True Blue

Throw a Garden Party for Special Friends

Alexandra Hedin Alexandra Hedin is a lifestyle and entertaining expert in the Pacific Northwest. She shares her love of food, design, and good living in every issue of 425 magazine. Online, you can be inspired at alexandrahedin.com. » Check out Alexandra's Website!

As a new mother, there are a lot of things that change. Some of the things I miss most are quality time with my girlfriends and attending lovely parties. It just so happens a lot of my girlfriends are new moms, too, and feeling the same way. I thought it was time to reclaim our time together, so I cooked some of my favorite spring dishes and invited my girlfriends over for a blue garden party — it was a chance for us to reconnect and relax. No babysitters were needed because the kids came, too.

Menu
Parmesan Panna Cotta
with Crostini
Polenta Bites
Almond Shortbread
Lemon Curd Cups
with Blueberries
Lemonade
Cucumber Water
Blackberry Martini

Choose a Color Scheme
I find that when I choose a color scheme, or favorite flower to start with, I end up creating something really great. For my friends I chose blue hydrangeas as my starting point and went from there. The hydrangeas in my yard had just barely started to blossom and I got so excited. Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers and their blossoms signal the start of summer. 

Anticipate Guests’ Needs
Beverages are very important for nursing mothers. To make sure I had plenty of everything, I filled large beverage dispensers with lemonade and flavored water. Cocktails were made to order — and delicious.  I also made jam during one of my son’s many naps. (I know I’m an overachiever — it’s already been established.) Complete with custom labels and a little ribbon, they were the perfect thing to send home with my friends. If you aren’t planning on making jam (but you should — it’s remarkably simple and so much better than store-bought), anything homemade is a great gift for new mothers. 

Use What You Already Have
When you have the starting point for your color scheme, the next step is to figure out what you already own that will coordinate. With blue I like to match silver and brown. Since we were going to be outside, I looked for everything I owned in galvanized metal (for the silver) and terracotta (for the brown). When you are starting out, gather everything together on a table or work space. Remember you’ll need enough platters for food and containers for silverware and glassware. I like to use sticky notes to mark every item with the dish that will go on it. Losing the ability to remember things seems to be another “gift” of motherhood. I covered my table in a vintage tablecloth that had been my grandmother’s and used galvanized trays to hold the food. Covering some of the trays with monogrammed linen napkins softened the metal trays and brought in the brown that was a part of my color scheme.   

Parmesan Panna Cotta
1 cup whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup crème fraîche
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup water
Oil

Directions: Lightly oil (spray works best) a mini-muffin tin or six medium-sized ramekins. Mix together milk and cream in a heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer — don’t let it boil. Remove from heat and let cool while the gelatin softens (below). Pour water in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over. Let it stand about 10 minutes until the gelatin is soft. Add gelatin and the sugar to the milk mixture. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in crème fraîche cheese. Divide among ramekins or muffin tin and refrigerate overnight.

Almond Cookies
2/3 cup almonds, finely ground
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg
2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and extract and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, mix together almonds, flours and baking powder. Add flour to wet ingredients and beat until just combined. Scoop batter onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. 

Polenta Bites
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup cream
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup grated Romano
1/4 cup grated feta
2 dozen grape tomatoes
Salt and pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Bring milk, 1/2 cup cream, and 1 cup chicken stock to a boil.  In a separate bowl mix together cornmeal and remaining stock. Add cornmeal mixture to boiling pot and reduce heat to medium. Whisk until combined and continue stirring for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan, Romano, and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour polenta into a greased jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides). And bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. In a blender, mix together remaining cream with feta cheese. Fill a piping bag with the cheese mixture and refrigerate.When polenta is cool, flip it out onto a cutting board and slice into 1-inch (or so) squares. Pipe a teaspoon of the cheese mixture onto each square and place half of a tomato on top.

Blackberry Martini
1 cup blackberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Cointreau
Berry-flavored vodka

Directions: In a blender, combine blackberries, sugar and Cointreau and blend until smooth. Strain with cheese cloth to remove blackberry seeds. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour 1 ounce blackberry mixture and two ounces vodka. Shake and strain into a martini glass.

Resources
Monogrammed napkins: Pottery Barn, potterybarn.com
Galvanized trays and galvanized planters (used as vases): Ikea, ikea.com
Custom jam labels:  myownlabels.com

For the full story pick up the latest copy of 425 magazine. Subscriptions are available by phone at 425.646.1380 or you may order your subscription online.