A late-lunch with La Crema — The Broken Bread

There is something quite special about hosting a dinner party, almost magical I would say. The notion of getting a group of people together simply for the purpose of enjoying each other’s company is something I value at its core. Great food, fantastic wine, and a table filled with friends both old and new, is all that was needed for a recent late lunch that I co-hosted with my friends Megan Flynn Peterson and Annie Reeves. I was lucky enough to meet these lovely ladies at a conference that we all attended a few months ago, and since then I have felt very fortunate to be able to call them friends. Having the opportunity to host an event with these ladies was such a wonderful experience. And even though we live in different states, we were able to team up with La Crema, and come together to create an event that we will never forget.

From the moment we started planning this event to the second I hugged our last guest goodbye, my heart had been overflowing with feelings of excitement, joy, and thankfulness. This lunch that we held was more than just a group of people getting together, it was a gathering of seemingly kindred spirits. Sharing a meal with these ladies felt like a true celebration of community, food, creativity, and delicious wine.

Annie, Megan, and I were lucky enough to host our event in Cannelle Vanille's incredibly beautiful studio. Her space was bright and spacious, which set the perfect mood for our gathering. Just hours before our guests arrived, the clouds parted and that gorgeous Seattle sun came out, bringing even more life into the room. Our table setting was simple, but oh so beautiful! We have so many people to thank for making this event what it was. Minted not only provided us with invitations to send out, but they also printed the cutest menus and name cards for our guests. Hayneedle provided us with the loveliest plates to serve our meal on. They also were also kind enough to provide us with a gorgeous cheese board and some knives to help us with our food preparation. Our wine glasses and silverware came from Vintage Ambiance, a local business that rents out the dreamiest vintage pieces. They were the perfect addition to our tablescape, plus the glasses really made the color of the wine stand out.

Since our event took place in Seattle, we prepared a menu that celebrated what this city has to offer. For each course we served, we presented a specially curated type of La Crema wine. To begin, we paired La Crema’s Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Rosé with our charcuterie and cheese board. We offered a selection of delicious cheeses, all of which were hand picked by Annie and Megan. We wanted to make sure our guests had a little time to chat before our meal began, and I couldn't think of a better way to do that than with some delicious snacks and a glass of Rosé in hand.

Once everyone was seated, we transitioned into our first course, which was a roasted cauliflower and leek soup that we paired with La Crema's crisp Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. This soup was not only fragrant and flavorful, but also incredibly smooth; which was only made possible because of this powerful blender that Wolf Gourmet sent us. As our guests continued to enjoy the delicious chardonnay, we brought out our second course: a plate of mixed greens that we tossed with shaved fennel, radishes, and a light dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

For our main course, we served wild-caught salmon with a honey-mustard glaze and a veggies slaw. For this course we served La Crema's Willamette Pinot Noir, which paired perfectly with the flavors in this dish. We were very fortunate to have our salmon supplied by Drifters Fish. This husband and wife team caught the wild salmon we served themselves, which made this meal all the more special.

Last, but not least, we served La Crema's Late Harvest Gewürtztraminer along with our dessert which was a strawberry and rhubarb galette with orange blossom and vanilla bean ice cream. Needless to say, this galette was a hit!

Co-hosting this event reminded me about the power of food and community. I know that cooking is a means for me to express my love for others, and having the opportunity to show our guests how much we cared about them through the food we prepared was a such a joy for me. So whether you are going to be hosting a party of your own, or just a gathering for two, remember to soak up every minute because it’s moments like these which create memories that will last a lifetime. Cheers!

Thank you to La Crema for sponsoring this incredible event and blog post! All opinions in this post are my own. Be sure to head over to La Crema's blog to read more about how we prepared for this event.

Thank you to our other sponsors: Le Creuset, Kristas Baking Co., and Mustard & Co.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Galette

Inspired by Cannelle et Vanille & The Faux Martha

For the dough recipe click here.

For the filling

1 1/2 cups quartered strawberries

2 cups sliced rhubarb

1/4 cup evaporated cane sugar

1 tablespoons flour

1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg + 1 tbs water whisked, for egg wash

turbinado sugar

1/4 cup chopped toasted pistachios, for garnish

Equipment: Parchment paper, baking sheet, large bowl, microplane zester, pastry brush

Method

Pre-heat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, add the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, flour, salt, and zest of 1/2 a lemon, and toss to combined. Set aside.

Place the rolled out dough round onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the fruit filling the center of the dough round. Spread filling out a bit, but make sure to leave a 2-inch border.

Fold the outer edges of the dough over the fruit, in an overlapping manner around the entire round.

Brush the outer crust with the remaining the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Place the galette in the oven for 35-40 min, or until the crust is brown, and the fruit is bubbling.

Garnish with the chopped pistachios and serve immediately.