{Modern Moroccan Dinner Party with Pier 1}

This post is sponsored by Pier 1 Imports.

As promised last week, I’m back today to share the Moroccan-inspired dinner party menu I created inspired by our little roof deck makeover courtesy of Pier 1 Imports (see the makeover post right here).    The menu we created for our Moroccan dinner party in Chicago last year was based on more traditional Moroccan dishes, so this time around, we wanted to take a more modern approach. 

We started off with an update to one of my favorite cocktails, The Hemingway Daiquiri.   Taking the original recipe and adding in exotic cardamom bitters and dry vermouth for some sweetness, I created what I’m appropriately dubbing, The Moroccan Daiquiri (official recipe to come!).  When we entertain at home, I love to whip up a batch of a specific cocktail before guests arrive.  I’ve found that most people would love to be greeted by a delicious cocktail, but are generally hesitant to ask you to make one from scratch, but I have never had someone say no to a cocktail that’s already prepared.  We usually do about 1.5 servings per guest so that there is enough for a few refills before we sit down to eat.  

For the table décor at an outdoor dinner party, I’m all about candlelight so I mixed two different sizes of the colorful lanterns along with a sprinkle of citronella candles (because getting bug bites is not a good look) down the center of our outdoor dining table.   Then I layered in our favorite gold chargers and gold flatware with the new bright yellow placemats and blue fabric napkins from Pier 1 Imports.  To top it all off, I switched out our normal glassware for the cutcrystal acrylic set from Pier 1- this might be my favorite purchase because our building doesn’t allow glass in the common areas like the roof terrace or pool so whenever we take guests to those areas of the building we end up needing to switch out their drinks from glass to plastic.  The acrylic pieces from Pier 1 are super substantial so they don’t feel like crappy plastic in your hand.

For the dinner menu, we took inspiration from a recent trip to one of my new favorite LA restaurants, Tagine, and created a copycat of their Cucumber and Tomato Tartare paired with a pizza inspired by their delicious Qefta appetizer.   Both of these dishes are great because you can do 90% of the prep work before your guests arrive which leaves you time to actually socialize with them rather than running around your kitchen making everyone feel uncomfortable.  

I absolutely cannot wait until this June gloom that has hit LA leaves so we can finally enjoy some warm summer nights dining on the roof!

Find what speaks to you. See the Outdoor Living collection in stores or at pier1.com/outdoorliving