Reflections on Iced Tea

Day after day after day the temperature here in Atlanta has reached well above 90 degrees, and all I can say for myself is that I've been drinking about as much iced tea as Don Meredith. On rare occasions I drink it plain, although usually I prefer it sweetened. I never order sweet tea at a restaurant as I never know what I'm going to get; I doctor mine up with Splenda instead. At the risk of being run out of town, there is nothing more sickening than sickeningly sweet tea. Arnold Palmers are okay, but I'm more of a purist. And I'm not a snob either when it comes to the brand of tea I brew. Luzianne or Lipton is fine by me.


Tiffany & Co. Chrysanthemum Iced Tea Spoon

A little bit like the Japanese tea ritual, serving iced tea can be done so with a few fancy flourishes. Of course there are sterling iced tea spoons, made long enough to stir the sugar crystals that accumulate at the bottom of a tall glass of tea.




There are also those silver sipper spoons that many people collect. I think they're cute, but I also think that they're not appropriate for all social occasions. It just seems silly to offer your 90 year old grandmother a glass of iced tea with a silver straw.



Wiliam Yeoward "Fern" pitcher

A nice heavy crystal or glass pitcher is nice to have on hand for serving iced tea and looks especially pretty when the tea is flecked with mint leaves.



Edwardian Antique Silver Punch Bowl from Daniel Bexfield Antiques


But for a party, a shower, or a luncheon, you have to go all out with your tea. You've got to mix it with all kinds of fruit juices and such to make it extra special. And by all means, it must be served in a pretty punch bowl with slices of fruit floating at the top. (I know this might sound awfully fruity to some of you, but hey, it's tradition!) Even C.Z. Guest served her guests her special Party Tea. In case you're interested:


C. Z. Guest Party Tea
6 tea bags
2 quarts water
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 cup orange juice
6 mint sprigs
1/2 lemon
1 orange
cloves

Make the tea: either steep the tea bags in boiling water for three minutes or set them in jars in the sun or in the refrigerator for several hours. Chill tea. Before serving, add the sugar, orange juice, and mint sprigs. Slice the lemon and orange and stick each slice with 3-4 cloves. Float fruit slices on top in a punch bowl.

Makes 10 cups.

Image at top from Martha Stewart.com; click here to see all of her iced tea recipes.

Life at Chateau du Grand-Lucé

I've always been intrigued by the notion of owning a chateau in the French countryside. You read in various publications about Americans who escape the day to day grind of their busy lives by hopping on a plane bound for their chateau getaway. It really sounds dreamy, does it not? But forgive me if I sound like a complete rube, because I have always wondered what life is like during these jaunts to one's chateau. Is it relaxing? Complicated? Busy? Laid back? My dream has always been to own a pied à terre at The Carlyle, so owning a chateau seems like shooting for the moon. So, to set me straight, I thought I would ask Los Angeles based designer Timothy Corrigan what it's like to own a chateau.

Timothy is the proud owner of the Chateau du Grand-Lucé, a c. 1760-64 chateau in the Loire Valley. Built by the man responsible for governing the Eastern part of France under Louis XV, the chateau has been deemed "one of the most precious elements of architecture of the French Enlightenment" by the French Historical Monument. While many grand homes were ransacked during the French Revolution, Grand-Lucé was spared the ravages of this turbulent period and in fact retains all of its original wood paneled walls and fireplaces.


The Grand Salon as it appeared when Timothy purchased Grand-Lucé



And the Grand Salon as it looks today after Timothy worked his magic



Timothy's French adventure goes back to his time living in Paris in the early 1990s. Falling in love with the French countryside, he went on to own three different chateaux at various times. In 2003, the French government decided to sell Grand-Lucé, and after a lengthy application process, officials chose to sell it to Timothy because of his plans to restore the chateau back into a private home. Once the chateau became his, Timothy embarked on a major restoration to return Grand-Lucé to its former grandeur (when he bought it, the chateau had no working electricity, no bathrooms, and no kitchen in the main chateau), all the while making sure that the house was comfortable and livable too.



Chateau living does at times include ironing as Timothy seems to be doing so competently




The lake's swans that Timothy likes to feed



So what is life like at the chateau? When not entertaining guests, Timothy loves to putter around the house and the gardens (sometimes puttering includes ironing, as seen above!), recharge his battery (he recently spent time there designing new additions to the Timothy Corrigan Home line), and walking through the property's woods and feeding the swans, geese and ducks that reside in the lake.




