When planning for fall entertaining, likely you are going to be focusing on the guest list, the menu, the seating, and the decor, of course, because even if you don’t have a specific event or theme that calls for the get-together it’s the decorating details that tie any event together. I have created some gothic-colored details inspired by rock n’ roll (something I know a little bit about). With these ideas I show that it’s not necessary to be truly literal to a theme (no music notes or guitars here) but to use it to consider color choices, place settings, dessert details, centerpieces and more. Rock on!
Cheesecake
- Pour Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce (found in supermarkets; normally used to pour over ice cream, it hardens to make a chocolate shell) onto a silicon baking sheet in a large circle.
- Put mat in your ice bin in freezer, bunching it up at the center to give the chocolate an interesting shape as it hardens. Leave about 5 minutes.
- Using chocolate frosting in a frosting bag, make small and large dollops on top center of cheesecake; cut the very end, you don’t need a tip. Rotate clockwise to make pretty circles about an inch thick. This will keep the fruit, macarons and frozen chocolate pieces secure.
- Set macarons to tips of your frosting dollops, followed by cut figs and blackberries. Right before ready to serve remove chocolate shell from freezer, gently remove pieces and add to center of cheesecake in between macarons.
Cheese Tray
- Find vintage serving tray from a flea market or ebay.
- Paint the surface in chalkboard or black spray paint. Gloss with Mod Podge, let dry and rinse. This protects your food you’re serving from getting contaminated.
- Add a variety of cheeses and garnish with two tones of grapes. Dark and light purple makes a nice contrast. Plums, figs and blackberries make a great garnish as well. Look for cheeses with some dark wax accents to give a gothic vibe.
Cocktail Serving Tray
- For this project you need a book with colorful pictures and an oversized frames. Find frames at flea markets, ebay, or use one that you have around your home. I found an amazing book “Artwork from The Louvre” for $14 at Barnes and Noble but any used book that speaks to you is also fab.
- Tear out pretty pages (be aware of Book of Flowers project to keep center pages intact), cut to trim, spray the back with tacky spray glue and place on board behind glass of frame.
- Once backing is completely covered, place under glass and inside the frame. Makes a wonderful serving tray which can be customized for any occasion.
- For the drink recipe, search “Concord Cosmopolitan Martini” at allrecipes.com and add dry ice.
Book of Flowers
- Find a great spread (two facing pages) close to center of the same book you used to decorate the serving tray.
- Cut a piece of floral foam into a triangle with 45 degree angle cuts on both sides so that foam fits perfectly in the center of the book when it’s propped.
- Using a utility knife, cut into the book pages about an inch deep from the center on each side of your desired pages. This will hold the floral foam in place.
- Cut flowers and place in floral foam. Feel free to add extra oomph with deep colored fruit, like plums, on a barbeque skewer. Place book between bookends to keep up right. Put the floral foam in place.
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