A Tea Party Spread to Inspire Your Easter Sunday Plans -

Flashing back a few weeks now to an early spring tea party at Sarah Anderson, of Chateau Sonoma‘s gorgeous home… that may hopefully inspire your Easter Sunday plans! Sarah owns a beautifully curated shop in Sonoma, Chateau Sonoma, that is more than a store, it’s a quest for a new way of life—a slice of French living in Wine Country–and has evolved into a highly-edited home decor and accessory collection that celebrates the art of purposeful living and decorating.

Sarah and I hadn’t met before this particular day but instantly clicked after realizing we were both from Chico (small world!). And not to mention, one step in the front door of her home and you can’t help but feel the incredible energy that surrounds her entire property. It was one of those magical days with close and new friends–everyone bringing their talents together effortlessly from morning until evening and I can’t wait to share everything we worked on together with you. During my drive home from Sonoma to Sacramento I was just reflecting on how lucky I am to get to call days like this “work.”

Our morning began in Sarah’s kitchen–watching my dear friend Kevin O’Connor, Chef at Large for Cobram Estate Olive Oil, food prep and do what he does best! Kevin always puts together a delicious menu and came up with the following for the occasion:

-Wild Nettle and Goat Cheese Olive Oil Tartlets

-First of the Season Strawberries with Watercress and Spring Onions

-Blood Orange Honeycomb Cake

-Sesame and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Crackers with Aioli and Radishes

Head over to Chalkboard Magazine for the recipes! (Sesame and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cracker recipe below… so so good!)

A Tea Party Spread to Inspire Your Easter Sunday Plans

Meanwhile, Sarah went out into her garden to clip tulips from her tree for our table spread. I had wanted to incorporate citrus into the florals so I brought some citrus and other buds I had picked up the day before at the flower mart. I loved how organic, simple and straight from the yard everything looked when placed on the table.

And the perfect pop of vibrant pink and orange springy hues against Sarah’s neutral linens.

All of the linens, dishes and silverware are from Chateau Sonoma.

I loved that we didn’t really have a decor plan in mind but everything came together effortlessly in a matter of minutes.

I was also in charge of bringing the tea and brought two favorites of mine from Leaves and Flowers: Chamomile (I’ve been on quite a chamomile kick this pregnancy) and Green Tea. We brewed a pot to sip beforehand as well!

Hanging with Kevin in the kitchen is always the best! I always take home little nuggets of cooking knowledge while watching him in action. And his genuine passion for food and the presentation continuously leaves me inspired to go home and test out new techniques and recipes.

I’m such a huge quiche fan and these Wild Nettle and Goat Cheese Olive Oil Tartlets were so moist and delicious! This preggo girl definitely snuck in a few bites before our meal was actually served…

Sesame and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Crackers with Aioli and Radishes

Ingredients:

For the crackers • 5 egg whites • 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar • 1⁄2 Cobram Estate EVOO • 1 teaspoon salt • 1/3 cup all purpose flour • 1.5 cups raw sesame seeds

For the aioli • 3 egg yolks • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice • ~1.5 cups Cobram Estate EVOO • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard • 3 garlic cloves • some salt

To Finish • fresh radishes, shaved thin on a mandolin • sprouts and herbs, picked and washed

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk the egg whites until thickened slightly and frothy. Stir in the powdered sugar until dissolved. Mix in the flour and salt and stir well. Stir in the sesame seeds and let the batter sit for twenty minutes.

2. Spread the sesame batter in a thin layer on a silicon baking sheet lined baking tray. Bake in the oven for twenty minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully flip the entire cracker to bake on the reverse side. Bake for another fifteen to twenty minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool before breaking in to smaller crackers.

For the aioli:

– Start by whisking the egg yolks together with the lemon juice and mustard in a glass bowl. Slowly whisk in small drizzles of the EVOO until you see an emulsion start to form. Continue, steadily and slowly, whisking in the EVOO, cutting it with a few small splashed of cold water if it gets too thick.

– Finish it with some pinches of salt and three peeled and smashed garlic cloves, stirred in. Leave the garlic whole, you’re going to fish it out later. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour to let the garlic flavor inoculate the aioli and allow it to set up a bit.

4. To assemble, break the crackers in to manageable pieces and add small dollops of aioli. Adorn aioli and crackers with slices of radishes and herbs.