Spectacularly Delicious

I happily accepted POM Wonderful's invitation to host an all-things-pomegranate dinner party. And what do you know? In short order an enormous box of the brightest fresh fruits arrived at our door. Now it was up to us: we needed to dazzle them with new recipes, fabulous decor and fun times.  

No sweat. That's the way we roll at Spectacularly Delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

First order of business was to create a tablescape befitting the occasion. Though pomegranates and pomegranate juice have gone mainstream of late we felt hearkening back to a more baroque approach, highlighting the exotic fruit's enigmatic origins would be more in line with what we were planning.

 

 

 

 

Making this pomegranate pyramid centerpiece was a breeze — check out the step-by-step video.

The result is kind of Caravaggio meets the Addams family. Am I right?

We knew from the outset that our best "Chelsea Bird" Myott china would be just the thing. You've seen these plates before on SD, but this truly was their finest hour.

Some lush red roses and poor-man's freesia in tiny silver pots, a crystal gee-gaw or two, the good silver and there you have it.

About that bread: One loaf of semolina, a same-sized pumpernickel. Sliced and reassembled into a zebra loaf. There's really no reason not to, so why don't you do it too? 

 

 

 

 

  

Our Pomegranate Pyramid was not camera shy, offering up her voluptuous curves from every angle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grandma Marie's silver gravy boat was pre-set with fresh pomegranate seeds to be sprinkled over the Autumn Pomegranate salad (click for recipe).

  

Every party needs a signature drink, so tonight Pomegranate Lime Fizzies were the specialité de la maison. Fresh pomegranate juice mixed with a generous splash of Rose's Lime Juice stirred into seltzer or sparkling wine.  Note: Rose's Lime juice is an essential secret weapon in your cocktail and mocktail arsenal.  

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure you have drinks and nibbles at the ready as soon as guests arrive.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some find pomegranates intimidating. How to prepare them? How to use the seeds and juice? This video shows how mess- and stress-free the whole business is. Madeleine's delight in learning how simple it is to prepare pomegranates was contagious.  

Check out how pristine her ivory bouclé sweater remained — what better testimony to the stain-free, under water peel-and-seed approach can there be? 

 

 

 

 

 

First course: the salad of pears, pecans and blue cheese tossed with spinach, radicchio and Belgian endive. Star fruit slices never fail to bring a smile to everyone's face. Forget about croutons –pass the pom seeds please!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only countries that Frank (orange sweater) hasn't traveled to are the ones no one would want to go to anyway. Our connoisseur of the finest global cuisine gave the salad a rave review, citing taste, texture and presentation. His globe-trotting partner, the erudite marketing genius and all around bon vivant Brent concurred. Score one for Spectacularly Delicious!    

 

We were all surprised when our friend Steve (far right, not to be confused with my Steve, center) told us his Armenian mother had a passion for pomegranates and he enjoyed them frequently growing up, though he hadn't had a fresh one in ages. The warmth of his nostalgic memories wafted over the entire party. And now that his Missus (Madeleine, see above) has cracked the pomegranate code, no doubt more poms are in their future.   

The main course: Pomegranate Chicken Thighs a la Shah of Iran with Pomegranate Confetti Cous Cous and butternut squash and cauliflower. We like to treat guests like royalty and this main course delivered on every count.  Click for recipes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But it wasn't time to rest on our laurels just yet. The crescendo: Pomegranate Swirl Ice Cream topped with Caramelized Pistachios and Pomegranate Seeds. The swirl was homemade pomegranate jelly (what else?). Here's the link to all you need to know to make this I dare say never-before-been-done dessert. 

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely Elizabeth, a private art consultant widely sought after for her discerning eye, divined that the Ross Bleckner "Falling Hearts" was actually a slow motion waterfall of dreamy pomegranates. Yes, yes, it's all so clear now.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The party gift bags with pomegranate goodies sent everyone off into the black night with bright memories of our evening exploring every facet of this fascinating fruit.  Out here in East Hampton, it may not come as a surprise that there's often little undercurrents of competition at the farm stands — who's got the chicest eco-friendly bag? These roomy cotton totes will invite more that a few envious glances. 

Recipes booklets, a coupon for Pom Wonderful juice and a clever bracelet that will be the secret code identifying other pomegranate lovers were inside the bags.

 

 

 

 

  

What's this? It wasn't until the very end that we discovered the Pom people had included this fun apron. Naughty but nice and a reminder that it was time to start cleaning up. Nothing special or fun to report there.  

Thank you Lindsay at POM Wonderful for setting us up for this Spectacular Celebration.

So folks, whaddya think? Gonna give pomegranates a try? Do you have your own pomegranate recipes? Talk to me!

Sean  

Related posts:

1. 10 RULES FOR SPECTACULAR PAELLA
2. BOEUF BOURGUIGNON: UNDER PRESSURE

Written by skfsullivan on November 12, 2010 under Dessert, Drinks, Main Dishes, Party foods, Salads, Side Dish.

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