It’s May, and I’m hitting reset on home entertaining. This month’s table is a full-on garden moment — florals everywhere, butterflies overhead — and the menu keeps pace: seared scallop sliders with chipotle slaw, a spring salad tossed tableside, and a rhubarb-spiked gin gimlet that doubles as dessert drizzle.
April showers did their thing again, transforming the landscape into a floral-palooza — and our May Invite mirrors it. The table is a botanical tapestry that makes you feel as though you’re dining in a flower bed. In fact, as I’m getting ready to write this, a Monarch butterfly appears in the backyard, seemingly on cue, and flutters inside for a brief flyby.
Oh, May, you push the prettiest buttons.
Set the Scene
Set the Scene An embroidered floral table square sets the mood for a fairytale garden-bed gathering.
Next, heap on the romance. Add shapely white floral containers with stunning raised flower details, and arrange plenty of blooms in hues of pink.
Layer in soft-edged details with scalloped and fluted serving boards, picture frames, and drinkware. Create a simple double napkin fold with contrasting linens.
For the dishware, play with neutral and floral-patterned plates and bowls. (I’ve layered four different floral patterns here.) Ground the table with a few rustic bits, such as wood serving utensils and rattan napkin rings.
Dot the tablescape with a handful of snipped fresh blooms, blurring the lines between the fabric tapestry and reality. (The blooms will last out of water for a good hour or more.)
Finish with whimsy. A few decorative paper butterflies and metal dragonflies seem to set the table in motion. Light a honey-scented beeswax candle, and start service for this fanciful meal.
Makes 1 cocktail
Shake up a delicious, rosy-hued, “garden-forward” gin gimlet. Notes of rose and lavender emerge in this sip — from the London Dry Gin itself to the garnishes of dried organic rose buds, garden lavender, and fresh mint. Prepare the glass by edging the rim with fresh lime juice and lightly rolling the rim in Himalayan Pink sea salt. Add a few dried organic rose buds to the glass. I’m pouring a local (Redmond) Madrona Distillery gin called Garden Club. A quick rhubarb syrup gives the sip its dreamy color, and freshly squeezed lime juice gives it a bit of a pucker.
Ingredients2 ounces chilled gin3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice3/4 ounce Rhubarb Simple Syrup*Method
To a cocktail shaker, add all the ingredients and ice. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Pour into a prepared glass, and garnish with sprigs of fresh lavender and mint. Rhubarb Simple Syrup To a pan, add 1 cup chopped rhubarb, 1 cup water, and 1 cup granulated sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer on the stovetop for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain out the rhubarb, and chill the syrup.
Rhubarb Simple Syrup
To a pan, add 1 cup chopped rhubarb, 1 cup water, and 1 cup granulated sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer on the stovetop for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain out the rhubarb, and chill the syrup.
Makes 4 servings
Peruse your local market for the freshest spring offerings. Include buttery lettuce, a bit of bitter greens, and veggie crunch, and go from there. On this day, the following caught my eye, but you can adjust accordingly. I like to arrange the veggies in sections in a bowl, then toss tableside and serve. Tossing anything tableside is a great idea and always adds a bit of theater to the meal.
Method
For the salad, grab a nice bowl and arrange the following: about 1/2 a head of living butter lettuce, gently torn; finely chopped red onion; and a handful of yellow and orange grape tomatoes, sliced in half.
Add 1/4 cup each of thinly sliced rounds of cucumber and radish, plus 1 tablespoon torn cilantro, 1 teaspoon slivered tarragon, and a bit of snipped chives. Set aside four endive spears and four split sugar pea pods. Toss the salad lightly with the Lime Vinaigrette*, then arrange in serving bowls. Add an endive spear to each bowl, and fill it with a few of the fixings, using the spear as a boat of sorts. Nestle in a split pea pod, and drizzle with a bit more vinaigrette.
Quick Lime Vinaigrette
For the vinaigrette, zest 1 small lime, and freshly squeeze the juice of 2 limes. Whisk in 1 teaspoon sea salt, 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon agave, then slowly add about 1/2 cup quality olive oil.
Serves 4
On recent travels, I enjoyed (inhaled) my first scallop slider. Wow — elegant and delicious. Pansearing scallops in a bit of good butter takes only a few minutes. Slaws and dressings can be made ahead, and anything on a brioche (my bun of choice) is gold. You’ll need 6 to 8 scallops and a brioche bun per slider.
The Slaw
Finely shred about 1/3 of a small green cabbage (outer leaves removed and cored) using a grater.
Peel then cut about 1/3 cup of jicama into matchsticks. Cut about 1/8 cup red onion into thinly sliced half-rounds, and roughly chop a heaping ¼ cup of cilantro. Slice a few grape tomatoes, and set aside.
The Chipotle Yogurt Dressing
Stir 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons mayo, the juice of 2 limes, zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 tablespoon agave, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce (more if you like heat), and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Whisk in a tablespoon of olive oil for sheen. Toss the slaw and dressing together tableside, and let it rest while you sear the scallops and assemble the sliders.
Slider Assembly
Heat a few pats of unsalted butter in a pan. On medium-high heat, toast the buns, cut-side down in the pan, for only a few minutes until nicely golden. Set aside. Add a bit more butter to the pan, and bring it back up to medium-high. Sear the scallops for about 2 minutes per side until golden but still tender and cooked through. Load a scallop onto each bottom bun; top with slaw and a tomato round. Serve with additional slaw and dressing on the side.
Easy Dessert
Pick up a pound cake at your local market, a tub of fresh raspberries, and a can of French Isigny Sainte-Mère crème fraîche. Drizzle the pound cake with Rhubarb Simple Syrup, and arrange the berries. Serve the creme, on the side or mound it on the platter just before serving.
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