Blooms + Brie

April's Snacky Party!

Welcome back to the Snacky Party Series, my monthly event where I host an appetizer party instead of a full sit-down dinner (because it’s easier.) This month’s theme was “Blooms + Brie” to welcome in Springtime, and mainly because I wanted to make an elaborate cake centerpiece out of flowers and cheese.

I hosted last month’s “Taters + Tinis” party around 6pm, and although it was a great success, I wanted to play around with an earlier start for this one. I had guests arrive at 3pm and it was the perfect timing for light bites and drinks. You’re not overly hungry for a massive dinner, but also have the option to stay and hang into the night. We ended up building a bonfire outside, and walking to the local restaurant nearby for a late night snack.

BLOOMS + BRIE

THE MENU

As always, I used my “bites, bowls and boards” method for determining what food to serve. It’s simple to mix and match these different types of apps to ensure variety in texture and flavor.

THE BITES: SPRING SKEWERS

Skewers are a great way to serve individual bites, and you can really highlight unique flavor pairings in each combination. These are also simple to make ahead of time and you can refrigerate until guests arrive.

• Left: Mini mozzarella, cucumber, strawberry, balsamic glaze, flaky salt

• Right: Mini brie, radishes, prosciutto, honey, lemon zest

  

THE BOWL: SPRING ORZO PASTA SALAD

To balance out the creamy brie, I made a bright and fresh pasta salad. For this one, I highlighted more spring produce with a lemon, honey and dijon dressing.

The recipe will be shared to Instagram next week, but paid Extra Sharp subscribers can access it now here!

THE BOARDS: FLORAL BRIE CAKE + SIMPLE BRIE PLATE

I made two boards for this party, one being more of a centerpiece, which we devoured later on. The cake featured two of my favorite brie-style cheeses, Brie d’Isigny from France and Nimbus from Chaseholm Farms. I added simple pairing of crackers and red pepper jelly. Sometimes with cheese plates, less is more. It gives the cheese’s nuances a chance to shine without being overpowered. I garnished the plate with flowering thyme and violas from my garden!

For the brie cake, I stacked three layers of Camembert d'Isigny from Normandy, Brie, and Kunik, a local Upstate NY bloomy rind cheese from Nettle Meadow Farms. I stopped by a local florist who helped me find some whimsical food-safe flowers for garnish, we went with tulips and waxflower. I also added on some prosciutto flowers and blueberries. When it was time to serve, we cut into all three wheels and drizzled with a hefty amount of honey. It was perfect.

THE BEV: VODKA LEMONADE SPRITZ

I made a simple signature drink to pair with the food, which was just vodka, lemonade, a splash of seltzer, lime, with raspberries and a viola to garnish. If you can’t tell, I am obsessed with finally having a garden to grow my own garnish.

I just shared the first episode of my edible flower series to highlight some of my favorites!

THE TABLESCAPE

My color scheme was based on this fun, floral table runner I got a few weeks ago. I bought light blue and light green taper candles to match, and was so excited to find hydrangeas at my local grocery store which tied the whole theme together. It was light, airy and ideal for springtime.

And here’s the link to my dress!

It was such a fun party, can’t wait for the next one :)