This April we have another concert reception coming up for Hidden Valley String Orchestra. We had so much fun catering the afternoon tea reception for last December’s British concert. We worked with violist Polly Malan, tailoring our visions of the event to fit the music, the space, and the creation of a traditional tea party on such a large scale.
The spring concert features Eastern European music including music by Efrem Zimbalist, legendary violinist and educator. Co-music director Roy Malan has a special connection with Zimbalist, studying violin with him at the Curtis Institute and writing the definitive biography, Efrem Zimbalist, A Life.
Polly suggested a champagne and pastry reception to pay tribute to the glorious baking traditions of Eastern Europe, especially Poland and (the former) Czechoslovakia. This type of gathering is much easier to manage than a tea, which takes double the staff and planning than a basic pastry and champagne reception. This was welcome news, as my baking partner, Suzi, will be unavailable to help with this event. This also left me free to concentrate on assembling a menu of cookies and pastries that evoke that part of the world.
Designing the look of the event is one of the first aspects of the planning process. Etsy is indispensable for hunting up appropriate linens. We keep a large stock of vintage linens, but most of our tablecloths are white and we wanted a more colorful look. I found a wonderful vender who had a large selection of linens from Eastern Europe in a variety of price ranges. Jan found just the right tablecloth for us. Check out his store at:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ethnicdress
Our centerpiece floral arrangement will be in the Estonian samovar that we used at the tea. This time, we will have a larger, more colorful floral scheme, in keeping with an Old-world feeling. We are so lucky, here in Santa Cruz county, to have multiple, wonderful farmers’ markets where we can source truly seasonal flowers. We also love the esthetic of Bay Area Farm Girl Flowers who source their flowers from local farmers they profile on their website:
https://farmgirlflowers.com/ We’re imagining a big bouquet of open garden roses, asters, tulips, and lots of interesting foliage in plums, scarlets, and hot pinks. But our ultimate decision will be led by what is most beautiful among the seasonal flowers being offered that day.
As a life-long baker, the most creative part of planning any event is choosing what will be on the menu. I like to research many, many recipes before settling on a menu. Since this menu will be all small pastries and cookies, I choose a variety of sweets which will work together and be interesting visually. The Slavic tradition of fine baked goods offered enormous possibilities, but structurally, the components are similar: butter, sugar, flour. Balancing different looks and flavors of desserts is key to making the display appealing to guests. Fruit and jam, with their slightly tarts flavors and brilliant colors, differentiate one pastry from another. In my research, I found a wide array of baked goods featuring walnuts and almonds, stone fruit, poppy seeds, and lots of cinnamon and spice. Following Rose’s dictum, I added chocolate to the menu, lest its omission left anyone saddened. As an homage to Seinfeld, I chose the chocolate babka over the more traditional cinnamon-nut version. My tests of this brioche-like enriched dough were met with enthusiasm from even non-lovers of chocolate. I’ll be baking Smitten Kitchen’s excellent version. Find great photos and the recipe at: https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/10/better-chocolate-babka/
The Pastry Menu: Walnut Crescents, Apricot Kolaches, Poppy Seed Fingers, Meringue Kisses, Rugelach, Miniature Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes, Hungarian Shortbread, and the above mentioned babka. Besides the requisite champagne, we’ll be serving lots of good coffee to wash it all down with.
After the event, we will share photos and review how things went. Wish us luck!
Poster Design courtesy of Ellen Zensen
