Celebrity Dinner Party

                             Celebrity Dinner Party 

I am hosting a celebrity dinner party. I will name celebrities that I would invite, dead or alive, why I'd invite them and what I'd serve, how I'd decorate and drinks we'd have. 

The conversations with my guests would be outstanding. I have a vast collection of guests I'd invite. Some, I think you'd assume I'd invite and some I think you'd be surprised by and some I think you'll be surprised were left out. 

Read on and enjoy. Make your OWN celebrity dinner party, I'd LOVE to see who you'd invite! 

I'll start with the decor of the dinner party because, that's the first thing the guests would notice as they walked into the room.

I'd have one long table with many chairs it would be set with Tangled Lotus opted for rich colours for the tables-cape, setting farm tables with chiffon runners, vintage china, and colourful glassware. colours of coral, yellow, olive green, and dusty rose came together in a stunning reception design that celebrated the colours of traditional mission style.

Metallic accents – from copper flatware to the gold foil menu cards at each place setting – complemented the dark jewel tones of the decor. A churro at each place setting was a delicious way to welcome guests!

I’m smitten with this Sweetheart Table, combining vintage decor from Amigo Party Rentals Inc. with colourful floral decor that added the perfect accent.

It's not too fancy but also not underwhelming either. It's a perfect combination of in between.

I'd serve a delicious 5 course meal of:

Course 1: 

Course 1 – chartuterie platter

Every good meal should start with a meat and cheese tray, and I right?! For this you need: brie cheese,  pate or chicken liver mouse, fresh apricots, pears, small snacking pickles, plain crackers, proscuttio and candied walnuts. I highly recommend checking out the Le Chatelain Brie cheese. Most brie cheeses that you can buy in the US are either pasteurized or are raw and aged for over 60 days, but le Chatelain is one of the only pasteurized milk brie that embodies the same luscious and complex taste of a raw milk brie – its the closest things you can get to tasting the flavor of a raw milk French Brie outside of France! Get more information about how they achieve this amazing taste and find out where you can buy some yourself by visiting their website!

Wine Pairing – I recommend serving a TRIMBACH Pinot Gris Reserve 2013, which retails for about $23.99. This full bodied dry wine is from Alsace, and has a ripe peach and pear flavors and a long nutty finish and will pair gorgeously with everything on your charcuterie  tray! I love that these wines are family owned, starting way back in 1623! For more information on where to find these, other food pairings, and more awesome information about this wine, please check out their website here.

Prep Work – Chill the wine! Literally all you need to do is buy your ingredients ahead of time. A few minutes before your guests arrive, open all the containers, slice the apricots and pears, and arrange them all on a platter. Don’t even think about how you are arranging them, just give everything its own little pile and be done with it. Add some knives for the brie cheese and the pate or chicken liver mouse and enjoy!

COURSE 2: 

Brioche toasts with pea and ricotta

This was a total surprise for my family! Everyone gave me the weirdest looks when I told them what we were having, and yet they all utterly loved it! The flavors are bright and work together beautifully! I know it sounds weird, but it is a lovely and unexpected course! For the recipe, please visit The Kitchn.

Wine Pairing – This salad will pair perfectly with the TRIMBACH RIESLING 2014. I love this dry, crisp riesling! These retail for about $23.99. Visit their website to learn more about this wine, its perfect food pairings, and where you can find it!

Prep Work – Chill the wine! You can cut the brioche into more bite sized pieces (and remove any crust, if desired) earlier in the day, just make sure to store it in an air tight container. The ricotta mixture needs to be room temperature when you serve it, so you can prepare it a an hour or two ahead of time and leave covered on the counter. Set out all the ingredients you need ahead of time to make assembly fast! The actual recipe takes about 10 minutes to prepare.

Course 3 – Simple Goat Cheese Salad

This salad has become one of my favorites! It is so simple to make, with just a few simple ingredients, and yet the flavors are utterly perfect. It would be great if you threw some grilled chicken or a mild white fish on there, too! To get the full recipe for the salad and dressing, please visit mon petite four.

Wine pairing – CHÂTEAU D’ESCLANS Whispering Angel Rose’ 2016 is the perfect choice for the course! It has fresh red berry hints with a floral nose, great concentration and a smooth, round finish. It is a very easy wine to drink. When I was researching it online, pretty much everyone who tried it loved it! It retails for about $21. I love that although it is a rose, there is no sugar added so it isn’t overly sweet but instead dry, fresh and crisp. This is a perfect summer wine! (pssst… This is also currently the #1 selling French wine in the US! You can find it at Whole Foods and Fresh Market! Learn more about this fantastic wine here.

Prep Work – Chill the wine! Make the salad dressing a few hours ahead of time and allow to sit on the counter (if you put it in the fridge the oil will solidify). Since you are using it shortly, and using all of it, its ok to sit out for just a tiny bit of time. The asparagus can also be roasted ahead of time and kept in the fridge until needed. Then you literally just throw everything together and toss!

