Event #7: Our New Year’s Tradition is Born

Menu
January 1, 2018

Sweet
Croquembouche
Fig Mascarpone Tart with Pistachio
Blackberry Lemon Pound Cake
Chocolate Espresso Macarons
White Chocolate Lavender Macarons
Fresh Berry Salad

Savory
Cheddar and Chive Biscuits
Steak & Onion Bridies
Peach, Prosciutto, & Brie Tart
Caprese Salad Toothpicks

Sip
Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
A Wide Selection of Teas
A Limited Selection of Hot Chocolate
Mimosas
Bellinis

Yep, it was already that time of year to celebrate...well a new year!

The teas are an extra special AJRB event because I always think we are going to manage our time better and, well, somehow that never happens. This year, it was because of our much more ambitious menu. 

So we learned that last time, we really lacked on the savory options and we decided to make sure to not have that be the case again. Under our savory category, we had cheddar and chive biscuits; steak and onion bridies (similar to empanadas but with puff pastry); peach, prosciutto, and brie tart (which is really kind of a sweet and savory option), and caprese toothpick salads. As you can imagine, or maybe not because I didn't really describe them well, the steak and onion bridies were the hit in this category. They came out pretty warm from the oven still when guests arrived and they were our only hot option (even though the biscuits probably could have done with a little warming) - so that combined with the substance were a real crowd-pleaser. 

Even though we definitely kicked it up a notch on the savory side, that doesn't mean we skimped at all on the sweet side. We still had a fig marscapone tart, blackberry lemon pound cake, two types of macarons (chocolate espresso and white chocolate lavender), a fresh berry salad, and - my showstopper of the event - a croquembouche. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is basically a cream puff tower, that is supposed to be freestanding and constructed with caramel, but was a bit vertically challenged and I ended up building it up around a prosecco bottle that we had drunk the night before. 

On top of all of our dishes, we also wanted to do a mismosa bar as an option if guests wanted something a little more celebratory than tea - so, yes, two different types of fresh-squeezed orange juice were also on the menu along with a variety of teas and hot chocolates. 

You would think that would be enough, right? Well, we also thought that 2PM last year was kind of late to start it so we had moved this tea up to 1PM and whew, that hour made a big difference when things came down to it. 

But as we sat down to tea, it is unlike any of our other events, we get to enjoy our guests and our food. This was also our first time we got to use the china that had gotten passed down from John's grandfather and has now become synonymous with AJRB events. What better time to have its inaugural use than a tea, where fine china felt right at home?