What Is a Tablescape? And Why Bother?

There’s a beautifully set table; and then there’s a beautifully set table that is clever enough to evoke a mood for a meal. (Or at least oohs and aaaahs from your guests) After all dining, in and of itself, is about the enjoyment of a moment in time as much as it is about food. It’s about escaping for just a moment to the place inside you that says, “I’m happy just now!”


Setting a thought-provoking tablescape doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, much of the time, you can do it with materials you already have around the house or with small investment in a few very simple items. Everyone has differing items at their disposal. I, for one, have many more dining accessories, dishes and other “stuff” (I’m using a PC word here) than most people. However, I do believe that anyone – no matter the resources – can come up with a table setting than enhances the ambience of an occasion.


I’ve talked before in this blog about using what you already have at your disposal to set a table (see my posts from October 25th, November 17th and December 15th). What I’m talking about now is the brainstorming of an IDEA for your tablescape. What “puts you in the mood” so to speak?


For last week’s aphrodisiac foods night at our place, I sat down and thought for a moment about what related well to the theme. Of course, aphrodisiac foods are supposed to make you feel romance….. desire. But what else leads to desire? For me, the answer is comfort; it’s pampering; it’s not having a care in the world except that of how you feel at the moment… what you want at the moment.


Many of us lead busy lives full of kids activities, work and school responsibilities, cleaning, errand-running, frantic (if fun) engagements with friends or relatives. But for me, when you’re away from it all on vacation – when you are “off duty” so to speak – it is easier to be selfish; to be comfortable and feel desirable. I’ve also just recently been on vacation myself, which helped to spur on the thought process here, of course!

Result: My “Hotel Turndown Tablescape”. I set our table for aphrodisiac night as though it were a beautifully appointed hotel bed; crisp white sheets underneath (actually white hotel-style tablecloths I already owned) and my richest red, satiny tablecloth on top (playing the role of comforter). I turned down one end just as hotel service would and placed a fluffed (and bleached) pillow at one end with a sharp, new, white pillowcase over it (a $2 investment at Wal-Mart). Candles, ripe fruit (very sexy and inexpensive) and a rose and chocolate at each place setting completed the “look”. Et Voila! Everyone is a pampered (and relaxed) guest for the evening at our hotel!

I hope you enjoy my pictures of the table and that it gets you thinking the next time you entertain about what mood you can evoke for your own guests.


If you’re looking for additional inspiration there’s plenty out there in the “web world” including simply searching “tablescapes” in Google Images. Another great inspiration is the Food Network star, Sandra Lee, whose tablescapes inspire appreciation in some and hatred in others, but love her or hate her, she’s always pushing for creativity at the table so she gets my vote (even if some of it is over the top and overly expensive for practical use)!
Thanks for reading!

I Was Seduced Over and Over Again by Our Aphrodisiac Night Menu!



Our oyster starter (recipe below)



The oysters were sultry; the beef entrée a sinful delight. The soup, the cake, the salad were all delectable. We commented during and after this meal full of seductive foods that it was, indeed, a memorable one; one that included elements we would make again and again.

We nibbled on some cheese and grapes as everyone arrived, just as Aphrodite herself might have when readying for an elaborate evening feast! We also enjoyed a special aphrodisiac cocktail that my husband and I brought back from our recent St. Lucia trip! The cocktail was called the “Lucian Rum Swizzle”, which includes dark rum, simple syrup, lime and club soda. Although delicious in and of itself, what made this fit our evening’s theme was the bottle of ginger and bois bande infused rum that we brought back from the island! I love the flavor of ginger, but until recently had never heard of “bois bande”. As it turns out, bois bande is a tree bark common in the Caribbean. It tastes a bit similar to amaretto and is known there for its aphrodisiac qualities. Perfect (and tasty)!