Course 4 –  Steak and Ratatouille

You can’t even think about serving a french meal without a ratatouille (especially when you have small children in the house and watch that movie a million times!) This recipe can take a really long time to make but its sooo worth it! I cut down the time by serving it “rustic style” and roasting all the veggies on a sheet pan. Seriously, the flavors you get here are purely divine. You MUST make this! Get the recipe for Rustic Ratatouille from Chocolate and Zucchini. This will take about 2 hours to make, but it is mostly hands-off work while it gets all magic roasty in the oven.

I also served a Steak au Poivre (steak with peppercorn sauce) which is really easy to make! The steak needs just a few minutes to sear on each side, and then the sauce takes about 10 minutes to make.

You will also want to serve this with some really great French Bread and an amazing BUTTER! Just any butter won’t do, either. I mean, this is a French meal after all – you have to serve it with French butter! President Unsalted Butter is made in Normandy, and is the #1 butter in all of France. For real. It is rich and flavorful, with a smooth taste and texture. It’s the real deal.

Wine Pairing – For this course I paired the MAS DE DAUMAS GASSAC RED 2015. This is an excellent table wine that works well with the steak, but is seriously amazing with the ratatouille! It is actually a blend of about 19 different varieties of wine. I love that this vineyard uses an organic and natural process to winemaking! This bottle retails for about $45. Definitely check out their website to find out more information about this wine – they have a really interesting method to make this wine!

Course 5 – Chocolate Tart with Fresh Berries

This elegant yet simple chocolate tart is the perfect ending to a dinner party! It is very easy to make (and you can make it ahead of time!) and is a lovely dessert!

Wine Pairing – The MAS DE DAUMAS GASSAC SPARKLING ROSE 2016 pairs perfectly with a chocolate tart and fresh raspberries! I love that there is no sugar added to this, there is a fresh and lively taste of red fruit and berries without cloying sweetness. This wine retails for $26 a bottle. Find out more about this wine, what else is pairs with (you will totally be surprised!) and where you can find it by visiting their website.

Prep Work –  Chill the wine! The chocolate tart can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Wash and sort the raspberries ahead of time as well, so you know which are the best ones to use. When it is time to serve, carefully arrange a few rings of fresh raspberries around the outer edge of the tart and enjoy!

I think myself and guests would very much enjoy this decedent meal. It looks and sounds utterly delicious. You have to agree, right? 

As for my guests, they are: 

Marilyn Monroe

Why? 

Because she is my biggest idol, has been since I was 15 years old. I would love to talk to her about her film career, her dreams, aspirations, kids she wanted and never had, her lovers and about her life and death. I know she was much smarter than she was given credit for. She was such a complicated, kind soul. 


JKF

Why?
Because he was a kind man, wonderful President and I'd want to know if he and Marilyn Monroe actually dated. I'd also want to hear about his family life, Bay of Pigs and what dreams he had after presidency if he hadn't passed away.


Abraham Llincoln

Why? 

Because he was a fantastic President. I'd want to hear how he ended slavery and why, about his family life, life and times when he was growing up and what he wanted to do after presidency. 


Anne Frank

Why?
I would want to hear about her tragic life, how she and her family had to hide to survive, what it was like to live then and the fear it caused herself and people around her. I'd also like to know what her life was like before her tragedy, what her interests were, what she enjoyed, etc...


Angelina Jolie

Why? 
Because she is stunningly beautiful, she has two kids more than I and she makes parenting look so easy. She's a rebel and humanitarian, she's kind, strong and highly intelligent. I'd love to hear anything she has to say.


Ann H. Mayor of France

Why? 
Because I don't know anything about her but I love France, it's my favourite place in the whole world. I haven't had the chance to travel to France as of yet however, I plan to move there one day when I am old and grey. I'd love to hear what she has to say about France, all the places I don't know about and need to see, the Fashion, food, etc...


Post Malone 

Why? 
Because he's a lot smarter than he's given credit for. He knows what it's like to struggle and climb from the bottom to the top. I love his music and would love to know his writing techniques. I'd love to know the reason for all his tattoos, his fashion, what it's like for him to travel the world and be famous so quickly. I'd also like to know what's next for him in the future. 



Ryan Tedder ( One Republic) 

Why? 
Because his a fantastic song writer and you don't hear much about him in the tabloids. He's seemingly a very quiet person. I'd love to know what he does in his off time, with his family, where he's traveled, where he'd love to travel and everything he's seen and done. What he plans to do next, how long he wants to make music and tour for. About his fashion, music videos and what he thinks of his fans.


Colin Farrell

Why? 
For one, I think he is incredibly SEXY!! I love his accent and think he's an outstanding actor. I'd love to hear about his career from The Phone booth until recently. I'd also love to hear about his adorable son, love conquests and fashion. I'd want to know what the future holds for him, what life was like in Ireland and what he plans to do once he retires from acting.


Ian Somerhalder

Why? 
Because I also find Ian incredibly sexy! He's an animal lover with his own foundation, he is a humanitarian, likes to help save the planet, he's eco friendly, funny, smart and great actor. Never have I loved a vampire more than Damon Salvatore from Vampire Diaries. He was so sexy, a smart ass and bad boy, kind lover. I'd love to know EVERYTHING about him.

That is MY celebrity dinner party. What do you think? I think the conversations would be highly interesting and great relationships would be made.

What would YOUR celebrity dinner party look like?