Party Planner: Tomato Harvest Party

When heirloom tomatoes are at their peak, populating nearly every stand at the farmers’ market, you’ll want to take full advantage of these colorful beauties. Here, a tomato-centric menu allows you to enjoy this summer specialty in all their glory.

 

 

Start the meal with canapes of thinly sliced beef tenderloin and chopped heirloom tomatoes, which feel special and are easy to make. Once you sit down to dinner, an arugula salad with tomatoes and shaved pecorino is the perfect first course, full of fresh flavors and vibrant colors.

 

Anchor the meal with a dish that shines in its simplicity: fresh spaghetti topped with ripe tomatoes, gently warmed by the heat of the pasta. On the side, roast a variety of heirloom tomatoes in different colors and sizes to bring out their natural, subtle sweetness, and pair with a Mediterranean quinoa salad for some hearty whole grains. 

 

For dessert, serve a homey plum buckle, an old-fashioned dessert in which fresh fruit is baked into a fluffy cake batter. Top with vanilla ice cream.

 

 

 

• Day of: Roast the beef tenderloin, cool, and refrigerate; bring it to room temperature before slicing and serving. Mix and roll out the fresh pasta. Make the plum buckle. Make the quinoa salad and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Just before serving: Assemble the canapes. Make the arugula salad. Cook the pasta and finish the dish.

 

Inspired by traditional botanical portraits of heirloom tomatoes, our rustic earthenware plates and bowls are the ideal canvases for summer meals. We love layering them with solid, rustic dinner plates for contrast.

 

Woven, textured serving pieces in natural hues complement the bright colors to perfection. Arrange napkins, glasses and even fresh produce on this tiered stand for a display as functional as it is beautiful. Serve the canapes or dessert on a pedestal stand to add dimension to the table. Round it out with vintage-style striped linens.

 

Extend the theme of the meal to the decor. Instead of flowers, place small pots of planted herbs down the center of the table for color, and scatter tomatoes in different shapes, sizes and colors.

 

Find everything you need to pull off the party here!