Happy New Year!

My partner and I spent a quiet New Year's Eve at home with duck a l'orange and farro, and dessert in front of the fireplace from a pastry shop nearby.  We're sort of home-bodies, but one of my New Year's resolutions is: more dinner parties!  ...at least one a month seems reasonable - and then we'll get to use our dinnerware more often. :)

About the pictures:  It was sort of a Danish/Finnish night.  We used our Nissen Rune dishes and Dansk Fjord silverware, both designed by Jens Quistgaard.  The glassware is Iittala - Ultima Thule for the water, Aarne champagne flutes, and Essence cordial glasses for a dessert wine (I found out recently that we can no longer get the cordial size in the Essence pattern, although they are still on the Iittala website (where they are called "Sweet Wine")).  Dessert is on a Dansk teak tray (also Quistgaard).

The little red espresso cups were a Christmas present from my parents by Heath Ceramics.  I love how Heath fits in so nicely with Scandinavian design.

Drinks

Some summer libations.

The wine coaster is Norwegian pewter by Havstad Tinn - marked on the bottom with the company name and "93% T".

Ikea has had some really fun glassware designs the last few years, which means that we have a lot of cocktail glasses.  We had margaritas the other evening in these fun glasses.

A few months ago I posted about how cold it was.  Today it was 116º warmer!  But nothing cools you off like a negroni on the patio in an icy Ultima Thule glass.

 

More from Mother's Day

More from our Mother's Day dinner with my parents - we broke out a bunch of the Scando dishes...our new Rune dishes by Nissen (designed by Jens Harald Quistgaard), the Fjord silverware by Dansk (JHQ), and Iittala glassware (Ultima Thule (Taipo Wirkkala) and Essence (Alfredo Häberli)). The centerpiece has Relief candleholders by Kronjyden and Dansk glass vases (both JHQ).

We served roasted cauliflower with capers golden raisins (a Lucinda Scala Quinn recipe) in the fun mod Upsala Ekeby dish.

Just a few snacks before dinner.  The cheeseboard is Dansk (JHQ), the glass-handled knife is by Lindshammar, and the little dish with the crackers is the Mons og Mille pattern by Figgjo Flint (Turi Gramstad Oliver).

New Elle Vase

We got a new little Elle vase today, designed by Birgitte Skyttern.  ...and enjoyed an aquavit and tonic after work.  I can't wait for some really hot weather - they'll taste even better then!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!  We had a nice dinner of crab cakes and agurksalat (cucumber salad) with a bottle of Duval-Leroy Blanc de Chardonnay 1998 (the same year my partner and I met!).  The glasses are from the Aarne line by Iittala.

And for dessert we had some fantastic nibblies from a French bakery near us, with some Port and espresso.

I noticed that the Millesgården plates by Rörstrand have a different mark on the bottom than the cups and saucers - they also say "Diamant."  The color of the porcelain was also slightly yellower in the plates.  Hmm.

Dessert with Iittala and Rörstrand

Iittala espresso cup in the Ego pattern, aquavit in an Iittala Ultima Thule cordial glass, and a fantastic dessert from our local pastry shop on a Rörstrand Millesgården plate.