Winter is in full swing here in So Cal and we are absolutely loving it! We’ve been all about creating cozy vibes in our home the past few months and now we’re transferring those cozy, comfy vibes to our latest party with our friends Kate of ¡Hola Jalapenõ! and Aida of Salt & Wind. Prepare yourself for the coziest of cozy parties with this Italian Polenta Party…also you may want to have your stretchy pants ready, this feast lends itself to over indulgence with a side of naps afterward.
DECORATE || The whole purpose behind a gathering like this is to feast on beautiful, decadent eats right? So, the decor should really let the food be the superstar. We decided to forgo giant platters and serving bowls replacing them with a gorgeous, food safe, live edge wood slab from local LA maker Pasadenaville. To make for easy clean up we cut parchment paper to fit down the center of the board then spread the polenta with a spatula towards the edges of the paper. Since our boards were going to be the centerpiece of the table we opted to keep everything else simple and elegant. The table underneath the board was layered with linen and denim then topped with handmade place settings by Orange County based ceramic studio W//R//F// Lab and beautiful hand dyed shibori and plain linen napkins topped with simple little handmade floral and herb wreaths.
Looking to throw a polenta party on a smaller scale or don’t have access to a large board like ours? No problem! You can create a similar look by layering cutting boards together like we did for our holiday charcuterie boards and then simply covering any seams with parchment as instructed above. Here are all the links to what we used to cook, decorate and feast!
Live edge wood slab polenta and charcuterie boards by Pasadenaville || Handmade pottery by W//R//F Lab || Shibori Essex Linen Napkins || Rustic linen napkins || DIY mini floral and herb wreaths || Gold serving utensils || Linen fabric for table || Denim fabric for table || Dansk Kobenstyle 4- Qt Casserole for cooking polenta & chickpea dishes || Vinatge silver rimmed roly poly cocktail glasses
THE PRE-FEAST PLAN || In Italy friends and family gather before big feasts like this for an aperitivo which consists of light, clean, crisp cocktails and hors d’oeuvres which stimulate your appetite for dinner. The pre-feast eats can be as simple as a combination of roasted nuts, olives, and fresh fruit or as elaborate as the decadent bites that Aida made for our charcuterie board that we served alongside my simple Prosecco spritzer.
