Holiday Decor and Recipes for a Festive Party

‘Tis the season for getting together and celebrating the holidays with friends and family. Do so in style with tips from CountDown Events’ Soha Lavin

Dinner parties do not have to be complicated, especially at this time of year. These simple yet beautiful dishes and whimsical holiday decor will leave your guests swooning. Read on for inspiration, as well as recipes from Vancouver Club executive chef Sean Cousins.

The Table

Christmas is one of our favourite holidays, and we wanted to keep the table decor personal and informal to honour holiday traditions while still reflecting a cosy dinner at home with family and friends.

Our table design was relaxed, based on comfortable and playful notes with a touch of holiday spirit incorporated through the plaid runner and ferns. The cotton added a taste of whimsy, and the plaid runner paid homage to a more traditional Christmas design.

The Place Setting

As a personal touch, each guest’s place setting was adorned with a miniature golden horse and place card. Candles of various heights were placed along the table to give warmth and visual interest. During the holidays we love to focus on delicious food and great conversation, and we wanted to create a personal, unfussed tablescape to reflect that vision.

The Food

Vancouverites are known for their healthy lifestyles, and with the current movement towards healthy living and plant-based diets, we wanted The Vancouver Club‘s Sean Cousins to share with us some vegan dishes that did not compromise on flavour (recipes to follow). Chef Cousin’s food mission is to emphasize local cuisine, and he does this through his luscious rooftop garden where he grows everything from chocolate mint to cabbage and kale. We were fortunate to chat with Sean about the dishes we were about to prepare – Crispy Kale and Foraged Mushrooms – both simple, yet elegant (and tasty!) vegan dishes that feature quality ingredients and simple preparation.

In the Kitchen

We made our way down to the kitchen where we were greeted with an array of mouth-watering holiday aromas and a full kitchen team busy at work. As we touched the ingredients, we spoke about how to properly handle an oyster mushroom. Sean showed us how to delicately tear (not cut!) it into pieces in order to showcase it in its natural element. The fragrance of the fresh mushrooms was earthy and scrumptious. Sean also shared with us some helpful tips, such as cleaning the mushrooms with the tip of the knife (as he had been trained) and cooking the chanterelle mushrooms upside down. For the mushroom dish, he also advised us to add the salt last, to soak up the extra liquid at the finale of the cooking process.

Crispy Kale

Ingredients

• kale
• cauliflower
• chili
• preserved lemon
• salt flake

Instructions

1. Remove the stems from the Kale, and brush with olive oil.
2. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until crispy.
3. Remove the pith from a preserved lemon and julienne the rind.
4. Finely chop the chili and sprinkle over dish along with the salt flakes.
5. Use a micro plane and grate the cauliflower over top of the platter to resemble “cheese” or “snow”

Foraged Mushrooms

Ingredients

• foraged mushrooms*
• thyme
• black garlic
• smoke olive oil

*Mushrooms used where chanterelle, shimiji, oyster, black trumpets, hedge hogs

Instructions

1. With a knife remove earth (pine needles, sand etc.) from the mushrooms.
2. Heat a pan on high heat. Your pan is ready when the oil is just a little smoky.
3. Following this, turn down the heat to medium and then cook the heartier mushrooms. 
4. Place mushrooms in the pan head down. Add the more delicate mushrooms to prevent over cooking.
5. Add the herbs (we used thyme) to release their oils. 
6. To finish, add minced shallots, black garlic and drizzle some smoked olive oil to perfume the mushrooms.
7. Finish by seasoning with salt and pepper. (Note: do not add salt at the beginning or it will release the water too quickly from the mushrooms). 
8. Helpful tip: each mushroom has a different cooking time because of water content. When cooking mushrooms, Sean looks for some caramelized edges shine. Be sure not to overcook, but just warm through. The approximate cooking time is five minutes.  

The Chef

Sean Cousins has been the Executive Chef of the Vancouver Club for the past seven years, and has previously cooked with Rob Clark at C Restaurant, Anthony Demetre L’Oeden in London, and Willi Elsener of The Dorchester Hotel in London. Sean has also cooked for world-renowned chefs including Michelle Roux and Ferran Adrià.