It's been a busy summer at the Blended Table. Outdoor soirees, corporate events and weddings are in full swing. In terms of events, weddings always tend to be the toughest. The stakes are so high for this one evening to go off without a hitch. And justifiably so, the bride, or usually in our experience, the mother of the bride, is often anxious, worried, and sometimes quite demanding. That said however, weddings do allow us to relish in our love of details and we find a lot of pleasure in orchestrating the small touches that make a wedding unique and memorable for the bridal party, as well as their guests.
We were lucky that both the bride and the groom had an interest in cooking and gardening, and thanks to this, wanted to let fresh, beautiful, and seasonal food be the main event on their big day-the perfect recipe for menu success in our book. These clients are not originally from Salt Lake (the groom is from England and the bride is from the East Coast) but they wholly support the local food scene in Salt Lake and much of our menu development was inspired by dishes they have enjoyed from some of our favorite restaurants in town like Pago, Tin Angel, and Cafe Niche.
It was such a pleasure to put together this rich, varied, and truly wonderful menu. Our main chef Tom Grant of Martine created most of the signature dishes for this event, and his vegetarian option, a Roasted Seasonal Vegetable Napoleon was particularly amazing and received raved reviews. In fact, all the vegetarian sides were downright delicious! The marscapone and sweet potato mash with garlic, thyme and drizzle of olive oil was a crowd favorite. The entree options included a poached Alaskan halibut with a tomato and fennel agrodolche and a Pork Loin with a Peach Cumin Chili Puree.
The food was wonderful, but we wouldn't be telling you the whole story if we left out full details on the beverage menu! We featured (grooms choice) Hopulant IPA, Pfeiferhorn Lager, Coppercone Pale Ale, and Straight Up Saison from Epic Brewing Company (the new darling in our local Salt Lake beer scene thanks to their powerfully strong, hand crafted ales and lagers.)
The Bride wanted to contribute to the beverage menu as well and we assisted her by creating a couple refreshing cocktails perfect for sipping on a summer evening: a fresh purple basil mojito and a ginger rosemary lemon drop. These cocktails turned out to be the real show stoppers for many of the guests because they were unique, visually gorgeous, and utterly delicious. And in case you don't believe us, go ahead and sip one for yourself! Here are the basic directions, but as with any good recipe, sip, try, and tweak to your own liking!
Purple Basil Mojito
2 oz. light rum
Fresh squeezed lime juice about 1/2 oz. or so- I do it to taste
Splash of simple syrup about 1/2 oz
Creme de casis (berry liquer)
Soda water
Muddle basil with ice add rum, lime juice, simple syrup and soda water, pour over ice add a splash of creme de casis and garnish with sprig of basil.
Ginger Lemon Rosemary Sparkler
2 oz.Citrus vodka
ginger
rosemary
agave
lemon
soda water
In a sauce pan add one part agave to one part water, add grated ginger and chopped rosemary, cook down until the agave syrup is infused with the ginger and rosemary, strain. In a highball glass, add 2 oz. citrus vodka, juice from half of a lemon (or more to taste), infused syrup to taste and soda water, garnish with a sprig of rosemary or lemon.
The Grande Finale to the evening was an authentic tea parlor complete with vintage tea tables and chairs, glowing candles, custom doilies and snacks. Guests were offered an assortment of tea selections from the Beehive Tearoom (Ginger Lime Rooibos, Chocolate Mint Rooibos, Lavandar Earl Grey and of Course Traditional English Breakfast served with the traditional combination of milk, honey, or sugar.) In addition to the tea selection, guests were treated to an assortment of finger cookies (homemade by the mother of the bride-a very sweet touch) as well as dark Amano chocolate and fresh raspberry truffles and Cafe Niche's simply mouth watering mini key lime custard pies.
Helping craft this unique and beautiful wedding was right up our alley and certainly a highlight of our summer so far. We were thrilled with the results and even happier to have helped translate the vision and hopes of the bride & groom and their families. We were honored to be a part of this magical night! Mazel tov!
