You must have, at some time in your life, received a
compliment from a friend or relative about a decorative table
you set or a fancy dessert you served, that boosted your
morale. There is no doubt that youth is the ideal time to
acquire a skill and practice in this area. Gutzia Altusky and
Tzippy Shidlovsky have contributed some of their excellent
ideas and expertise in making a sweet-table really tempting
and delectable.
Q. What interesting things do you create?
There are numerous forms and molds available these days but
in order to achieve a product using a combination of such
molds and various colors, one needs a great deal of patience
and concentration, a love for this kind of work.
I divide my molds into categories: the special calendar days
like Purim and Chanuka; keilim, that is vessels like
musical instruments, furniture (a doll carriage for a
newborn), and shapes -- stars, flowers, hearts and so on. I
think that any shape or form that you can imagine -- I have
in my house.
Q. From the pictures of your creations, it seems you use a
lot more ingredients than just plain chocolate.
By no means. It's all decoration. For the cookies, I use
basically only dark and white chocolate and for the cakes, a
simple torte recipe. What makes them unique is the colors and
the combination of cake/cookie, which I happen to love.
Q. How can one attain such a beautiful finished product from
mere chocolate?
I melt the brown or white chocolate over a double boiler,
that is a pot resting in another pot of boiling water. One
must NEVER melt chocolate over an open flame, else it will
burn and lose its quality. Secondly, one must be very careful
not to let even a drop of water enter the chocolate. I let it
cool a little before pouring it into the mold since very hot
chocolate can ruin it. When the mold has cooled off
completely, I remove it.
Q. How do you obtain such rich colors in your decoration?
I use powdered food coloring. I put a little into a small
disposable cup, add a drop of water and mix. I then add it to
the white melted chocolate which I have put into another
disposable cup and mix well. Then I pour the still warm
mixture into the mold. You can always add a bit more color or
more white chocolate to get the desired color.
*
Mrs. Tzippy Shidlovsky from Bnei Brak is an expert on fancy
sweet-tables.
Q. Do you have any basic rules to impart to the readers?
Yes. The finished product must be harmonious and pleasant to
the eye. Each table must have one particular design to draw
the eye at once, while the use of proper materials will add
to the final effect.
We begin with the tablecloth. This must suit the event
itself, be it Shabbos, a festive event or a family gathering.
The simplest design is to spread a tablecloth over the entire
table and a contrasting one diagonally above that. An
alternate method is to put a light colored tablecloth with a
dark runner, that is a length of a different colored
material, running the length of the table across the center --
or small runners all across the width designating the
different place settings. They can be made from different
kinds of material like organdy, jute, velvet, netting or
anything you can think of.
The runner should match the colors of the dishes you are
using. On Purim, you can use bright colors like red, blue
and/or yellow but there should be a pattern throughout.
Napkins (serviettes) should match the color scheme. The style
today is for less fancy folding in favor of the classic
approach of rolled up like a fan or folded in four, held
together by some original form -- a circlet from rope, pipe
cleaners, ribbons, raffia etc. There are the standard plastic
and metal napkin holders as well. You can let your
imagination loose, like inserting napkins into ice cream
cones for a birthday party, or a small elastic hairband
etc.
SERVING DISHES
These can add much to the effect, or subtract. Glass serving
dishes are neutral and do not interfere with your color
scheme, says Tzippy. Porcelain or china will mar the effect
by their contrast. Keep the materials uniform, either
transparent or white unless they blend in with the theme.
GLASSES
You need not use glasses of the same pattern, says Tzippy.
You can alternate two identical glasses with one from a
different set. You can even have one standing and the next
lying on its side! As for silverware, there is an
international code that says one uses the outer silverware
first and moves inward with each course.
Centerpieces can be single and centered or of various types
of candles. One firm rule is never to have your centerpiece
hide the guests from one another! If candles, these should
also blend into the overall theme.
Incidental decorations for sweet-tables can be attractions
from nature -- like pine cones, nuts, leaves, beads sprayed
with gold and/or silver paint. Chocolate baskets and trays
can also be used as the bases for the refreshments. Whatever
is spread across the table, there should be one major central
piece that draws the eye and sets the tone for the rest of
the decoration.
