Magnolia Table Cookbook Club
This past month I got to host our monthly Cookbook Club dinner and I loved every second of it.
For years, I’ve been collecting so many pieces of homeware or kitchenware and I have always wanted to throw a little dinner party to show off some of my favorite things. My prized pieces are from the Old Havana collection at Anthropologie in the color Mint. I started collecting it around 2017 and over the years I’ve gotten pieces as gifts for birthdays, Christmas, and our engagement. It features one of my favorite ceramic techniques that involves colored glass pieces in the glazing process, plus the pressed patterns are just gorgeous. There are multiple colors and it’s a beautiful alternative to traditional china sets in my opinion. Plus my favorite color is mint/teal.
This is only our second installment of Cookbook Club but it’s already a tradition that I hope we can keep up for years. If you’re interested in your own cookbook or supper club situation - this is how we decided to run ours. We have 6 core hosts who are able to host twice a year. Each host is allowed to invite as many or as few people as they’d like as some of us like smaller, intimate tables, while others like big gatherings. This way we are able to network and meet new people, but also keep our core group going strong. The host is also responsible for choosing a cookbook that would work for the group, as well as keeping track of whose making what!
I chose Magnolia Table Volume 3 mostly because Joanna Gaines was running a supper club giveaway and we wanted to enter, but also because I love the Magnolia brand. At first, this new book seemed like a very odd smattering of every signature dish from so many cultures but each recipe we tried was absolutely delicious. You can find the book here on Amazon, Target, or even better - your local bookstore! We ended up with 7 dishes and each one really had a great flavor profile. There was so much brightness in each dish plus a heavy use of herbs, which we all really loved. The dishes we served were a butter flight with bread, marinated shrimp salad, fig and nut cheeseball, spinach manicotti, apple and pear salad, raspberry and lemon profiteroles, and my favorite - Jo's Cherry Burrata that my friend, Lena, made. I’ll leave you with that recipe and for the rest, you’ll have to buy the book and try them all for yourself :-)
Jo’s Cherry Burrata
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: None
3 cups tart cherries, halved and pitted
1 tablespoon store bought balsamic glaze, plus extra for serving
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
8 ounces burrata cheese
Flaky salt (such as Maldon)
Freshly cracked black peper
Fresh herbs, such as mint, or lemon thyme, chopped or torn
French bread or crackers for serving
In a medium bowl, toss the cherries with the balsamic glaze and half of the lemon zest. Set aside.
When ready to serve, place the burrata in the center of a serving dish and split it open. Spoon the balsamic cherries around the cheese.
Top with a pinch of the flaky salt, some pepper, the remaining lemon zest and some herbs (if using). Drizzle with balsamic glaze, if desired.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
TIP: If cherries are out of season, use 16 ounces of frozen cherries that have been thawed, rinsed, and patted dry with a paper towel. If you’re unable to find burrata in the store, use fresh mozzarella cheese.
Makes 4 servings
As for the rest of my table decor and homeware, I used mason jars as water glasses and then my favorite drinking glass from West Elm for other drinks. The salad plates are a sea creature set from Pier One that I stole from my mom maybe 8 years ago. I’ve never used them until now but I love them, especially the octopus one because it’s my favorite animal. I got the gauzy table runner from Amazon in rosy brown and I really like it. It’s simple but pretty and neutral enough to use often. My blue wine glasses are from Ikea but they don’t seem to be in stock anymore, unfortunately. The serving dishes are all various ones my friends brought for their dishes. And lastly, I got my flowers from Trader Joe’s. Duh!
I highly suggest starting some type of hosting club with your friends. It’s a great way to get intimate, social time on the calendar in this busy season of life and also to make new friends as well. You could do a drink night, a game night, a craft night - there are so many options!! If you start a club, I’d love to hear about :)