My Italian Board Tablescape
comes from a luncheon I had at my house
for a group of friends who gather once a
month for a luncheon.
Today it was Italian and I presented everything on
a pizza board or peel with white dinnerware.
Everything looked so dramatic against a stark
black tablecloth and red roses.
This pizza board was from the manufacturers of our
pizza oven - Mugnaini. All of them have been well used so
are a little brown on the front edge which
makes it a little more authentic.
Salads were presented in square white bowls
And topped with a skewer of cheese and tomato and wrapped
in a leaf of fresh basil. This is actually basil left from my
garden.
I just made a cutting of my garden basil
and placed it in a vase of water. It quickly rooted
and it has continued to grow with a fresh change
of water every few days.
Oil and vinegar and salad dressing also dress the board
so guests can use the amount they want.
Fresh Italian flatbread was served for dipping in the oil and vinegar.
I had the pizza oven going and baked them fresh
as guests were gathering.
Of course this could be done in the oven too.
Here they are hot out of the oven, bubbling with
extra virgin olive oil, Italian seasonings and sea salt.
These I baked a little shorter than I would pizza as I
wanted them to be soft rather than crispy.
I just used my pizza dough recipe.
The main event was the Soft As A Cloud Manicotti.
The ladies had said they wanted to learn how to make
the Rose Ombre Cake
so I had one prepared without the frosting. I demonstrated
the bottom row and then everyone took
turns trying their hand at it. The beautiful thing
is that if you make a mistake, you can just
use a butter knife and pull the rose off.
Then we each had a piece and everyone was sent home with
a large slice to show off their handiwork.
Two of the ladies have already made them at home
and sent me a photo. It was fun learning something new.
Another two of them have already made the manicotti
for their families.
Here we are posing with the cake and
Annette is taking the photo.
This tablescape was inspired by this charming
new restaurant we found in Cabo
called
Pan di Bacco.
I just loved the decor especially these red french script
chairs.
The food was just as amazing.
We both gasped at the presentation as the food came
out on these cutting boards served in white bowls.
Right away I knew I had my inspiration for
my January lunch.
Of course the huge red chandelier was
another favorite.
We definitely will be going back there.
Thanks Pan di Bacco for the inspiration.
I will be posting with