Italian Board Tablescape

My Italian Board Tablescape

comes from a luncheon I had at my house

for a group of friends who gather once a

month for a luncheon.

Today it was Italian and I presented everything on 

a pizza board or peel with white dinnerware.

Everything looked so dramatic against a stark

black tablecloth and red roses.

This pizza board was from the manufacturers of our

pizza oven - Mugnaini.  All of them have been well used so

are a little brown on the front edge which

makes it a little more authentic.

Salads were presented in square white bowls

And topped with a skewer of cheese and tomato and wrapped

in a leaf of fresh basil.  This is actually basil left from my

garden.

I just made a cutting of my garden basil

and placed it in a vase of water.  It quickly rooted

and it has continued to grow with a fresh change

of water every few days.

Oil and vinegar and salad dressing also dress the board

so guests can use the amount they want.

Fresh Italian flatbread was served for dipping in the oil and vinegar.

I had the pizza oven going and baked them fresh

as guests were gathering.  

Of course this could be done in the oven too.

Here they are hot out of the oven, bubbling with 

extra virgin olive oil, Italian seasonings and sea salt.

These I baked a little shorter than I would pizza as I

wanted them to be soft rather than crispy.

I just used my pizza dough recipe.

The main event was the Soft As A Cloud Manicotti.

The ladies had said they wanted to learn how to make

the Rose Ombre Cake

so I had one prepared without the frosting.  I demonstrated

the bottom row and then everyone took

turns trying their hand at it.  The beautiful thing

is that if you make a mistake, you can just

use a butter knife and pull the rose off.

Then we each had a piece and everyone was sent home with 

a large slice to show off their handiwork.

Two of the ladies have already made them at home

and sent me a photo.  It was fun learning something new.

Another two of them have already made the manicotti

for their families.

Here we are posing with the cake and 

Annette is taking the photo.

This tablescape was inspired by this charming

new restaurant we found in Cabo 

called

Pan di Bacco.

I just loved the decor especially these red french script

chairs.

The food was just as amazing.

We both gasped at the presentation as the food came

out on these cutting boards served in white bowls.

Right away I knew I had my inspiration for

my January lunch.

Of course the huge red chandelier was 

another favorite.

We definitely will be going back there.

Thanks Pan di Bacco for the inspiration.

I will be posting with

Let's Dish

Tablescapes Thursday

On The Menu Monday