French Party, Paris Party Theme

Begin planning your French Party Theme with the invitation.

Refer to the guest of honor as "Mademoiselle or Madame Davidson" in the invitation to create an authentic French feeling.

The Versailles Invitation is sure to inspire you and your guests for the evening ahead!

Springtime in Paris Decorations

When planning your decorations for a Springtime in Paris theme, picture a beautiful outdoor café surrounded by fresh flowers and charming tables. Keep this setting in mind as you coordinate all of your details, and your atmosphere will develop into just the perfect place for a relaxing afternoon or evening!

Check out the kit called Springtime in Paris. This kit includes an Eiffel Tower, topiary trees, a Paris skyline and a whole lot more!

The other kit is called Parisian Rendezvous and it too offers an Eiffel Tower Silhouette and hedges, along with a café style canopy!

You will want to focus on red, white, and blue as your primary decorating colors. Use balloons, streamers and some Gossamer to decorate your party.

For the most realistic touch, rent bistro tables and wrought iron chairs and place them on your patio or throughout the entire yard. 

Place a large French flag to place at your entryway, and then find smaller, paper flags to hang around the room. You could also use the flag for placemats - simply make a colored photocopy of the flag and affix it to some heavy cardstock.

Place a pair of Lampposts on either side of your back door leading onto the patio for a quaint touch of France! 

Cover your tables with either white linens or white lace to enhance the bistro look! You may want to scatter some brightly colored confetti across the tables for some shine. A single stemmed red rose in a crystal vase is the perfect centerpiece for a Parisian theme, but a full bouquet of fresh spring flowers would be lovely as well.

Another centerpiece that would be great is the Eiffel Tower Centerpiece. This table decoration looks great with fresh flowers or loose petals scattered around it

If you will be hosting your party at dusk, add some candlelight for even more ambiance and romance! The Eiffel Tower Votives can be placed at each table setting for a glowing touch!

The main activity for this sweet and romantic gathering would be great eats and conversation, but sometimes just a small activity or two can really make the party one that is filled with memories to last for a long time. Here are some suggestions for just the right touch of entertainment!

Hire a Caricature artist to provide drawings of all of your Guests.

Have a special spot setup for photos. Each of the guests will wish to have their picture taken with the Guest of honor!

Set up a runway and have a fashion show of all the latest spring designs!

Play an interesting game of "French Trivia". Before the party, look up some interesting and unusual facts about France, French people, French cuisine, or art. Give a prize to the guest that knows the most about this beautiful country and its heritage!**I can provide you these facts free, just let me know!

Have your guests arrive in berets and scarves. Have a contest for the best dressed, or most authentically French!

Hire a local artist or two and have them bring their palettes and easels to your party. Not only will this idea enhance your atmosphere, it would also be fun to have a demonstration on different forms of painting. Provide paper for all your guests and let them try to create their own watercolor masterpiece!

Hire a gardener (or a friend with a green thumb) and have them give a flower-arranging lesson and provide some basic gardening instructions that will help your spring flowers look as magical as those in the Jardins des Tuilieries!

Arrange to have someone from your local wine shop and give a short presentation on French wine. At the end of the presentation, let guests have a taste of the wine.

Have a French cooking lesson and teach guests how to prepare a traditional French delicacy. Crepes are a good idea, because they are quick and tasty. Allow guests to sample the food at the end!

Parisian Party Favors

There are a large selection of personalized items and favors that would be especially appropriate for this Springtime in Paris theme. All of them can be engraved with the designs shown in the Invitations section. One of our favor favorites that can be used throughout the whole evening is a romantic wine goblet just perfect for pretending to sip wine in the park nearby the Eiffel Tower! What an elegant and classy item to give to your loved ones!

Another favor idea would be to bundle up a small package of flavored coffee along with a few chocolates. Red Gossamer is the perfect fabric to wrap these up in - then tie them off with a piece of white wired ribbon - simple but beautiful!!

Show your guests just how much you care by offering Personalized Napkins that complement your theme. Napkins can be laid out on a buffet table, or can be displayed at each place setting. Place napkins in the center of each place setting at an angle, or unfold them and place them in glasses for a tall dramatic look. The napkins can also be tied (and bundled with plastic cutlery) with a multitude of items to match your theme. Try Curling Ribbon, Gossamer, Streamers, ric-rac or ribbon.

The French are known for their rich foods and delectable pastries, so have fun with your food choices when hosting a party like this! You can easily serve only finger foods and desserts with this theme, but we have enclosed some main dish choices if your palettes are longing for a heartier fare!

MAIN DISH (some choices are renamed to sound genuinely French!)

French cuisine selections - most served with a white sauce
Loire Pork Loin
Boulevard Beef
Seine Salad
French Onion Soup
Croque Monsieur
Café Chicken
Quiche

Parisian Party FINGER FOODS AND PASTRIES

Croissants
Cheese trays
Eclairs
Roasted garlic and crackers
Pate'
French bread

Parisian Party DRINKS

Several options of coffee
Bottled water (especially those bottled in France)
Red and white wine choices

French Party Recipes

Tapenade on Olive-Oil Toasts
Ingredients

4  ounces oil-cured olives

4  ounces Gaeta olives

1/8  teaspoon dried thyme

Pinch dried rosemary

1  small clove garlic

1  tablespoon plus 1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1  loaf French bread, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Directions

1. Press olives with flat side of knife to loosen pit; remove and discard pit.

2. Process olives, garlic, thyme and rosemary in food processor pulsing until chopped. With motor on, pour 1 tablespoon of the oil through feed tube and process until smooth. Transfer to bowl.

3. Heat broiler. Brush bread slices lightly with remaining 1/4 cup oil on both sides. Broil on cookie sheet 6 inches from heat source, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes per side or until golden. Serve with tapenade. Makes about 5 dozen toasts.

Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare olive mixture. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.

Goat Cheese Tart Recipe
Ingredients:

For the Dough:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons water

For the Filling:
4 tablespoons blended oil (half olive oil and half vegetable oil)
3 to 4 Portobello mushrooms cleaned, trimmed and diced
3 pounds goat cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten
One head roasted garlic, cloves removed and minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Mesclun Greens (optional)
Pickled beets (optional)
Spiced Walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Make the Dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, add the flour. On low speed, beat in the butter until it resembles a coarse meal. Add the salt and enough water to make the dough come together in a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

The Filling: In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the oil and mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until all of the liquid released from the mushrooms has evaporated. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Use a kitchen towel to squeeze out the excess moisture.

In a mixing bowl, combine the goat cheese, eggs, garlic, chives, thyme, cream, and mushrooms. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to soften slightly and gently shape the dough into a rectangle. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to an 11-inch by 15-inch rectangle and gently ease it into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking sheet. Turn the excess dough into the pan and gently press with your fingers to create the tart's edge. Pierce the bottom of the crust all over with the tines of a fork to prevent the dough from rising unevenly during baking. Line the tart shell with foil or parchment paper, and weigh it down with pastry weights or dried beans. Bake the pastry for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry just begins to turn tan and the rim is golden. Lift the foil or parchment paper and weights or beans from the tart and bake 5 to 7 minutes more, or until the crust is completely set. Place the crust on a rack to cool slightly. Do not turn the oven off.

Into the cooled crust, spread the goat cheese mixture out evenly. Bake the tart for 25 minutes, or until the cheese begins to turn golden.

Serve: Place a slice of tart on top of a bed of mesclun greens and garnish the plate with the pickled beets and spiced walnuts.
 

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