The Formal Garden



The Kitchen Garden



Speaking of the outdoors, the gardens of Grand-Lucé are simply stunning, having been laid out in a series of decreasing formality as one moves away from the chateau. The formal parterre and green rooms are reminiscent of Le Notre's gardens at Versailles. Beyond the parterre is an exotic garden that originally held plants considered to be exotic and unique in 18th c. France. Today, the garden holds herbaceous flowering plants. This is also where the orangery, two green houses, and a swimming pool hold court. The potager, hidden from view from the chateau, is planted with fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. A Landscape Garden and 42 acres of wooded forest round out the property. Curious as to what Timothy's favorite plantings were, he responded that the flowering Horse Chestnut trees and the flowering cabbages are among his favorites.




Timothy visiting a local flea market with fellow designers including Vicente Wolf and Frank Pennino


While Timothy's alone time there is quite relaxing, entertaining friends and family is equally as relaxed. Timothy says that no one wears a watch while there and no one is on a schedule. Time is spent conversing with one another (something that is unfortunately becoming a lost art), dining, and walking the property. For those guests who might prefer something a bit more active, Timothy plans outings to the local flea markets, visits to other chateaux in the region, driving go-carts at the Le Mans race track, hot air balloon rides, and cooking classes. (Sounds like heaven to me!) In August, the Concours de Hippique, one of the oldest horse shows in France, is held on the grounds of Grand-Lucé. Now it is becoming clear to me why people want to own a chateau!




Radishes and Strawberries from Timothy's garden


I asked Timothy about how he likes to entertain while at the chateau. When he dines alone, he admits that his meal usually consists of something from the freezer section of the local supermarket. But when guests are at the chateau, meals are a bit more elaborate and usually consist of fresh vegetables from his garden and local fresh fish. He also likes to visit the weekly farmers market that is located outside of the gates to his chateau where he buys local honey, chevre, and wild strawberries. Meals that Timothy typically serves to guests includes Lotte fish, quiches, salads, cheeses, strawberry souffles, apple tarts, and profiteroles- typical French dishes that Timothy lightens up for his American friends.



Lunch in the Garden



A Formal Dinner



A winning centerpiece


Daytime meals at Grand-Lucé are more casual and are set up outside in the garden. Dinner is usually more formal (though not stuffy) and is served in one of two dining rooms. Oftentimes during the day, Timothy divides his guests into teams and leads them out into the garden and woods with the challenge of finding natural decorations for the table. The winners usually win something tasty like a bottle of champagne. When a dinner party really calls for something special, Timothy likes to entertain in the orangery where candlelight dinners are served.




Timothy serving drinks


Of course, seeing that Grand-Lucé is in the Loire Valley, wine is also an important part of any meal at Grand-Lucé. Champagne and local Loire Valley wines are often served. In order to break the ice at the start of a house party weekend, strong cocktails are the order of the day. Recently, Timothy and his guests concocted the "Tim-tini" made of vodka, lime juice, cucumber puree, simple syrup and mint. I like the sound of that cocktail so much that I might commandeer this cocktail recipe for myself and christen it the "Jen-tini"- if Timothy doesn't mind, of course.




A July 4th Celebration at Grand-Lucé


Finally, I asked Timothy for his tips on creating a comfortable home- whether it's a chateau, a Stateside house, or even a small apartment. He said something that really struck a chord with me: "Comfort is about more than just how something feels- it is also a state of mind." Timothy likes to have music playing in all rooms of his chateau and candles burning throughout the house. Scent is so important to a house that Timothy created his own line of candles. There are three different scents in the line, each one creating a different mood when burned: L'air de Californie; La Vie de Chateau; and Maison en Ville. (Click the links to read the descriptions of each scent; I think they all sound heavenly.) And of course, books. Timothy has piles of books everywhere and encourages guests to read them at their leisure.

So now I have an answer to my question as to how one lives at one's chateau. Life at Grand-Lucé seems to be relaxing, comfortable, gracious, and a lot of fun.


All images courtesy of Timothy Corrigan

Entertaining with Anne d'Ornano

Continuing with Entertaining à la d'Ornano...

Back in 1968, Anne d'Ornano was officially known as Comtesse Michel d'Ornano, but by 2000, she had also added mayor of Deauville, France to her list of titles. Despite the fact that in the T&C book Anne said that she preferred being a guest at dinners and parties because "I'm basically lazy", Nan Kempner seemed to take a very different view of her. Kempner wrote "I always marvel at how effortlessly she manages to juggle all her roles" including mother, grandmother, mayor of Deauville, the counsel general of Trouville, and the President of the General Council of Calvados. Lazy? Hardly.