Strawberry champagne soup

 Even those who don’t crave oysters (a club to which I do not belong – I love oysters!) admitted that the oysters we enjoyed as a starter were absolutely amazing. They were also NOT the oyster recipe we had originally planned and that I had published on this blog last week. Flexibility is key in our group. Although we plan out our menus in advance for the season, that does not mean we can’t make changes and adjustments as we go. In this case, my girlfriend who was preparing the appetizer course simply decided she wasn’t moved by the original recipe we’d picked out. She looked for something that fit her interests and available time and she made sure it would still jive with our original menu plan for the night.

I still intend to prepare the original oyster recipe sometime just to try it out, but let me say that I completely trust her taste and her judgment and that this oyster appetizer was over the top delicious! She ended up making “Oysters with Champagne-Vinegar Mignonette” and I’ve included the recipe below. Try it! It was amazing!

Arugula salad with
pine nuts and cherry tomato

Although strawberry isn’t my favorite fruit, I truly enjoyed our chilled strawberry champagne soup as well as the transition from that sweet dish to the peppery tang of our arugula salad which followed. It was well-paired in that sense and the salad was an excellent transition to our entrée. Being more of a raspberry lover myself, I’d love to give some sort of raspberry soup a try this summer. The black forest cake with cherries that we had for dessert was not only absolutely moist and delicious, but was a feast for the eyes as well. It was beautiful!



The gorgeous black forest cake!

 I’ll blog more about my beef entrée later this week. We made some small changes in the preparation that I’d like to share with you that make it much better suited to cooking for a group as well as getting some of the preparation done well in advance. Also watch this week for photos of my table setting or “tablescape”. I think you’ll be inspired by it!

Oysters with Champagne-Vinegar Mignonette

Found at: www.epicurious.com
Gourmet | September 2005
In this elegant introduction to dinner, oysters are paired with Champagne grapes, whose sweet juice balances the sharpness of the vinegar in the mignonnette.

Yield: Makes 2 first-course servings
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 40 min

Ingredients:

For mignonnette
2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped shallot
Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

For oysters
1 1/2 cups kosher or other coarse salt
1/2 dozen small oysters, such as Kumamoto or Prince Edward Island, shells scrubbed well and oysters left on the half shell, their liquor reserved and oysters picked over for shell fragments
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 small cluster Champagne table grapes or 2 finely diced seedless red grapes

Preparation:

Make mignonnette:

Stir together vinegar, shallot, pepper, and sugar and let stand 30 minutes.

Prepare oysters:

Preheat broiler.
Spread 3/4 cup salt in an 8- to 10-inch flameproof shallow baking dish or pan. Arrange oysters on their shells in salt, then top each with a piece of butter.
Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until butter is melted and sizzling and edges of oysters are beginning to curl, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir parsley into mignonnette. Divide remaining 3/4 cup salt between 2 plates and arrange 3 oysters on each. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon mignonnette over each oyster and sprinkle oysters with grapes. Serve warm.

Cooks' note:
Mignonnette, without parsley, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered,

Red, White or Pink? - Some Notes on Wine Pairing.

First, let me say that our Dinner Club puts no expectations on its members as to what they choose to drink. Beer, wine or water; the choice is ours as to what we select to compliment our meal.

Some of our guys are “beer guys”. They’ll give wine a try with certain meal elements, but they’re at home with their brew of choice. Some of our gals are “wine gals” (ok, really all of us), but our preferences vary widely on what we prefer to drink; some like it sweet, some not. Since our entire group is open-minded, our menu format includes a section for each Dinner Club that identifies “Recommended Beverages / Other Notes”. This is where, depending on what our plan is for the month, we get specific about drinks or beverages we’d like to have everyone contribute to the meal.

For example, when we had our “Russian Night”, we featured a vodka tasting bar. Each couple provided flavored vodka and the other necessary elements to produce a cocktail out of their assigned bottle. For Cuban, we all tasted mojitos; for Brazilian, caiprinhas; for Japanese, sake; and so on.

