Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Style: Elegant Green Tablescape Design

Green is the go-to color inspiration when creating a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Naturally.

So when I saw that North Fork, micro-green grower, Koppert Cress, was offering green, edible orchids, I was immediately smitten. Who can resist orchids? (By the way - I surely hope you’ve visited the outstanding NYBG Orchid Show this year with its dazzling homage to Singapore.)

I can almost see a lot of you scratching your heads -- edible orchids? Yes, indeed. While our beloved vanilla comes from the orchid plant (Vanilla planifolia) - there are so many edible orchid blooms. Recently, at a post-theater tiki cocktail hour indulgence with garden design client and family, I popped the orchid garnish in my mouth - to an astonished, “oh no!” response. I assured them it’s all quite healthy and luxuriously delicious…

So when I saw the green orchids in an email (while on vacation) - I had a swoon-worthy moment of inspiration for a green tablescape for St. Patrick’s Day.



Yessss - these green beauties would not only elevate the elegance element - I could help “educate” others to the orchids’ edible prowess. As if just being beautiful wasn’t enough! Ha.

Even from our beach retreat - I was conjuring the tablescape design.
Surely, this was indeed a bit of good luck already…

For those of you who follow me regularly, you know i don’t like to use all-too-common St. Patrick’s day tropes (those rather cartoonish characters that unwittingly denigrate the rich history of Ireland). I rather choose to celebrate the culture - especially the great Irish writers, builders/architects, and gardeners and horticulturists.

Last year, I designed the tablescape to honor great Irish women writers.

This year I was channeling the magic and fairies of Irish legend and lore. Maybe because I just want to be enchanted more in this increasingly dystopian society -- and/or maybe because while we were away, I finally finished reading my friend Frank Vizard’s just-published novel, Screamer - that weaves Irish mystery, (a banshee!), along with history and legend into its adventure. (Get this book!)

So now I had an idea and a theme - a story to tell - for the tablescape design. This is what distinguishes and elevates the art of the tablescape from merely pretty.

Now it was time to get it all placed to great effect.

In a break from my usual desire to show the beautiful wood of our antique dining table, this holiday I determined that wearin’ a bit of the green should include the table, too. I used a forest green tablecloth, topped with a sparkly, shamrock-strewn fabric I spotted at Joanne’s when shopping for the Valentine’s Day table decor. This could serve as a kind of table runner.

(Did you know that there are “millions of hue variations on green that the typical human eye can perceive”?) You can feel free to mix and match more than a few shades or hues of this most popular color.

Plus, with the Spring Equinox on March 20th, the green look (minus the shamrocks) will take you through a Spring Tablescape till we get to Easter/Passover/Ramadan.

With the foundation in place, I placed green glass plates in between the Lenox Trianna blush bowl and gold accents. Green trellis napkins and gold napkin rings picked up on the color balance and texture.

To my eye, lots of detail adds delight and surprise to a well-designed table meant for entertaining. And for St. Patrick’s Day - that means lots of crystal, “precious” metals, and - whimsy.

I have a favorite Danish store on Broadway, Flying Tiger, where I peruse the aisles for items I can use - along with my home inventory -- and all are essentially re-purposed. Meaning, the items are not intended for a table design. The creativity of the artful tablescape design pursuit comes into play when you determine what things can be used in a way that helps tell an entertaining tabletop tale.

For example, I purchased two purple-colored magic Eight Balls -- that in a nod to serendipity - matched the center of the orchids! The magic Query balls will be fun for us and guests to ask “searing” life questions as part of our dinner conversations… wink, wink.



I determined that I wanted to float those gorgeous green orchids. Hmmm - how to do it in a more embellished fashion? It came to me. Place the water-filled Waterford bowl with some green glitter beads - that I placed on another serving glass dish rimmed with green moss - and lit the bowl with immersible lights so that at night the orchids “glow.”


Now is the time to bring out those garden sprites!

