Great Party Trick

So I had always thought strawberries came from bushes until I recently attended a truly spectacular wedding in an “undisclosed location” in Napa, where I came across a strawberry tree. So next time you host a party, impress your guests with a tree of your own.

After two days of delighting on spectacular food and beverages prepared by famed San Francisco’s caterer Paula LeDuc included a three course meal with amazing wine pairings, I wasn’t sure if I could find space for dessert. However, as we adjourned from the huge dinner tent to enjoy the festivities in the decked out smaller cocktail lounge tent, we were immediately struck by the scent of fresh strawberries and I immediately found space in my stomach for some treats.

As I approached the bar, I saw all sorts of yummy toppings for the berries—chocolate, whipped cream, brown sugar—but where were the strawberries? To make matters worse, I was overpowered by their delightful aroma. Until finally I looked up and discovered they were up in the tree!

Nothing goes better with strawberries than sparkling wine, and even better is a rosé sparkler. We were treated to a delightful Besserat de Bellefon Brut Rosé , which was quite tasty. Some of my favorite totally indulgent rosés include:

-          J Brut Rose at $40 a bottle

-          Iron Horse Vineyards Brut Rosé at $50 pr bottle.

-          Laurent-Pierre Brut Rose at $99 a bottle

 
How to build your own Strawberry Tree

The most fantastic thing about this tree, is its simplicity. All you need is a clean flower pot, a good stick (about 1 – 2 inches in diameter and about 1 ½ feet tall*), some green floral foam, and toothpicks.

-          Fill flower pot ¾ of the way up with floral foam and insert the base of your stick in the center of the foam

-          Cover filling material with plastic wrap

-          Form the floral foam into a sphere and place at top of the stick

-          Cut off the stems of the strawberries and place a toothpick in the top and insert into the floral foam

-          Fill flower pot with light brown sugar (this becomes your soil)

 * note the diameter and height of your stick should be your personal preference and should be balanced with the size of the flower pot you choose.