If you’ve lost all track of time, like I have recently, you may not have even realized that Easter Sunday is nearly here. Normally, I’d have spent last week shooting our annual Easter tabletop feature. Always a favorite, because this is when spring starts to grace us with her floral bounty.
Sadly, this year that was not the case, as we’ve all been safely secluding ourselves at home. Luckily, last year we were overly-ambitious with our photo shoot and captured not one, but two tabletops. Though they were similar in style, the overall themes were quite a bit different. Last year, we brought you a little Easter Brunch in the Meadow. This year, we’ll show you a setting that’s a foraged spring tabletop, full of edible items and the happiest color: yellow.
Choosing a singular palette can help create a lush, but simple table which – I have a feeling – is what we’ll all be going for this year. On my long daily walks, I’ve already been eyeing blooming cherry tree branches in white, perky yellow daffodils from the schoolyard (nobody’s enjoying them anyway), and crossing my fingers for our tulips to pop so that I might be able to create something similar from florals in my neighborhood.
If you aren’t familiar with mustard flower (or mustard greens) as a delightful, edible garnish, you are now! This happy flower grows wild around us, and when we created this tabletop we actually went and foraged it from a lot near my house! Ideally, you’d be growing your own or foraging them from a trusted environment if you plan on also eating them.
When setting a simple tabletop, texture is so important! Because of this, linen is always a favorite for me. Its relaxed, wrinkled texture feels inviting and casual. While I’m sure we’ll end up using our simple white dishes this year, I’m kinda wishing I had kept this dinnerware set from Crate & Barrel. The texture is so lovely, is a perfect example of how these pieces can really shine – important if you’re investing in a good set.
We also opted for subtle frosted glassware that manages to blend in and offer a hint of refinement (in the gold rim) at the same time. I love the combination! Gold flatware would have also worked here to elevate the setting. A simple flower at each place is a sweet and easy greeting to guests.
Now let’s talk about these greens! Just like last year’s table, where we featured edible pansies in our fancy crêpe recipe, this year we’re showing you how you could literally pluck the ingredients for this salad from your table as well.
I love the idea of letting food inspire the setting of the table. I’ve certainly used items from the grocery store to style centerpieces before – butter lettuce, kale, frisee, chard… if you can’t get your hands on some flowers, then wander your vegetable aisles for some inspiration! Or better yet – mix them up together.
To make this salad, you won’t need much. Even without the mustard greens, you should be able to create a version of this! The key is in the balance of bitter and rich flavors.
Mustard greens are a bit bitter, so they are typically used as a garnish. That said, I love bitter greens, so I don’t mind using them in more abundance. Here we’ve partnered them with tender microgreens (a bit more mild than, say, arugula), white radishes, shaved asparagus, and rich fried eggs to top it all off. All you need is a dash of olive oil and sea salt to keep this salad feeling fresh and really taste the flavor of the ingredients. If you want a bit more flavor, make sure your dressing isn’t overly creamy. You could also serve this a topping to avocado toast, to make it a heartier brunch dish!
While Easter certainly won’t be the same this year as in the past, I hope you’ll find ways to celebrate that feel good to you. We aren’t traditionally religious around our household, but I’m looking forward to using this holiday as a reason to dress up my table – and maybe even myself – for a day that feels happy and nourishing. Wishing you all good health for this holiday!