Like her sister in law Isabelle, Anne has had the luxury of employing personal chefs in her homes. For the dinners that she hosted thirty years ago, she liked to serve dishes such as "stuffed eggs on hearts of artichokes with truffles and sauce béchamel; roast beef with prunes stuffed with mousse de pâté and salade mimosa; cheese; and cold soufflé de fraise.






And just as Isabelle, Anne seems to have taken a more casual approach to entertaining over the years. When Kempner visited Anne for lunch at her Deauville house, the meal started with a scallop salad followed by poached turbot with beurre blanc and stuffed tomatoes. Dessert was a tarte tatin. Kempner noted that Anne prefers to serve the main course buffet-style in an effort to keep things easy. And, it seems that her menus have lightened up immensely as evidenced by the lack of a béchamel sauce.

I have to say, though, that what might impress me even more than her style, her menu, or that tarte tatin is the abundance of Boxwoods lining the home's front walk. (See below.) Talk about a good first impression!




Anne's Deauville dining room.

The tarte tatin






The interior of Anne's home.





The front walk that is lined with Boxwoods.

All color images from R.S.V.P.: Menus for Entertaining from People Who Really Know How by Nan Kempner; Quentin Bacon photographer.

Entertaining with Isabelle d'Ornano

One of my favorite books on entertaining is my 1968 issue of Town & Country's Entertaining Ideas by Famous International Hostesses. I admit that what first caught my eye was the cover, one that was reminiscent of Florentine paper. And I should clarify that it's not really a book, either. I assume that it was a supplement to the magazine. There are no recipes in the issue, but that's fine by me because it is filled with glamour shots of stylish, social women from New York, Paris, Madrid, and Beirut. Each one was asked for her tips and thoughts on entertaining, and while some of their advice is a little dated, much of it still seems germane.

It recently dawned on me that two of the featured hostesses, sisters-in-law Comtesse Hubert d'Ornano and Comtesse Michel d'Ornano (their husbands founded the Orlane skincare line and later Sisley), also made appearances in Nan Kempner's R.S.V.P.: Menus for Entertaining from People Who Really Know How. I thought it would be interesting to see how the women's styles of entertaining changed in thirty years.





So, first up is Comtesse Hubert d'Ornano. In the T&C supplement, the Polish-born Isabelle mentioned that despite the fact that she had chefs in both her Paris and country homes, she herself liked to cook "Polish specialties, borsch, blinis with caviar, or smoked salmon." Her attention, though, was lavished on the shooting weekends that she and her husband hosted. "Friday, an informal dinner. Lunch Saturday at the shooting lodge...During the shoot if it's cold, hot wine and consomme are served. Saturday night's a black-tie dinner, music and cards after. Sunday's breakfast-lunch is in the shooting lodge: eggs, mixed grill with wild rice, local cheese, une tarte pruneau with fresh cream. 'We shoot all day, return to the lodge for high tea at 6pm. Meanwhile the luggage has been prepared and put into the guests' cars so that they can leave directly after tea.'"





Shooting must be quite important to Isabelle and Hubert as Kempner's book also features a shooting weekend chez d'Ornano circa 2000. This time, the hunting lunch included bull shots (this was one of Kempner's favorite cocktails, so I wonder if this was served in her honor?) and a buffet of dishes like moussaka, truffled scrambled eggs en croûte, and pizza à la d'Ornano. Afternoon shooting was followed by tea just as it was thirty years earlier. But Kempner wrote that while the weekend's festivities were traditional, that "does not mean formal." Dinner, just as lunch, was also served buffet style. It sounds as though d'Ornano's style of entertaining has loosened up over the years, just as I think it has for most of us.

Up tomorrow- Anne d'Ornano.



La Renaudière, the six thousand acre Loire Valley estate that d'Ornano and her husband call home.




A post shooting celebration.




Truffled scrambled eggs en croûte.




A patchwork guest room.




An after dinner game of cards has stood the test of time.




One of my very favorite photos of Nan Kempner!


d'Ornano color photos from R.S.V.P.: Menus for Entertaining from People Who Really Know How by Nan Kempner, Quentin Bacon photographer.