Typically everyone gives it a try, but there are no expectations in this group and most of the time we simply “bring our own” beverage of choice. Our policy is “drink what you love”. This should be the basis of any food and beverage (or in this instance, food and wine) pairing as a rule. More specifically, the rule is that “there are no rules” any longer on what you enjoy with your meal; red, white or pink; or beer, wine or water. This being said, if you’re seeking to expand your knowledge of wine or simply your range of tastes, it goes well beyond red or white!

As for our Dinner Club this weekend, our “aphrodisiac foods” night, I’ll be enjoying one of my favorites; pinot noir. This red wine pairs excellently with the tomato and pine nuts in the salad as well as with beef tenderloin, which you might already be aware has a less “beefy” flavor than some cuts and could easily be consumed by a stronger cabernet sauvignon. I’ve chosen pinot noir so that, hopefully, the flavor of each element in the chocolate port sauce, as well as the beef, will shine through. As for the soup course, I’ll delicately sip water during it. Don’t get me wrong, I think our strawberry champagne soup sounds divine, but it’s difficult to switch from red with my oyster appetizer, to white and then back to red again!

Were we having a different oyster dish, I’d be tempted to simply start my meal with white and then switch to red before the entrée, but I believe that the “Guinness hollandaise sauce” will be sturdier in its constitution than the more familiar variety and a red wine is appropriate. I’ve included the recipe below for our oyster appetizer as well as a terrific wine and food pairing chart that I received a few years ago at a wine tasting event. It’s a great reference guide for choosing wine to pair with different foods.

Be sure to watch my blog next week for photos of my tablescape (which I think is saucy and gorgeous) as well as food photos and commentary on how our dishes turned out. Thanks for reading!

Oysters on Creamed Leeks with Guinness Hollandaise

Updated and upscaled, this Irish version of oysters on the half shell with Guinness beer hollandaise sauce is easy yet elegant. The caramelized creamed leeks are the icing on the cake.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

·                        24 oysters, shucked, with juice retained

·                        2 Tablespoons butter

·                        2 Tablespoons water

·                        2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, thoroughly washed and sliced

·                        2/3 cup cream

·                        Salt and freshly ground black pepper

·                        .

·                        Guinness Hollandaise:

·                        3/4 cup (1-1/4 sticks) butter

·                        1/2 cup Guinness stout beer

·                        3 egg yolks

·                        Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation:

Over a small bowl, shuck oysters, strain and reserve the liquid and the shells.

Combine the butter and water and cook over medium heat until butter has melted. Add the leeks and cook until slightly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cream and reduce until it thickens slightly, stirring continuously, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm in a bowl over hot water.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. In another saucepan over medium heat, combine the reserved oyster liquid and Guinness and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender. With the motor running, add the egg yolks and lemon juice, then slowly drizzle in the melted butter and process until thickened.

Preheat the broiler. Place the reserved oyster shells on a baking sheet. Divide the creamed leeks evenly into the shells and top with an oyster. Spoon the Guinness hollandaise sauce over each and place under the broiler until the sauce is browned and bubbling. Serve 4 oysters per person.

Yield: 6 servings

Here's that wine and food pairing chart (a refrigerator magnet I picked up) courtesy of Kendall Jackson:

Aphrodisiac Foods: Fact or Fiction? Who Cares as Long as It's Delicious!

Our “Aphrodisiac Foods” Dinner Club is coming up this weekend! I’m thrilled about the menu for this one, not as much for its realistic possibilities in satisfying romance as for its possibilities in satisfying our appetites! The menu is really inspired this month and we’re experiencing some flavor combinations that we typically don’t on a regular basis. (For our menu, you can refer back to my posting from March 15^th.)

Yes, the candles will be lit for this one, the lights dimmed, the music soft and romantic or jazz-infused; but while researching the subject of aphrodisiac foods, this blogger was “left cold” so to speak on the science behind the rumor!

For example, the recipe I’m featuring below is that of our main entrée for the evening, the “Pepper Crusted Beef with Chocolate Port Sauce”. Sounds delicious right? How can you go wrong with beef and chocolate? However, while we may savor the flavor combination (I certainly hope we will), I’m not sure it will provide the shot-in-the-arm of romantic emotions that our group of long and happily married couples might hope for.

