Melon balls are very retro-chic. And you’re killing me with that caramel-coated Brillat-Savarin.

Everything was delicious Michele! And gorgeous as always… thanks for a lovely evening!

I wish I was your neighbor. I would RSVP “yes” to any party at your place.

I so know the feeling about RSVPing because a lot of people would RSVP to my parties, but never show up! In the end I would have too much food! It was sad, but hey it was always fun with the people who showed!

How adorable! I definitely would have come for the spread.

Could i suggest a theme for your next party ?
‘ Sorting out my Friends ‘ with an addendum - only friends need to RSVP.
The brillat savarin looks fantastic - can’t wait to try it

I came through the Tastespotting link - loved the pic of the caramel camembert (and I have a whole round just waiting for something like this!). And now I really want to check out your chicken liver pate recipe!

Blueboy, I’m not sure it’s possible to eliminate the livery taste–the recipe I used is almost pure liver, and I happen to really like it. The recipe called for soaking the liver in strong liquor for 3-4 hours, which would probably go some way towards reducing liverishness. It’s also important to cook the livers until they’re still pink inside–if overcooked, the whole thing becomes grey, granular and bitter. Finally, make sure to trim any green bits, because those have come into contact with bile, which never tastes good!

The recipe I used comes from Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres Handbook, and is as simple as it gets. Just butter, sage, shallots, bourbon and livers. Something with cream and Grand Marnier might take the edge off.

Thanks to all the RSVP sympathizers. I think some of it comes down to cultural and generational differences, what do you think? Having grown up in Hong Kong, I would never think of not replying to an invitation to someone’s home, but in New York it seems perfectly acceptable among twentysomethings to avoid committing to a party in case something better pops up. When I complain to my friends, all indications are that this sort of behavior is par for the course…but then so many of the parties thrown by the twentysomethings themselves involve eighty strangers and a large bucket of beer: it seems that hosts can be just as nonchalant as their guests.

Manners: seriously undervalued.

This is a beautiful table. I am bookmarking this page to inspire me for future events.

Thanks for all the presentation comments! I did an internship with a party planner “to the stars” and she taught me a lot about tables. We would borrow things from Bloomingdales for photo shoots but a lot of it also came from Ikea. One of the biggest things I took away from her was the importance of varying heights: so, lots of cake stands and tall cylindrical containers. I cut crudites long and slim instead of short and stubby, and put them in 99-cent white flowerpots from Ikea.

Brooklyn residents: there is an awesome hidden close-out center on Court St where you can buy all sorts of amazing cheese boards and cake stands for next to nothing. Address is here. I got the white square cakestand for the mini-brownies for 7 bucks.

Amanda! Here’s the recipe for the beans/greans/bacon dip:

1.Drain a can of white beans and whizz it in a food processor with 1 tsp dried sage, the zest of 1 lemon, 2 tbs of lemon juice and plenty of good olive oil until you like the consistency.
2. Dice up 5 slices of bacon. Crisp it in its own fat.
3. Remove the bacon but keep the fat in the pan. Use it to sautee 2 cloves of garlic, minced, until soft, and then add 2 fistfuls of roughly chopped mustard greens to the pan until just wilted.
4. Fold garlic, greens and bacon into the bean puree.

It was pretty good but it lacked something. A splash of that Country Bob sauce you sent me did the trick.

I love the melon balls. They look so cool and refreshing and naked and lovely between bites of caramel covered cheese. I totally want a melon baller now. My gadget drawer just groaned pre-emptively.