I also selected shamrock chocolates, Louis Sherry premium chocolate tins,


and the oxalis, shamrock or “love” plants -- it’s actually a wood sorrel - at our favorite, Sickles Market.

The plants look charming in my light green orchid chinoiserie planters -- (more shades of green with a nod back to the green plates.)


I bought the jade green hearts at a new boutique, Oyster General that opened last month.

The “emerald gems” and soft green mini dishes and bowls are from Flying Tiger (the bowls and plates are actually Japanese matcha servers).

This year again, in a kind of whimsical yet respectful ode to a part of Irish history - I placed a potato in each of the little green bowls next to the place settings. The spud color also complements the orchid and magic balls. (You do know that Peru gifted the world potatoes, right? Thousands of spud varieties. Love those purple beauties. And when I worked in Ecuador for a number of Januarys - the highway to and from the airport to the sierra up to Hacienda Cusin was filled with trucks carrying potatoes to export.)

The ornate silver cups and crown musical boxes are decorative accessories that call to mind castles and knights. Use mirrors under any number of items to amplify the look. On a couple of the mirrors I spray-painted gold -- because, well - you can never have too much glitter.
I also sprinkled green glitter on the tablecloth as the last addition to glam it up.

I used the cups to discreetly “hide” battery-operated lights for the evening dinner table’s entertaining glow.


And the glow from under the orchids is so lovely.



Supermarket florals work just fine for this design. I like the bright green of the mini-mums and the hypericum - these darlings are a long-lasting work-horse - and add so much depth to a floral design. I used them on the table - in a vase and in the unicorn vases. The green fish glass accessories honor Ireland’s abundant coastline and fishing)
,



And the cut flowers are also on the cocktail tables in our garden room and in the hallway welcome entrance. I also love the sparkly, green-glitter books - a reference to Irish writers. And guests can sign!




The place card holders are green garden topiaries that I use often and work very well here.
I also added a few green glass pieces to the table and green beads scattered about.
I purchased two gold glitter tubes to use - laid on their sides - and added my purple magic wand! I can better cast a spell for my guests and Bill. (love :)

I used our wedding crystal wine glasses for an appetizer of green and purple salad greens -- an elevated, tasty treat.

Day or evening, the Green Tablescape is now a lovely delight.



I hope you enjoyed the creation process as much as I did. Here’s a few video tours for you.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Sláinte! Now it’s time to whip up some special green cocktails.

Shop the site. (links provided)

 
Thank you for allowing me to share a glamorous, green tablescape -- as the art of entertaining..

Snow & St. Patrick’s Day = the Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow

Like peanut butter & jelly, Romeo & Juliet, and well, Baileys and coffee, an often little-known match made in paradise is snow and peas.

It’s a day for “wearin’ the green” – and the true green is to be found, where? 

In the garden.

Here is a March Mash-Up that is a sure-fire garden success.

Some have confused the St. Patrick’s calendar-marker and think it’s the day to plant the seeds.

Good gardeners know the old adage:  “Plant your pea seeds in Mid-March – by St. Paddy’s and then pray for snow on St. Patrick’s Day.”  (Or near enough to the calendar date)

So this could be the best year ever for our peas! 

Last year was a winning tandem mash-up too.

Last week, we checked the weather forecast; and tickled with the pending snow scheduled for St. Patrick’s Day in the Mid-Atlantic/New York area, we planted our pea seeds.

This morning, we woke to a blanket of snow. 

Blanket is the operating word here.

Snow brings nourishment and insulation to the soil

March Madness

This is not some beer or Jameson-infused garden hallucination.

Rather, the snow blanket tucks in those newly-planted seeds, keeping them warm and snug; content too because they know that warm spring sun will warm them soon enough.

We use Burpee (www.burpee.com) and other cool or early seed varieties found at our local hardware store.

We plant our pea legume seeds spaced along the edible garden’s fence – perfect for trellising the pea tendrils – and further – they are so pretty to look at.  You can also easily plant peas in your containers.

photo courtesy: Butte in the Farm

So, cheers to the March Mash-Up. 