According to a New York Times article I located, “The Aztecs may have been the first on record to draw a link between the cocoa bean and…desire: the emperor Montezuma was said to consume the bean in copious amounts to fuel his romantic trysts. Nowadays, scientists ascribe the aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate, if any, to two chemicals it contains. One, tryptophan, is a building block of serotonin, a brain chemical involved in…arousal. The other, phenylethylamine, a stimulant related to amphetamine, is released in the brain when people fall in love. But most researchers believe that the amounts of these substances in chocolate are too small to have any measurable effect on desire. Studies that have looked for a direct link between chocolate consumption and heightened…arousal have found none.” (1)

At least this one article doesn’t back up the claims, but we are having an ENTIRE  MENU of aphrodisiac foods, so we’ll let our group be the unscientific-judges of the centuries of rumor and popular belief! One thing is sure, as always we’ll have a terrific time and I will, of course, let you know how the beef entrée (following) turns out!

(1)   Permalink to New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/18/health/18real.html

Pepper Crusted Beef with Chocolate Port Sauce

From: Allrecipes.com;

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/pepper-crusted-beef-tenderloin-with-chocolate-port-sauce/Detail.aspx

(I will be serving 12 ppl, so will increase my amounts based on below)

2 (5 ounce) beef tenderloin filets

1 tablespoon olive oil

Coarse sea salt to taste

1 tablespoon cracked white peppercorns

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1/4 cup port wine

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup beef stock

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/2 (1 ounce) square bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Brush the tenderloin filets on all sides with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the steaks, and cook to your desired degree of doneness, 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Once done, remove the steaks from the skillet and keep warm.

Stir in the minced shallot, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the port and balsamic vinegar. Simmer until the port reduces to the consistency of chocolate syrup, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beef stock and rosemary, and return to a simmer. Once the sauce has begun to simmer, whisk in the chocolate until it melts and slightly thickens the sauce. Pour sauce over steaks to serve.

Port Wine

The Fare of Love: Our March Dinner Club Features Aphrodisiac Foods!

Image by photos8.com

As I’ve mentioned before, our Dinner Club meals are not always focused around a particular ethnicity. We typically have a theme for the evening, but these themes vary widely from ethnic focus to particular ingredient features to time periods and so on.

This month’s Dinner Club is an “aphrodisiac foods” night. Our group researched a bit on what foods are considered the top line of stimulating fare from our culture and others around the world. The Chinese in particular are famous for their medicine shops which always include unrecognizable, dried and jarred items that only Andrew Zimmern would dare put in his mouth! Our group (a bit less adventurous than Andrew, of Bizarre Foods fame) was seeking the foods of love in a more appealing and palatable format for our culture.

According to the website www.fuelthemind.com, “The interest in aphrodisiac foods began when Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, rose from the sea on an oyster and then gave birth to Eros. The first aphrodisiac food was born.” For information purposes, our group is comprised of six happily married couples. We’re not “that kind of group,” in case you’re wondering!

Again, according to fuelthemind.com, “An aphrodisiac food can be suggestive, rather than cause a physical…reaction. In fact, many believe that some aphrodisiac foods increase and stimulate…desire by the suggestive nature of the food and the ritual surrounding the food presentation.

In other words, our group is seeking this beautiful presentation of delicious and exotic flavor combinations much the same as those in love seek the romantic ambience of a dimly lit restaurant for a Valentine’s Day dinner. We plan to simply enjoy some soothing and romantic jazz music, some candlelight, and what looks to be an overwhelmingly delicious meal!

I’ve provided our menu below (with the aphrodisiac elements in each course underlined for reference) so you can have a peek at what we’ll be enjoying for the night! I’ve also supplied just one list of the many available online for what are considered some of the best aphrodisiac foods. The list is a partial one, reprinted from the website: www.gourmetsleuth.com, and has some entertaining tidbits about why the foods are considered erotic.

