Category: entertaining dishes

tea for two

What little girl doesn’t loves her tea parties? I grew up having tea parties with my dolls, dog and sometimes my sister. I have to confess that I didn’t think I really felt like a grown-up until I had my own tea set.

Now, my tea setup doesn’t follow any set of rules. Afternoon tea is designed around three key themes: 1. good tea & food, 2. beauty 3. ease.

I invite you to check out how @aimeesapron does tea according to me.

good tea & food

You must supply a variety of teas – in a satchel and loose leaf. I love a good tea box that presents the tea beautifully to your guests.

The food is simple, but themed. At least two breads are necessary and at least three varieties of sandwiches. I chose pumpernickel and a gluten free oat bread. The sandwiches were cream cheese and cucumber, smoke salmon canapes and egg salad. Check out the recipes for each below. You must also cut the crusts off the bread and cut them into thick matchsticks, 1-2 inch squares or you can use a biscuit cutter like I did for the round canapes.

beauty

The beauty comes from the chine. Be it new, like mine, or handed-down, the tradition of tea itself is beauty. You don’t have to drop a lot of cash to get a good china set. You can peruse the aisles at your local antique store and find a steal – or even mismatched tea cups and saucers sound like a fairy-tale.

ease

Now I feel that this might be the most important element to a great tea. Easy does it. If you make it overwhelming, you find yourself reaching for teat anytime soon. Make the sandwiches ahead. They keep very well and cut even better this way. Get help from the store. For a sweet note, I added store bough Madeline’s which would frankly be too stressful for me to make. Afternoon tea was meant to be a time to relax, reflect and share. So take it easy.

cucumber sandwiches

  • 1 English cucumber (they don’t have many seeds and are not as watery)
  • Softened cream cheese
  • Bread of your choice
  1. Slice the cucumber as thinly and uniformly as you can.
  2. Spread and even layer of cream cheese on both bread slices.
  3. Lay the cucumber slices on the bread, covering the bread as much as you can. Cut the cucumber into shape as needed.
  4. Put the bread slices together. Cut the crusts off and cut into the shape of your choice.

smoke salmon canapes

  • 1 package of smoke salmon
  • An English cucumber
  • Softened cream cheese
  • Fresh dill
  • Bread of your choice
  1. Use a round biscuit cutter, cookie cutter or even a cup to cut round pieces out of your bread.
  2. Spread the cream cheese over each bread slice.
  3. Thinly slice the cucumber and lay a slice or two on top of the bread.
  4. Lay a few slices of smoke salmon on top of the cucumber.
  5. Place a small dollop of cream cheese on top of the salmon and add a sprig of fresh dill.

egg salad sandwich

  1. 2 hard-boiled eggs
  2. 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
  3. Pinch of salt & pepper
  4. 2 stalks of celery, finely diced
  1. Finely dice the hard-boiled eggs and add to a small bowl.
  2. Add the celery, mayo, salt & pepper and stir to combine.
  3. Add a generous helping to one slice of bread and then lay the other slice on the bread to make the sandwich.
  4. Cut the crusts off the bread and cut into whatever shape you prefer.

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

no-sushi tuna tower

Want to impress your guest, or have a romantic dinner at home? This quick and easy dinner is so simple to put together, but is also very elegant. Now this tuna tower uses canned tuna, but I do love the raw tuna towers you get at your favorite sushi restaurant. My version has a Mexican take on the popular dish. Here’s how you make it.

no-sushi tuna tower

makes 2 servings

  • 2 – 3 oz. cans of albacore tuna – note: if you are pregnant you may not want to use albacore tuna
  • 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
  • The juice of 1 lime
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of chopped cilantro
  • 1 beefsteak tomato, diced
  • 2 green onions, sliced and only using the green part
  • 2 avocados
The ingredients. As easy as 1, 2 & 3!
  1. Drain both cans of tuna and place in a bowl.
  2. To the bowl, add a squeeze of lime, the mayonnaise and lemon pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
  3. In another bowl, combine the tomato, green onion and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
  4. In a third bowl, roughly mash the avocados and add a squeeze of lime.
  5. Now it’s time to build the tower. I used a biscuit cutter, but you can also use a food mold, or even a tin can with both ends removed and washed out.
  6. Begin by placing the mold on the plate and add a layer of mashed avocado, gently pushing down to flatten the layer.
  7. Next, add the tuna mixture, repeating the gentle push down and leveling of layers.
  8. Lastly, top with the tomato mixture allow some tomatoes to land on the plate around the tower.
  9. Ta-da! A deliciously fresh and beautiful dinner for two!
You can use a biscuit cutter, food mold or even an empty tin can!

