Bastille Day Celebration

by Wendy at myfrenchtwist.com

5 Materials

$40

2 Hours

Easy

Let’s raise our glasses to our friends across the Atlantic, shall we? Besides, without the French, we may not have won our independence from England. Without the French, the Statue of Liberty would not reside in the New York Harbor. And without the French, we would all be serving Boone’s Farm Wild Irish Rose with dinner.

Before I bring out the pâté, though, I have to share a photo with you of one disgruntled family member who refused to participate in my French fête. As you can surmise from this photo, he’s loyal to only one country.

Now back to baguettes… I decided to host my Bastille Day “preview” party indoors this year, as we’re in the middle of rainy season in Cincinnati. I also decided to keep things easy. That means setting up a buffet, buying all the food, then transferring it to my own bowls & platters. Sorry mes amies, but authentic ratatouille just takes too long to make.

Every good party calls for lively decorations, so I hung some paper lanterns over my kitchen island. The space between my two contemporary light pendants was the perfect spot for a festive garland. I strung florist wire between the pendants then camouflaged it with fresh stems of greenery.

Next I added a chalkcloth banner above the door to my courtyard. Vive la France!

In keeping with this chalkcloth theme, I added a runner to the table, onto which I labeled all the dishes. Underneath the runner, however, is a whimsical blue & white tablecloth. Okay, not true. It’s actually a cotton shower curtain I bought from Target on sale for $6, but I adore it. The print reminds me of a Matisse design.

I adorned the table with fresh flowers, spreading extra greenery stems on the tabletop. I also found some tiny bud vases at Target for only $2 each, so I filled them with old wine corks (cut in half), then added a candle.

Now, for the menu – (I might add that up until this point, I have neither seen nor heard my lazy little pug for hours) – I served fresh baguettes with pâté and cheeses, quiche and tabouleh. Of course, dessert included macaroons with a chocolate cake.

Uh oh, once the food came out, look who decided to join the party.

The French enjoy a glass of Pastis before a big dinner, so I added that to my bar. If you’ve never tried this anise-flavored apéritif, you should! It is mixed with water & ice and has a distinct licorice taste. And of course, I served French wines. A tip about French rosés: the rosés from southern regions of France tend to be the most dry, especially Aix-en-Provence.