More later this week on my entrée recipe (since we’re the host house this time), the “Pepper Crusted Beef with Chocolate Port Sauce”. Enjoy!

Some Aphrodisiac Foods (For the complete list, visit www.gourmetsleuth.com)

       Almond

A symbol of fertility throughout the ages. The aroma is thought to induce passion in a female. Try serving Marzipan (almond paste) in the shapes of fruits for a special after-dinner treat.

       Aniseed

A very popular aphrodisiac with many culinary uses. It has been used as an aphrodisiac since the Greeks and the Romans, who believed aniseed had special powers. Sucking on the seeds is said to increase your desire.

       Arugula

Arugula or "rocket" seed has been documented as an aphrodisiac since the first century A.D.  This ingredient was added to grated orchid bulbs and parsnips and also combined with pine nuts and pistachios.

       Avocado

The Aztecs called the avocado tree "Ahuacuatl which translated means "testicle tree". The ancients thought the fruit hanging in pairs on the tree resembled the male's testicles. This is a delicious fruit with a sensuous texture. Serve in slices with a small amount of Balsamic vinegar and freshly ground pepper.

       Basil (sweet basil)

Is said to stimulate the sex drive and boost fertility. It is also said to produce a general sense of well being for body and mind.

       Broccoli Rabe (And Other Mustard Greens)

The ground seeds of various plants in the brassica family were believed to increase virility. In the case of broccoli rabe its more likely a myth created to get people to eat this bitter vegetable.

       Chocolate

The Aztecs referred to chocolate "nourishment of the Gods". Chocolate contains chemicals thought to effect neurotransmitters in the brain and a related substance to caffeine called theobromine. Chocolate contains more antioxidant (cancer preventing enzymes) than does red wine.  The secret for passion is to combine the two.  Try a glass of Cabernet with a bit of dark chocolate for a sensuous treat…

       Coffee

Caffeine is a well-know stimulant but remember, too much and it becomes a depressant.   Serve small amounts of rich dark coffee in special little demitasse cups.   Coffee stimulates both the body and the mind so partake of a little in preparation for an "all-nighter".

       Garlic

The 'heat' in garlic is said to stir sexual desires. Make sure you and your partner share it together. Garlic has been used for centuries to cure everything from the common cold to heart ailments. This is a good time for moderation. Enjoy a pasta with a lightly garlicky sauce and it can lead up to something spicy in the bedroom later.

       Ginger

Ginger root raw, cooked or crystallized is a stimulant to the circulatory system. Perhaps a stir-fry with freshly grated ginger can stir something spicy up in the bedroom later.

       Nutmeg

Nutmeg was highly prized by Chinese women as an aphrodisiac. In quantity nutmeg can produce a hallucinogenic effect. A light sprinkling of the spice in a warm pumpkin soup can help spice up your evening.

       Pine Nuts

Zinc is a key mineral necessary to maintain male potency and pine nuts are rich in zinc. Pine nuts have been used to stimulate the libido as far back as Medieval times. Serve pine nut cookies with a dark espresso for a stimulating dessert.

       Raspberries and Strawberries

Perfect foods for hand feeding your lover. "Both invite love and are described in erotic literature as fruit nipples" Both are high in vitamin C and make a sweet light dessert.

       Wine

             A glass or two of wine can greatly enhance a romantic interlude. Wine relaxes and helps to stimulate our senses. Drinking wine can be an erotic experience. Let your eyes feast on the color of the liquid. Caress the glass, savor the taste on your lips. Do remember that excessive alcohol will make you too drowsy for the after-dinner romance. A moderate amount of wine has been said to "arouse" but much more than that amount with have the reverse affect.

Not All the Way to Brazil, But I Ate Well in St. Lucia!



Seared Mahi Mahi
and Shrimp

 I've been off for a week! Off duty from cooking at home (which I mostly love) and off duty from responsibility! I'd love to make it all the way to Brazil to see how our Dinner Club's last meal compares to the real thing, but for vacation this past week I did make it as far as St. Lucia in the West Indies.