Party in a Garden

I am completely charmed by this article, "Party Tables Set Like Gardens", that was published in the May 1971 issue of House & Garden. As was written in the article, "Big explosions of flowers, one tiny blossom, fruit...china in the shapes and designs of flowers...party cloths sprinkled with flowers-all to turn a table or room into a heavenly scented, gaily colored spring garden." Amen. I do a weakness for floral table linen and china (one of the few places in my house where floral prints make an appearance.) And if you don't have the luxury of having your own garden, why not create one in the dining room? The beauty of it is that the weather will never rain on your parade...nor your dinner parties and luncheons.


Image at top: A luncheon table set with a centerpiece of flowering quince, mimosa, carnations, and lilies on an embroidered organdy cloth. The interior design of the room was the handiwork of Richard Neas.




A Welcome to Spring Luncheon replete with sprays of lily of the valley in pink glasses and Porthault mats and napkins. Strawberry soup was served in crystal bowls placed on top of fern cuttings.






A spring lunch for two. A carnation print Porthault cloth was placed over an egg-yolk yellow table skirt. Wedgwood's "Chusan" dinner plates with their white quince pattern added to the abundance of flowers.




There is a gracious plenty of everything in this room: food, flatware, napkins, glassware, and pattern. The potted hyacinth, placed around a big bowl of strawberries on the cocktail table, is a nice touch. In case you're wondering, the chafing dish holds Seafood Newburg and rice. It photographed a little bland, but I bet it didn't taste that way.





The lilac colored apartment of designer Bebe Winkler. I covet that table (maybe by Bielecky Brothers?) The china was a collection of stackables called "Chromatics" by Block. I probably wouldn't serve wine in that colored glassware, but I do like that pinky/amber colored goblet.






A red lacquered dining room decorated by Joseph Braswell. The table was set with "Medici" flatware, "Chinoiserie" china, and "King Richard" crystal, all by Gorham. The centerpiece was made of plums and white and lavender freesia.

A Surtout? Says Who?

Don't you just love all of those old photos of elaborately set tables? What I find most charming about them are the various table accessories that seem to have fallen out of favor with today's hosts and hostesses. I don't smoke nor do my friends, but I find the old custom of placing a silver urn with cigarettes at each place setting to be terribly chic. (I know, I know, smoking is bad for you, but has there been anything as stylish as sterling ashtrays, urns, and match strikes? My answer is a firm no.) I also think that scattering small sterling or porcelain dishes filled with nuts or candies around a table is a nice gesture and one for which I can't claim credit. It used to be commonplace to do so at formal dinners. At a dinner party a few years ago, I included a small dish of candy at each place setting, and I have to say that it actually looked quite nice.

The table accessory that I really hope makes a comeback is the surtout de table. Originally designed in the 18th c. to hold dragées and condiments like oils and vinegars, these elaborate centerpieces later became more decorative than functional. One of the more impressive examples is that created for Wilhelm I of Hesse in 1815-1820. This particular gilded bronze surtout de table measured 22 feet long:






Of course, I'm not so out of my mind that I'm advising any of you to commission something similar for your own banquets, though if you do, I will be thoroughly impressed. Fortunately for us, there are more modest surtout de tables that I think would be absolutely charming for our tables. Below, you'll see examples in which each centerpiece is comprised of multiple pieces. While some of the pieces like the porcelain birds are purely decorative, others are basically channels which can be used to hold flowers, candies (how pretty would gold Jordan almonds look in the crystal versions?), shells, or really just about anything. I think that sprigs of Boxwood in the bisque porcelain version would look terrific and might possibly be as chic as the above-mentioned smoking accessories.

I personally prefer the centerpieces that are made of crystal or a creamy porcelain so as not to interfere with one's china pattern, although I believe that Capo di Monte centerpieces (like that belonging to Mrs. John Pierrepont, at top, or a different one, below) could work with more subdued colored linen and china. And if you have a small table, especially a round one, then you might want to consider the circular surtout by Lalique. That centerpiece only consists of five vessels.

If you really want to gild the lily, you could place your surtout on a mirrored plateau as was historically done, but if you ask me, I say that's too much of a good thing.




A 31(!) piece glass centerpiece by Val St. Lambert, c. late 19th c./ early 20th c.



A 20th century Japanese example made of porcelain.



Early 20th c. Capo di Monte surtout de table.



This smaller example by Lalique (and made in the 1930s) is perfect for those of us with more modestly sized tables.




A small crystal surtout de table was used as a base for a centerpiece featuring a ceramic rabbit amidst the fronds and daisies.

Black and white images of tablesettings from Tiffany Table Settings; photo of the surtout of Wilhelm I of Hesse courtesy of Portland Art Museum.