Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Thanks to Jessica and Joe...




... this post is not about entertaining like every other Tom, Dick, and Harry. I'm sure most of you have read Joe Nye's terrific new book Flair: Exquisite Invitations, Lush Flowers, and Gorgeous Table Settings. It's been by my bed for months now, and I realized that reading it before bedtime ensures sweet dreams of beautiful china, bamboo flatware (in black, no less), pink carnations- basically, my kind of dreams. The book's gorgeous table settings positively beg for good food as well. I think that Joe would agree that the right menu goes hand in hand with all of the hard work that you put into your tables.

So, that leads me to another book that I've been perusing lately- Jessica Daves'
The Vogue Book of Menus and Recipes. (That's Daves, above, in that black and white photo.) The 1964 cookbook and menu planning guide is, well, a bit dated, but food dates about the same way that curtains and lamp shades do- not well. That said, I do think it's a shame that Chicken in Tarragon Aspic is no longer a favorite on today's party menus. It sounds delicious to me.

I decided to plan a few pretend parties using photos from Joe's book and matching them to a menu from the Vogue book. I could have gone really retro with the menus but rather chose the ones that seem appropriate for today's palates. I realize that many of you will never make aspic, but cucumber boats with crab and mayonnaise doesn't sound too terribly difficult to make. What do you think?





Cocktails



Menu
Eggs Stuffed with Red Caviar



Roquefort Pecans



Finger Sandwiches of Smoked Turkey on White Bread



Cucumber Boats filled with Crabmeat and Mayonnaise



Tiny Hot Finger Rolls filled with Bacon Crumbles















A Ladies Luncheon


Menu



Cold Cucumber Soup



Vitello Tonnato



Cold Rice



Sliced Tomatoes and Herb Dressing



Peach Ice Cream



Hot Macaroons






The Wine: Either white or red with the veal-claret or California Zinfandel for the red; Pouilly-Fume for the white.









A Buffet Dinner

Menu



Low-Country Oysters with Mushrooms



Hot Baked Ham



Ring of Red Rice Filled with Green Peas



Escarole Salad with Roquefort Dressing



Hot Rolls



Pears in Orange Juice with Orange Liqueur






The Wine: Chablis has been called the "oyster wine", and it is good with the rest of this menu too.







A Seated Dinner

Menu



Curried Crab Soup



Savoury Roast Veal



Green Peas, French Style



Gratin of Potatoes



Meringues Glacees






The Wine: A vin rose, or a white Burgundy





(Images from Flair: Exquisite Invitations, Lush Flowers, and Gorgeous Table Settings by Joe Nye, Edmund Barr photographer)

10 comments:

  1. Jennifer - I love your combinations! It is so fun to dream up combinations like this. thanks, and keep your ideas coming!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great interlacing..now I just need the appropriately trained staff to pull these parties off. Thanks. Mary

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you C'est Si Bon! Maybe I should quit dreaming about this and actually have a party soon!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mary- I need a chef to help me make the aspic ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a creative post; fun! I love the ladies luncheon table and would love to know what is in those goodie bags. I am sure it is something terrific.
    Best,
    Colleen

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh glory - I am now totally starving - what a great menu plan for each one and the photo combos are absolute perfection!
    Well done again!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love your post! So excited to see the Vogue Book of Menus and the shout-out to Jessica Daves!! She is after all my great-great aunt and hales from the same small town in Georgia that I do. I have this book on my bookshelf and give it as a gift to my friends to inspire everyone to entertain more!!

    So great to see it here on one of my favorite blogs!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lindsey- So excited to hear that y'all are related! I had read that she was from Georgia and thought "wow!". An even bigger "wow!" now :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are making me hungry! I adore old cookbooks. It is so fun to see what stays the same and what changes.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Enchanting post. My parents did quite a bit of entertaining like that back in the '60s and it brings back memories.

    ReplyDelete