie dish

  2. Whisk together eggs, prosecco, mascarpone, cornflour, sugar and vanilla until smooth

  3. Place berries in prepared dish and pour over egg mixture

  4. Bake for 25 mins until just firm

  5. Serve dusted with icing sugar

You can also join entertainers Anthony Callea and Tim Campbell in the kitchen with Silvia Colloca, Italian chef and actress to watch them make this, along with a main in under 30 mins!

Dessert, Dinner
Baked goods
baked, baking, berry, quick dessert

Foodie Friday: Deconstructed air fryer caramel s’mores

Today’s recipe comes from Air Fryer Guy who has partnered with Westinghouse to demonstrate the versatility of your air fryer.
Categories
Dining Expert Tips

Entertaining at home during Covid with more style & less stress

Staying in is the new going out and if we embrace this, I think we could all come to enjoy the good old fashioned dinner party a lot more in 2020! We asked Sydney caterer Kate White, of Katering, for her tips on being the host with the most without losing the plot!

If you want to make sure you enjoy the occasion as much as your guests, Kate says don’t forget to keep it real. “Easy entertaining is about making your guests feel relaxed, so it is important that your entertaining style is a reflection of this or your home or your style. Don’t try to be anything you’re not!”

Great life advice, we say!

A golden rule is never to try a new recipe for the first time on your guests: far too stressful and risky!

“I love Asian food, so relish the chance to cook fresh light food for my friends,” says Kate. One of her favourite dishes to cook for friends is master stock spatchcock twice cooked with a green mango salad and nahm jihn.

She also loves grazing boards, and this way of eating helps make guests instantly relax. “I love that this becomes part of the décor but you have to be generous so invariably a lot gets wasted, although I usually pull it out again for my four children and it gets eaten!” The majority of her wedding and event clients request grazing boards these days, although in the current climate, Kate says they’re sadly not very Covid-friendly.

If you do go down the platter or grazing board route though, remember to be practical. Make sure your platters are small for six-to-eight people and break this up along the table, so when serving 20 people you would have three to four platters of each dish, for guests to share amongst themselves. “Large platters cannot be lifted or handed around by the guests as they are too heavy and too big for the space.”

Kate thinks shucking oysters to order can be fun and a talking point, but if that’s a little beyond your skill level, having friends round for risotto is another favourite of Kate’s. Remember you’ll need to stand in the kitchen to stir for this one though! “Alternatively mud crab pasta is also a winner for easy entertaining with the casual vibe.”

Possibly the biggest dinner party faux pas is leaving guests feeling hungry (the shame!) so Kate says know your quantities, including 180-to-250g of meat per person. “Most home cooks over-cater from my experience! Be generous!”

Creating a sense of occasion starts with low and ambient lighting: lots and lots of candles and dimming overhead lights where possible. Great linen, of course, always helps. “At the moment I am loving the monotone colour palette; beige and soft pinks mixed with neutrals and dove greys. People are really giving their table the detail: in the flowers, candles, crockery and cutlery, textured linens and soft florals. Its all about the tablescape!”

Kate says she’s crazy for good glassware, cutlery and crockery to give her table interest. “Again, due to my relaxed style, I love uneven ceramics, textured plates and platters. Oversized, always! And I love soft linen tablecloths with neutral colour palettes to work off and add the pop of colour or added interest. Adding some old with the new always is interesting.”

Don’t forget the other senses either. “Music is another very important part of entertaining: have a playlist organised in advance. Dinner music first, then liven it up later in the night. If guests want to dance, let it happen organically. Since Covid, no dancing has been allowed at weddings or in clubs, so be prepared!”

For more information on Katering, who also do home delivered ready-made meals.

All table linen pictured by Carlotta + Gee, luxury, eco-friendly, sustainable and 100% French linen.



Categories
Expert Tips Styling

Stylist tips to make your next dinner party a hit!

We all love the idea of hosting friends and family for lavish dinner parties – but how often do we actually do it? It can feel too difficult, and quickly spiral into becoming a stressful affair that you don’t get to enjoy because you’re stuck in the kitchen cooking.

Rhys Duggan, national visual merchandise manager for Pottery Barn, shares his tips on creating a dinner party that’s as memorable for guests as it is for you the host (for all the right reasons!). “I think there are four key elements to any good dinner party – nail these and you’re on your way to having a great time, and so will your guests!’

Guests – this can make or break a good party. First decide how many guests you can have; then find a good connection between them – maybe they have a similar interest, maybe they like art, or maybe they’ve been to the same holiday destination. This can mean they’ve all got something in common to chat about – and will instantly mean there’s a relaxed feeling at your soiree. Plus – my top tip – if any guests arrive early, set them to work. Ask them to finish setting the table, toss the salad, or pop the first bottle of bubbly – that diffuses any nerves and creates a collaborative feel amongst your party of friends.

Food – this is a big one, and one that requires lots of thought. Try and choose a menu that means you’re not slaving away in the kitchen while everyone’s relaxing around the table, that you can pre-prepare and then plate up. Share plates are also great running down  the centre of a table  – because it creates a communal feeling and conversation will flow! And make sure you consider your guests eating requirements – nothing worse than a vegetarian turning up to a menu centred around meat!

Music – we all know how music sets the tone; choose a playlist that evokes the theme you’re aiming for – but that won’t impede lively conversation. Or even better – before your dinner party, invite guests to share their favourite song – so they’re part of the playlist too.

The setting – this is the fun part! Pick a theme and stick to it – this plays a big role in creating a dinner party to remember. I love theming my parties heavily – adding drama, and making the table the centre piece – the stage of the dinner party. It makes guests feel really special too.

“So to get to my favourite part – the setting. Think big and cater to your audience.

“Hens party, baby shower, birthday or even a ladies lunch – the setting below is going to get your guests talking. We started off with a white linen tablecloth – and found this great wrapping paper to use as a unique runner! That’s when the fun starts with layering and adding in elements to amp up the luxe factor.

“Well it looks luxe – but it’s actually quite simple, some ribbon to group the cutlery – tying back to the pink in the runner, gold flatware – elevates the table settings, some faux botanicals – which guests can take home as a keepsake after your party, and candles. Plus your menu can riff off your setting too – generous glasses of rose and meringues sprinkled with pistachios and rose petals – you’ll have your friends talking for weeks!”

“Next up, dramatic impact is key here – but the setting itself is actually very simple and perfect for a quick Friday dinner with friends. I am a big fan of moody table linen – and I always think a tablecloth creates the illusion of formality and acts as the perfect base, while the striped napkins add a more casual element.

“We’ve chosen some foliage and flowers to run down the centre of the table to contrast with the inky blue, and the use of lemons as place card holders, bringing everyday objects to the table, keeps the feeling relaxed and is a quirky twist.”

“Finally, thinking of gathering the family for a Sunday roast? You can’t beat going classic – white, blue and taupe, perfect! Fresh white table linen – and for a modern take – run a roll of brown paper down the middle and add some succulents to the setting.

“I love bundling up the cutlery with a little ribbon as a simple feature to each setting. Candles always elevate a setting – and create a sense of ambience, plus they add height to a tablescape.”

Love what you see? All products pictured are available at Pottery Barn.   

Styling by Briar Stanley and photography by Jacqui Turk.