A Spring Business Dinner at My Farm
I always enjoy entertaining at home.
Earlier this week, I hosted a special dinner gathering at my home for a group of business colleagues and associates. My friend, Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events, and I planned a delicious menu for 16. The first course was English pea risotto, followed by soft shell crab meuniere, with carrot puree and asparagus from my garden. The dessert was a mouth-watering rhubarb and strawberry shortcake using rhubarb also grown right here at the farm. It was the most delectable meal and a lovely spring evening.
Enjoy these photos.
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- After several days of rain, we finally got perfect springtime weather. Here is a view of the large paddock from my terrace parterre – you can see two of my handsome Friesians in the distance.
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- Inside, I was busy preparing for dinner in my Brown Room. Here I am removing the big antique hurricanes from the long dining table – they are beautiful, but a bit too tall for comfortable table conversation.
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- When setting up for a party, I always choose the dinner plates and serving platters early, so I am sure I have enough for all the guests and all the dishes being served. It’s okay to use dinner plates from different sets if you’re expecting a large group – use coordinating colors and your table will look great.
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- If using cloth napkins or tablecloths, be sure to iron them in advance.
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- I also pulled out the silverware and placed them on a towel in a small bin to carry them to the dining table for setting – so much easier than carrying by hand.
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- We also prepared the salt and pepper dishes ahead of time. I like to use several small dishes for salt and pepper that can be placed within easy reach down the length of the table.
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- Meanwhile, inside my Flower Room kitchen, my friend, Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events, is busy preparing the asparagus from my garden – such beautiful thick green and purple stalks. He cut all of them to the same size – this is part of the “mis-en-place” – meaning “set in place”. It refers to having all the ingredients prepped and ready to go before cooking.
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- Chef Pierre also likes to trim an inch and a half off the bottoms of the asparagus stalks. He says it takes some time to do every one, but it makes for such a pretty presentation.
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- Pierre brought these gorgeous sweet strawberries for our dessert.
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- I also wanted some puff pastry straws to serve my guests, so Pierre made two trays of these poppy seed “straws” made using an all-butter puff pastry.
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- I was also baking inside my Winter House kitchen. Here, I am sprinkling sanding sugar on top of the White Lily light and fluffy biscuits for our shortcake.
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- This quick snapshot was taken just before I put the biscuits in the oven.
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- For this dinner, I decided to use these fun cabbage placements for our table setting.
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- They look great under the more formal white dinner plates and napkins.
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- When setting a table, always face the knives inward. If you use antique monogrammed flatware, notice the monogram is only on one side – the monogram is seen only when the knife is facing the right direction.
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- Our table is coming together nicely. Faux bois tapered candles and round etched glass vases are added for the centerpiece – you will love what I put into the vases.
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- Here are the biscuits – hot and fresh from the oven.
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- These vases are from Terrain, a garden center and eatery in Westport, Connecticut. Using several vases placed along the table filled with colorful flowers is an easy way to decorate a table.
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- Doesn’t the table look stunning? Lilacs are growing so wonderfully here at the farm right now, so Ryan gathered several bunches and I arranged them in the glass vases. They add the perfect color to our green and white palette.
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- Here is a view from above. We also placed a few small pots of Chinese money plants, Pilea peperomioides, next to the lilacs. These plants always attract a lot of attention. My dinners include a menu printed on off-white card stock with a small illustration of the great sycamore tree, which is the symbol of my farm, Cantitoe Corners.
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- Guests were asked to arrive at 6pm. We served drinks from my lower terrace parterre before I led the group on a walking tour around the farm.
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- Here is the first course – a delicious English pea risotto with Maitake mushrooms. The mushroom is commonly known among as hen of the woods, ram’s head, and sheep’s head.
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- And here are the soft shell crabs ready for plating. These were cooked a la meuniere – lightly dredged in flour before being quickly sautéed for no more than two minutes per side.
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- Pierre and sous chef Kevin Cutuc plate the asparagus and carrot puree at the large counter in my Winter House kitchen.
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- Look how beautiful – each guest got two soft shell crabs with their vegetables. The finishing touch – a drizzle of brown butter caper sauce.
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- Here is a view of the plate at the table – everyone loved it, and there were absolutely no leftovers!
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- Our dessert is also perfect – fresh rhubarb and strawberry shortcake. Rhubarb grows so well here at the farm – it is tart yet sweet and delicious in all kinds of desserts as well as savory dishes.
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- The rhubarb compote was utterly delectable. We also used fresh whipped cream. It was a great dinner had by all. Please look at my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 for additional photos from the dinner. I hope this post inspires you to do some spring entertaining this weekend.
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