Spicy Cherry Tomato & Cucumber Salad with Basil, Tables & Spreads: A Go-To Guide for Beautiful Snacks, Intimate Gatherings, and Inviting Feasts by Shelly Westerhausen Worcel.
Tables & Spreads is a must-have cookbook and resourceful styling guide from bestselling author Shelly Westerhausen.
Here are more than 60 easy-to-prepare recipes plus behind-the-scenes insight into creating a beautiful, inviting table for every occasion, including tips on choosing a theme, styling your food in creative ways, and achieving that “wow factor” with linens, flowers, music, and more.
There are 20 visually striking spreads that range from Ladies Night Lettuce Wraps to a Christmas Morning Dutch Baby Party, Dips for Dinner, and a Boozy Bloody Mary Bar.
Rich with gorgeous and instructive photography, Tables & Spreads is inspiring yet totally accessible, perfect for home cooks who like to host gatherings of all sizes, and those who loved Shelly’s first book, Platters & Boards. Complete with timelines, shopping lists, diagrams, and more, this book includes all the tools you need to make every meal delicious and unforgettable.
NEXT LEVEL ENTERTAINING: Tables & Spreads takes easy entertaining to the next level with additional recipes and robust guidance on casual styling of beautiful platters and tables for any number of guests.
ON TREND: The simple but impactful guidelines in this book speak to the way people are eating and entertaining today—often casually, with beautiful presentation, and a “help yourself” mentality. This book teaches us how to do that elegantly and create gorgeous grazing tables whether you’re preparing a “snack dinner” for one, a family brunch, or a large-scale wedding or holiday table.
FOR ALL SKILL LEVELS: Anyone can make successful, beautiful spreads with these easy-to-follow guidelines and visual inspiration. These grazing spreads offer low-effort, high-impact results with easily sourced ingredients to feed a crowd-perfect for anyone that loves to eat and entertain.
Perfect for:
• Fans of Shelly Westerhausen and of Platters & Boards
• Ina Garten and Martha Stewart fans who are always looking for creative & tasty ideas
• People who seek inspiration in tablescaping, arranging, menus, and party inspirations
Tables & Spreads: A Go-To Guide for Beautiful Snacks, Intimate Gatherings, and Inviting Feasts is available at Amazon.com and Indigo.ca.
Spicy Cherry Tomato & Cucumber Salad with Basil
I like to use cherry tomatoes here, as they won’t get the salad too watery and are easy to find in most seasons (although this one will be extra delicious on a hot summer day when basil and cucumbers are in abundance in the garden).
Serves 4
1½ cups [240 g] cherry tomatoes (ideally a mix of colors), halved
½ English cucumber, cut into ½ in [12 mm] dice
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
Dash of freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
2 Tbsp torn basil
8 oz [230 g] burrata (optional) Crackers, for serving (optional)
In a medium mixing bowl, toss together the tomatoes, cucumber, and jalapeño.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the mixture over the vegetables and toss to make sure all the veggies are coated.
Add the basil and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
If serving this salad on its own, tear and arrange the burrata over the salad and serve with crackers.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Chronicle Books.