And now you can sit back, enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day parade and a day of Erin Go Braugh Food & Drink. 

See my Examiner story on Re-Discovered vintage Irish whisky cocktails to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in grand style – and sipping your drink with the smug knowledge that beer and whiskey are plant-based beverages. 

In fact, Whiskey is fermented beer!

Enjoy:

http://www.examiner.com/article/discovered-irish-drink-recipes-to-mark-st-patrick-s-day

Peas, Please.

Soon enough, you will be harvesting your oh-so-tasty peas.  

photo courtesy: Gookosystem

In the meantime, you can prepare to make this scandalously-good Pea Soup Recipe from my cookbook, The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook.

http://www.amazon.com/Hamptons-Long-Island-Homegrown-Cookbook/dp/0760337578

This recipe is from Chef Jason Weiner, chef and co-owner of Almond restaurants – located in both Bridgehampton and New York City:

English Pea and Mint Soup with a Parmesan Flan and Smoked Bacon 

photo courtesy: Food & Wine

Yield: 6

First make the Soup Base:

4 Large Leeks (white part only, split in half and thoroughly rinsed—they can be sandy)

1 Large Russet Potato (peeled and medium diced)

1/4 Stick of Butter

1/2 Cup Dry White Wine

1 Sprig Each of Thyme, Parsley, and Tarragon

1 Bay Leaf

1 Rib Celery

1 Quart Chicken Stock (if using a store-bought product dilute with half water)

1/4 Cup Crème Fraiche

Salt and White Pepper to taste

·      In a heavy bottom pot on a low flame put the butter, leeks, potatoes, a couple pinches of salt.

·      Stir often with a wooden spoon until the potatoes and leeks become translucent. You don’t want the vegetables to take on any color so attention and a low flame are important.

·      Add the wine.

·      Tie up the herbs and bay leaf in a bundle with butcher’s twine and add to the pot.

·      When the wine is no longer releasing an alcohol aroma add the stock.

·      Simmer until the potatoes are soft.

·      Take the herbs out of the pot.

·      Puree in a blender with the crème fraiche. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Sometimes the soup needs a squeeze of lemon as well.

Now make the Pea puree:

2 cups shelled English peas

2 nice handfuls baby spinach

Salt to taste

·      Blanch the peas until they are tender in a pot of heavily salted water. Immediately transfer them to a blender.

·      Now quickly blanch the spinach in the same water.

·      Now puree the spinach and peas with about a cup of the soup base.  Cool immediately to maintain the vibrant color.

The Flans:

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

2 yolks

Salt and white pepper.

Cooking spray

·      Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

·      In a sauce pot, bring the cream to a simmer. Whisk in the cheese and let reduce slightly. 

·      Put your yolks in a mixing bowl.

·      Slowly whisk the cream into the yolks. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

·      Spray six 2 oz. Ramekins or shot glasses. Divide the flan mixture among the molds. Put the flans in a hot water bath, cover with a couple layers of plastic wrap and put in the oven on the middle shelf.

·      Cook until the flans are set up—about a half hour or so.

 Assembly:

1/4 cup bacon lardons

1/4 cup homemade croutons

1 tablespoon mint chiffonade

·      Divide the mint, bacon, and croutons into six warm soup bowls

·      In the center of each bowl place one flan.

·      In a saucepot, warm the soup base. Whisk in the pea puree.

·      Either serve the bowls as they are and serve the soup tableside, or divide the soup into bowls and serve.

And to learn more about Gardening, Register for the Spring classes at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG)

Fundamentals of Gardening:

http://conted.nybg.org:8080/WebModule/jsp/ed2df.jsp?df1=slayout:144GAR301A

http://gardenglamour-duchessdesigns.blogspot.com

Be sure to enter the fun NYBG – Garden Glamour quiz – you can win $25