Watermelon Gazpacho Gets Raves at My Lux Dinner Party

A Vision For an Elegant Evening

My girlfriend Nicole and I have been wanting to do a lavish dinner party for some time.  Our vision has always been an elegant setting and fancy foods served in courses on china instead of finger foods and buffet style entrees on paper plates.

Along with a promotion to Challenge #3 of the Project Food Blog competition, we were given the perfect opportunity to make our dream of a lux dinner party come true.

With my experience planning and hosting events, our shared vision for a great party at home, and Foodbuzz’s prompt to make it happen, we were all set to put on a night that our friends would be raving about.

Dressing up the Patio

The setting for an event is so important.  For this party, I wanted my guests to be as comfortable as they’ve always been at my home but also to know that this was a special occasion.  On my invitation, I asked them to get glamorous. To make sure my setting matched the guests, I dressed up the backyard too.

Well, Nicole dressed it up!  She took charge of the decorations and was off and running before I could say a word.  Remember, she had a vision for this!  Needless to say, Nicole — with some help from the kids — did an awesome job transforming our patio into a swank, restaurant-like setting.

The kicker was a novel use of our Christmas lights.  We strung them over and around our outdoor dining room for a stunning effect.  It was an excellent addition to the decor and gave our setting a “wow” factor.  And since we already had the lights, it was a cheap and easy addition!

A Menu They Won’t Soon Forget

As I planned my menu, I knew I wanted a theme but I was having menu-writers block.  Nothing seemed to make sense.  I knew I wanted to make my “world famous” smoked salmon but I wanted to pair it with something that my guests might have never had.

While pondering my menu, I absentmindedly started looking through a goodie bag from a recent event I had attended.  In the bag I found a brochure with recipes using watermelons.

“Watermelons?”, I thought.  Flipping through the pages, I found ideas for drinks, appetizers, and entrees.  The kicker: Grilled Watermelon.  YES!  I could immediately see my menu*.

I put together six courses:

1. A cocktail course featuring a signature drink: the Watermelon Cosmopolitan.
2. An appetizer which was tray passed (so fancy!) featuring what I called watermelon bruschetta: a thin plank of watermelon slathered with Boursin cheese, topped with a toasted pecan.
3. A soup course featuring a traditional gazpacho…made with watermelon.
4. A salad of watermelon and arugula, topped with blue cheese and Nicole’s signature Honey Lime Vinaigrette.
5. The entree!  My own mesquite smoked salmon served with grilled watermelon on a bed of wild rice.
6. And finally, dessert: chilled watermelon served with tart frozen yogurt, Schoolbook Cookies, and champagne.

With a menu, I quickly started shopping for my ingredients.  I was going to need A LOT of watermelon!

Turning Juicy Fruit Into a Meal

Prepping the watermelon was so much fun.  Having some experience peeling watermelons, I dove in knife first, starting the arduous process of prepping my main ingredient.  It was like an episode from Iron Chef: Battle Watermelon!

To make sure my dishes would be the proper temperatures when I served them, I focused on the ones that needed to be chilled first.  Next, I focused on the ones that needed to be hot so they would be perfectly warmed for my guests.

With my patio brilliantly decorated — thanks to Nicole an the kids! — and my food prepped, I showered and dressed, swapping my contacts for glasses to get that debonair look.

While the Guests React, the Gazpacho Steals the Show

As my friends arrived — on time and looking stunning, I might add —  I corralled them in the living room.  No one knew about the patio transformation or the menu; I wanted both to be a surprise.

Once we got the word from Nicole to reveal the patio, I escorted our guests out back.  It was such a treat hearing their reactions!  There was a chorus of oohs, aahs, wows, and even an “Aw, you guys!”.

Everyone made themselves comfortable as I mixed up the signature drink — the watermelon cosmo — and opened some bottles of wine. After cocktails, each course was served and cleared in a relaxed, unhurried progression.

While all of the dishes were tremendous, the gazpacho was the highlight.  Everyone marveled at the light, fruity flavor of the watermelon and how it was complemented by the other ingredients: orange juice, cucumber, onion, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro.

To make this cold dish even more fancy, I chilled the soup bowls ahead of time, just like the restaurants do.

The grilled watermelon was also a favorite.  The heat and smoke from the grill had intensified the flavor of the fruit, mainly by evaporating the water from it.  The result was a dense, succulent vegetable flavor, complemented by a fruity sweetness.  Everyone agreed they had never tasted watermelon like this before.

Honorable mentions included Nicole’s home made dressing and the cookies that came with dessert: Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Schoolbook cookies!  Their spicy flavor and crunchy texture were a prefect compliment to the tart, soft yogurt.

What a Wonderful Evening!

As the dishes were cleared, my friends and I continued to enjoy conversation accompanied by glasses of wine and champagne.  Originally, I planned for us to dine for just a few hours;  Instead we ended up partying well into the night.

It was an elegant, luxurious event indeed!

*Here’s the complete menu in PDF.  Look for recipes soon!