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ENTERTAINING WITH PANACHE
Effortless
Elegance
When it comes to hosting a repast,
Jocelyne Sibuet is the embodiment of French style.
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By
Romy de Courtay
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Jocelyne Sibuet composing a seasonal bouqet. |
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The lavender garden at Sibuet's hotel Villa Marie,
located in Ramatuelle in the South of France. |
Jars of thyme, serpolet and honey for an afternoon herbal
tea. |
Summer cocktails with sage and lavender. |
Citrus salad with mint. |
Anyone who has ever been invited to a dinner party at a French
country house or city residence has probably come away sated,
delighted and just a little envious. Chances are the décor
was elegant but not overwhelming, the food delicious but not
heavy (rich sauces are a thing of the past in all but a few
French households), the service attentive but not intrusive
and the hostess gracious and relaxed. You wonder how she could
have created such a spectacular meal along with an atmosphere
of apparently effortless elegance.
Jocelyne Sibuet, a former cosmetic-industry executive whose
16-year-old Compagnie des Hôtels de Montagne is now
a hospitality powerhouse comprising 300 rooms in nine locations
(including the celebrated Les Fermes de Marie chalet hotel
at the Megève ski resort in the French Alps), has the
answers. The self-taught hotelier extraordinaire's first
foray into publishing, A French Country Home: Style and
Entertaining (written with Catherine Deydier and photographed
by Guillaume de Laubier; Editions Flammarion distributed by
Rizzoli New York; May 2005; $35), will no doubt bring a sigh
of relief to the legions of Francophiles aspiring to emulate
the Gallic aesthetic.
Asked to define that aesthetic, Sibuet distills it to its
essence: “French style lies in the details, nuances,
colors and materials. It is sophisticated, elegant yet relaxed,
refined yet not stuffy. Picture a family house – a maison
bourgeoise – that embraces tradition and refinement,
but has been updated to reflect the taste of the day.”
The 160-page book features tips on decorating mountaintop
chalets, beachside cottages and rustic farmhouses –
taking clues from nature, the seasons and the environment
– and each chapter ends with mouthwatering regional
recipes. A French Country Home is an ode to color, imagination
and the power of what Sibuet calls “little attentions”
– small touches that can make the difference between
classic and personal, drab and dressy, stodgy and witty. Here,
she gives us some ideas on how to create a quintessentially
French meal.
If you have decided on a buffet lunch outdoors, “set
a spectacular stage in keeping with the area and region in
which you live,” she advises, “and dare to use
strong colors. You can design a very refined table by creating
harmony among the tablecloth, plates and accessories.”
Set bright green plates decorated with a cabbage-leaf motif
onto a pale pink tablecloth; bind your coordinated napkins
with twigs of raffia or aromatic herbs; place small bouquets
of thyme, rosemary and sage in little water goblets around
the table or gather colorful vegetables – cabbage, red
and green peppers, fennel and celery – into a central
bouquet.
“Always take inspiration from your surroundings and
from the season,” advises Sibuet. “At our house
in Saint-Tropez, we might create a still life of branches
and shells. In April or May, we may bind our bouquet in asparagus
rather than put it in a vase. In autumn, we use pumpkins,
mushrooms, chestnuts and pheasant feathers as a centerpiece.”
To begin, present a selection of vegetables such as radishes,
celery sticks and carrots with a dip made of fromage blanc
(a soft, yogurtlike white cheese) and herbs, a tapenade, and
a selection of black and green olives from the South of France.
Rub small toasts with olive oil and top them with peppers
and Parmesan shavings, a zucchini puree with anise seeds,
or sun-dried tomatoes. Accompany your appetizers with a chilled
Beaumes de Venise (a delicious sweet wine made from small
Muscat berries) or a spiced sweet orange wine decanted into
a pretty carafe.
Lunch – accompanied by a rosé wine chilled in
a vintage zinc pail – will include a cold pea soup topped
with mint leaves, a grilled vegetable salad with fresh herbs,
a big platter of pasta or a cold grilled fish, and a red fruit
“soup” sprinkled with orange peel and savored
with sherbet.
A French dinner, on the other hand, derives its understated
elegance and sophistication from monochromatic tones enhanced
by dashes of deep color. Sibuet suggests covering the table
with a spectacular off-white vintage linen or damask sheet
embroidered with someone's initials and setting it with
brushed metal chargers, beige plates, antique or vintage-style
silverware and a pair of candlesticks. “Eggplant-colored
glasses and small votives will comprise the only note of color,”
says Sibuet. “To complete the effect, fill a vase with
dark tulips or irises and some greens and place a few eggplants
around it.”
Regale your guests with an exceptional red wine – “I
don't serve champagne very often, it's too classic,”
says Sibuet – and a bounteous selection of refined appetizers
such as grilled toasts topped with artichoke puree and fresh
goat cheese and cold tomato or pea soup in tiny shot glasses
to be sampled with minute spoons. Dinner might begin with
a terrine of zucchini and eggplant in a coulis of fresh tomatoes
followed by veal shank and vegetables simmered in white wine,
olive oil, sage, rosemary and thyme (but no parsley, despite
what the song says) with sautéed (in butter) asparagus
topped by Parmesan shavings. Have the server (who can wear
a beige linen outfit with a big white apron instead of classic
black and white) place it directly on the table in the same
cast-iron casserole in which it was cooked.
A tray of fresh goat cheese and a wild arugula salad precede
a delicious cherry fricassee drizzled with a sweet amaretto
or Beaumes de Venise and topped with fresh almonds or verbena
leaves, served with an almond sherbet or vanilla ice cream
in individual footed bowls next to which a sage leaf “adds
a note of freshness.”
Always propose herbal infusions such as chamomile, verbena
and mint alongside coffee, and place different-shaped sugar
cubes (never powdered sugar) in an old-fashioned sugar bowl.
Sibuet rarely serves digestive alcohols such as Cointreau
and Armagnac (“it's too traditional”), preferring
instead to offer wine again after coffee.
“I like the idea of discreet luxury and refined nuances,
the small touches that impart a personal tone and create an
atmosphere in which your guests feel at home,” says
the first-time author, capturing in a few words the very essence
of French style. |
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Romy
de Courtay is a freelance writer based in New York and Athens
whose articles have appeared in publications on both sides
of the Atlantic, including Town & Country,
Elle Décor, Elite Traveler and
Odyssey.
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Photo
credits
All photographs © Guillaume de Laubier from A French
Country Home by Jocelyne Sibuet and Catherine Deydier, Paris:
Éditions Flammarion, 2005. |
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