 

Champagne with breakfast
every morning: A great
start to the day!

We stayed in an all-inclusive resort so our meals were pretty much contained to that environment (with a very high food quality - I might add), however, we did enjoy a delightful lunch prepared by the local people on a tour we took one day. The meal they served included savory rice with beans, simmered chicken (in a sauce that was delicious, yet hard for me to pin-down on ingredients) and a pasta side.

 

Chicken and Spinach
Crepe with cold Chardonnay

Our resort offered recognizable foods that were prepared beautifully and with thought to the seasonings of the Caribbean. I enjoyed shrimp, mahi mahi, snapper, tuna, salmon and conch in addition to meats such as chicken or beef, all of which had the flair of spices and fruits that are sometimes unavailable here in Nebraska! 


Chocolate Fondant-
Lava Cake

I've posted some pictures here of just a few of the things we enjoyed. I'll call it research for future Dinner Clubs! Tomorrow, it's on to what's next for our March dinner. It's going to be great! Follow and see...

Piton Beer!
Infinitely Drinkable!

Seared Ribeye with
Gorgonzola Sauce

Shrimp with Lemon
Parsley Fettucine

Seared Breast of Chicken
with Tamarind Jus

Smoked Salmon
Fettucine with Tomato

Our “Best Dish” For The Brazilian Churrascaria? Brazilian Collard Greens!

You heard me right. The collard greens side dish was my favorite thing of the evening. Alright, don’t get all up in arms now, I’m just saying….

No, I’ve no problems with meat. In fact I truly enjoyed all of the meat entrees that we had. I loved the soup, the dessert, the appetizer; it’s just that once in awhile a taste just strikes you as special in the midst of any meal. For this meal, I was working my way around my incredibly full plate and suddenly came across a burst of bright green color.

How boring would the plate
appear with the pop of
collard green color?

My mother taught me when I was young that a properly paired meal includes protein, starch and vegetable. Often the vegetable is your only opportunity to provide vibrancy in color to an otherwise delicious, if blandly colored, meal. This was the case for the collard greens. They were gorgeous paired on the plate with everything else. They were so delicately chiffonade that I commented to my girlfriend on her excellent knife skills. They were ideally prepared with just a “crisp!” when you bit in, but not undercooked. The taste of the garlic was appreciable, but not overpowering. This recipe was posted on my blog on February 11^th. Mmmm.... Tasty!

Smoked linguica

As far as my linguica sausage preparations went; I felt that each was tasty in its own right. My husband smoked a few pounds of  the sausage for two or three hours over indirect heat. He prepared some of the hot linguica and some of the regular this way. During smoking the sausages developed an appealing crisp texture on the outside and a lovely color as well while staying moist, juicy and flavorful on the inside. The smoke taste was noticeable but not overpowering, and welcomed wholeheartedly by our group.

I used some of the regular-heat linguica to prepare the steamed clams. (For all of my linguica recipes, see my blog post from February 22nd.) We passed these in bowls around the table at the start of our meal and even some folks who are not normally “seafooders” enjoyed the flavor due to the sausage element along with the clams! I felt I (a major “seafooder”) could still appreciate the shellfish amid the presence of the sausage.



Simmering the sausage
and rice side.



Finally, some of the sausage went into a rice side dish (again see my Feb. 22 post). This was a bit lost on the plate since simply had so much food to try, however, if you’re looking for a weeknight-way to enjoy a more exotic ingredient, give this a try! I used the hot sausage in this and it was perfect since the starch helps balance the heat a bit. I had quite a bit leftover of this and my family happily devoured the remainder for lunch the next day! It was really delicious!

Steamed clams with linguica,
white wine and garlic.

So the vegetable wins this round. I know, weird right? But try it out on your own dinner table one of these nights, will you? How often do you have collard greens as opposed to broccoli anyway? Follow our Dinner Club lead and try something you’ve never had before!

Next up in the blog I’ll announce our menu for our March Dinner Club. Fun stuff! Keep reading…