Halloween is more than just a night for the neighborhood ghosts and ghouls! For local cookbook author, TV food personality, and former professional ballerina Jessie-Sierra Ross, it’s the perfect time to show you how to get creative with magical floral tablescapes and wickedly delicious cocktails! Jessie-Sierra's years on the stage taught her how to make a dramatic entrance, and she brings the flair to the table without making a fuss in the kitchen. Rather than sticking to old-fashioned hosting, which so often leaves the party planner tied to a stove working out math on cooking times, Jessie prefers to use streamlined menus and table themes to take the stress out of gathering together. Her priority is making sure the host spends less time in the kitchen, and more time with guests!
This Halloween, Jessie-Sierra conjures up two enchanting cocktails to add to your menu, and a florally lush Tarot-inspired Halloween tablescape for the grown-ups! Think green and pink libations, colorful tables overflowing with deep purple and orange blossoms, and a Tarot reading that says your future includes at least a drink or two!
The Wicked Witch
An icy-sweet ode to our favorite Emerald City rebel.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
4 oz honeydew melon juice
2 oz Midori liqueur
2 oz vodka
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz orange juice
1 oz simple syrup
1 cup ice
Instructions
- Using 2-3 cups of fresh Honeydew melon chunks, blend on high and strain the juice. Discard the solids.
- Add the honeydew juice, Midori, vodka, citrus juices, and simple syrup to a blender with ice.
- Blend on high.
- Serve in two lowball glasses. Garnish with edible flowers and a swath of black sugar.
Tarot Tablescape
There’s magic in the air! Jessie sets an enchanted tablescape of flowers, fruits, and herbs. A palette of deep purples, orange, and magenta is accented by lilies, roses, and chrysanthemums.
On the Table: Beeswax candles, baskets of apples, pears, and plums, a dusty blue runner, rosemary bundles, and a Tarot deck create a mystical scene.
Order of Operations:
- Drape the table runner, bunching occasionally for movement.
- Set candlesticks, fruit, and florals in groups of three.
- Fill cake stands with fruits and flowers.
- Add herb bundles and small plates, light the candles for a magical glow.
The Good Witch
A vivaciously pink-lavender magical potion.
Serves: 1
Ingredients
3 oz white cranberry juice
2 oz Hendrick's Lunar Gin
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz Elderflower Liqueur
1 fresh egg white
1/2 oz butterfly pea flower syrup (recipe below)
Ice
Instructions
Syrup: boil 1 cup each sugar and water with 3 tablespoons dried butterfly pea flowers, for 3 minutes. Strain and chill.
Cocktail:
- In a cocktail shaker, shake the ice and egg white until foamy.
- Add remaining ingredients and shake for 30 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with edible flowers.
Cookbook
Seasons Around the Table; Effortless Entertaining with Floral Tablescapes & Seasonal Recipes, by Jessie-Sierra Ross (Schiffer Publishing 2024), features over 100 recipes with full color photographs, and 16 versatile menus with floral tablescape ideas to recreate at home. Jessie-Sierra highlights her philosophy of “fancy, not fussy” cooking and modern home entertaining, so you become known as the host with the most. With easy step by step instructions for floral inspired table designs and delicious New England inspired seasonal recipes, Jessie-Sierra shares an illustrated guide to memorable, stress-free gatherings all year long!
Find online or wherever fine books are sold.