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

quick & flavorful tapas

Tonight’s meal is more about crafty assembly and less about cooking. Tonight’s meal is many things. It is…

  • Capital Q Quick
  • Capital F Flavorful
  • Can be great for entertaining
  • Is excellent after a long day
  • Can be made very fast

My favorite way of eating is Spanish…the tapas way. I love a bunch of little plates of different items. This dinner plays well for tapas. Here’s what you need…

quick & flavorful tapas

  • Bagels – I prefer the gluten free Everything Bagel from Trader Joe’s
  • Cream cheese
  • Optional: everything bagel seasoning
  • Smoked salmon
  • Olive oil
  • Capers
  • Endive
  • Apple, diced
  • Goat cheese
  • Walnuts
  • Honey
  • Tuna in water
  • Mayonnaise
  • Lemon Pepper
  • Pepper
  1. Start by removing the salmon from the package and placing in an overlapped pattern on a serving dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and capers.
  2. Slice bagels in half and toast if preferred, then slather with cream cheese and finish with everything bagel seasoning. I like to eat with the smoke salmon.
  3. Cut the ends off the endive and lay each petal on a serving dish.
  4. In a small bowl, combine the drained tuna, lemon pepper and tablespoon of mayo together.
  5. Spoon the tuna mixture into half of the petals.
  6. In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, diced apple and walnuts together. Scoop into the remaining endive petals and drizzle with honey.

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

tomato pie

Tomato pie anyone? I’ve never had one or made one but the idea of one gives me instant back porch swinging, overlooking the pond on a breezy summer day vibes.

I didn’t want to make this complicated so I tried to only use a few ingredients and I’ve got to say it turned out very good. My only tweak next time may be to use fresh basil instead of dried.

You can watch me put my pie together here: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17868457591430673/

tomato pie

  • 2 beefsteak tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped. I left three slices whole for the top
  • 1 frozen pie crust, mine is gluten free from Sprouts
  • 1/2 a red onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise
  • 1 cup of shredded cheese, I used a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  1. Thaw your pie crust from frozen and follow the directions to pre-bake or par-bake. Then set aside.
  2. Add olive oil to a skillet and onion and cook until golden brown. Set aside.
  3. Chop tomatoes removing seeds and as much juice as you can. Place on a sheet tray, sprinkle with salt and bake at 400 for about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.
  4. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, cheese and Worcestershire sauce, and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  5. Now start layering, first with the onions, then the tomatoes, and then the cheesy mixture.
  6. Lastly top the pie with the three whole tomato slices.
  7. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

I served my pie with a side salad and mini charcuterie board. Check out my perfect charcuterie recipe here: https://aimeesapron.net/2019/06/23/the-perfect-charcuterie-board/

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

the perfect charcuterie board

The perfect charcuterie board should have six main elements: meats, cheeses, nuts, fruits, crackers or breads & pickles. Contrary to some charcuterie snobs, pairing the right cheeses and meats with whatever spirits if any you are serving is NOT crucial. I find when people gather, they prefer to talk and nosh, graze, snack, etc. on a tasty variety of little bites. You cannot go wrong with a charcuterie board so long as you prepare with the six main ingredients above.

Here are some of my favorite by category:

  • Meats: prosciutto , capicola, salami & pepperoni
  • Cheeses: manchego, honey goat, brie, wensleydale & burrata
  • Nuts: walnuts, almonds & praline pecans
  • Fruits: fig preserves, dried apricots, chili spiced mango & dried cranberries
  • Crackers or Breads: sliced baguette, salt water crackers, gluten-free sweet potato crackers & honey wheat crackers
  • Pickles: pickled olives & gherkins

Lay these items in bunches on a cutting or marble board so that all can gather around it and admire, discuss and munch. I promise it will be a crowd hit!

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily!https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/