I’m constantly falling in love with the Virginia countryside, especially the state’s horse country. There’s just something about the thundering of hooves around an arena and the crack of the polo mallet that’s close to heavenly on a warm night. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better way to spend an evening in late summer, in my opinion.
Several friends and I made our way to The Plains for the final night of the Great Meadow Foundation’s Twilight Polo season. The sun was almost setting as we found our spot amid dozens of families, dates, and groups of friends just like ours. Children raced around the trees between chukkers. An adorable, and well-attended, children’s tug-of-war was hosted by the polo club’s mascot, Polo Bear. Our group was focused on a leisurely evening picnic with country ham biscuits, cheeses, prosciutto-wrapped melon, and plenty of bubbles. Pro tip: you can find the 2017 rules of U.S. Polo here.
We doubled our efforts on bites since the evening began at half past five and lasted well past 11:00 p.m.
One of my absolute favorite appetizer ingredients to work with is phyllo dough, or “filo dough” as you’ll often see. It’s got to be one of the most versatile items in a kitchen. It can go from savory to sweet, light to hearty, and who doesn’t love that crispy crunch you get from the delicate layers of thin pastry dough?
Here’s what you’ll need:
Muffin tin (lightly greased)
Kitchen shears
Knife and cutting board
Phyllo dough (sometimes “filo dough”)
1-2 apples
Wedge of Brie cheese
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Honey
(Kate Spade dress – older, similar here, here, and here; Kenneth Jay Lane gold disc earrings, similar here and here)
I chose to go with a savory sweet mix this time, using Brie for its creamy nuttiness and a crisp apple for that sweet freshness and hint of fall. We took sheets of layered phyllo dough and split them up into layers of about eight to ten sheets stacked. We cut these into strips and layered the strips in a criss-cross pattern in a well-greased muffin tin. Pro tip: you can find phyllo dough in the freezer section. It also comes in lower-maintenance (trust me), pre-cut tart shells, which I highly recommend. Similar marble patterned cutting board in glass here.
This activity is also wonderfully interactive, as our poor friends found out. Husband and wife duo Courtney and Rachael set to work mincing apple slices (without the peel) and layering the phyllo dough into the muffin cups.
We added to the phyllo dough base small cubes of Brie, then the minced apples, and topped it off with a healthy drop of honey and sprinkle of Pumpkin Pie Spice. Then, we popped it into the oven at 350 degrees for seven minutes – and voila!
A note of caution: this isn’t a “set it and forget it” dish. I typically pop it into the oven in 2-3-minute increments, checking on it frequently. You’ll want the Brie to have melted and for the dough to crisp up with just a touch of brown on the edges. Then, you’ll be left with that warm, crisp bite that will take you to the nearest fuzzy blanket by the fire on a lake house in the mountains moment.
Our spread was laid out with a mix of antique and new silver serving pieces and white stoneware. We piled up a myriad of picnic blankets all in different patterns to keep things easy and a bit carefree. A few of my favorites here (25% off right now), here, and here. We fit most of our dishes, linens, and serving pieces in our picnic basket that I wish I could say was vintage. It was a happy find a local thrift shop. I’m still on the market for a vintage one in deep brown. Cute picnic baskets found here, here, and here.
My friend Rachel brought the prettiest golden Scalamandre for Caspari napkins (similar here) purchased at the Caspari store in Charlottesville that I always seem to miss no matter how well my intentions are to go. These were the perfect accent to our spread.
The evening ended with bubbles (actual bubbles) and dancing in the gazebo once the well-deserved trophies had been handed out to the players. We drove back the forty-five minutes to our section of town with plans to attend the whole season next year!
