Italian Garden Party
Though traveling is mostly off limits this summer, we can always pour a glass of Italian wine and pretend we are in a Mediterranean coastal town enjoying a charcuterie spread. That was the goal here, with a summer garden party inspired spread that did not disappoint! To jazz up the presentation style, the key is special “flower” cuts and folds.
FEATURED
-Lemon wheels, roasted in oven
-Orange & yellow carrots, seasoned with chili salt
-Baby artichokes, halved and coated with garlic & lemon
-Fresh garden basil
-Purple onion flower
-Radish flower
-Tomato tulip, stuffed with goat cheese & chives
-Squash blossoms, stuffed with mozzarella & anchovies, lightly battered and fried
-”Meatball sandwich” halved, and filled with pesto, mozzarella, basil and roasted red pepper
-Charcuterie flowers, made of Hot Capocollo, Sopresatta & Prosciutto di parma
CHARCUTERIE ROSES
Take several pieces of the sliced meat, and fold in half horizontally. Line up the folded pieces so you have one really long strip. Begin rolling tightly at one end until you have formed a rose shape. Use toothpicks to secure.
ONION BLOSSOMS
Peel outer layer and discard. Use a sharp knife to zig-zag cut around the perimeter of the onion until the two separate halves coma apart. Remove each ring and restack, rotating the points of the zig-zag cuts to create a flower illusion.
RADISH TULIPS
Similarly to the onion flowers, take a sharp knife and zig-zag around the perimeter of the radish until the two halves separate.