The Acre Substack Dinner Party | April

A dinner party curated from the Substacks that inspired me this month.

Apr 13, 2025

I am loving settling into this community on Substack. There are so many brilliant creators, and I am being inspired everyday to create, cook or learn something new.

Each month I will pull together my curation of what I am loving into a themed dinner party, with tableware and additional ideas to round it out. This is going to be so fun to see how these evolve over the year. Pour yourself a glass of wine and join me at The Acre Substack Dinner Party April.

Setting the Table

April here in Minnesota is still cold and brown, waiting on the world to wake up. Held in this balance between winter and spring, we are craving fresh and green, yet still drawn to the warmth and comfort of winter. This dinner would be set indoors, and bring elements of the outdoors in–tender spring herbs to garnish, a vase of budding branches. The meal is a balance of fresh and bright, warm and comforting. Keeping it simple in the number of dishes, coursing out slightly by starting with cold dishes, then a comforting pasta, and finishing with dessert. A perfect dinner party for a group of four to six, an intimate affair to sip and savor a slow April evening together.

Trés Bon - Art Director Rachel Hardacre, Photographer Ryan Dyer, Food stylist Lara Miklasevics, Stylist Paula Bjerketvedt.

The color inspiration Lisa Felepchuk

This month I came across Lisa’s stunning burgundy and olive green post, and couldn’t get the combo out of my mind.

I loved the striking contrast and warmth the two colors added. It feels like the colors of April - the brightness of the green, and the rich deep of the burgundy. It reminds me of the veins in a sorrel leaf, or of beet greens. A pairing rooted in the garden, perfect for a spring dinner party.

I did select an orange wine, L'Eros de Raphael, to add a pop of sunshine and brightness to this table. The pink and brown Coupe Glasses filled with orange wine will feel so bright and warm amongst the spread.

The starter Will Cooper’s Crudo

One of my favorite dishes to eat out is crudo. Tender fish dressed in bright citrus and fresh herbs delights the senses, an awakening of the palette like the start of spring. I have never attempted to create crudo at home, and Will’s three crudos in his post are so visually stunning and appetizing, I want to create my own. I would plate this on the Wine Dark Sea East Fork Platter for a tonal look–bright red fish against a rich burgundy would be beautiful.

The Salad: Radicchio, Roasted Grapes & Pistacchio Salad

This beautiful salad was created by food stylist Lara Miklasevics for our creative project Trés Bon. I have written my own riff on this salad that I think would make a wonderful addition to this April dinner. Marrying together the colors olive and burgundy, sweet and bitter, it is the coming together of winter and spring. My recipe swaps olives for pistachios, bringing a nutty crunch and contrast to the sweet grapes and bitter radicchio. I would plate this in the Granadillo Wood Serving Bowls.

Trés Bon - Art Director Rachel Hardacre, Photographer Ryan Dyer, Food stylist Lara Miklasevics, Stylist Paula Bjerketvedt.

Recipe

1 head Radicchio, sliced into 1/4 inch wedges

2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbs. Olive Oil

1/2 of a Lemon, juiced

1/2 tsp. Yellow Mustard

Salt & Pepper

1 lb. Black Grapes

1/4 c. Chopped Salted Roasted Pistachios

Preheat the oven to 425.
cut your grapes into small clusters and arrange them onto a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil (about 1-2 Tbs.) and lightly season with salt to taste.
Roast the grapes on the top rack of the oven 15-20 minutes until grapes are starting to burst.
Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and mustard in a large bowl.
Add the radicchio wedges to the bowl, tossing the radicchio until well coated in dressing.
Plate the radicchio and grapes on a large platter, and top with the chopped pistachios. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of maldon salt to finish.

The pasta: Marissa Lippert’s Springtime Bolognese

I have been falling for fennel lately, and love the idea of this bolognese - ground pork, fennel, lemon & castelvetrano olives come together to make this dish, and the combo sounds incredible. The warmth and comfort of a pasta, with the freshness of citrus and anise is the winning April dinner party dish. I would pair this sauce with my homemade pasta - Marissa has a hand cut Einkorn pasta recipe linked within the post below as well - I am sure either pasta would be lovely. A store bought pappardelle would also be perfect and keep prep minimal.

I would serve this stunning pasta on the Our Place Sage Dishes and garnish with fennel fronds as Marissa suggests. The tangle of pasta against the soft green with delicate fennel fronds would be so striking in contrast with the deep burgundy tones of the previous two dishes.

The cake: Flora Manson’s Plum, Caramel & Walnut Upside Down Cake

This cake is the warmth we crave at the end of an early spring evening. The nights get cold, we wrap a sweater around our shoulders and tuck into a warm slice of rich cake. The burgundy top of this plum beauty invites you to dig in. A lovely way to end the April dinner party, enjoying bites of cake with sips of espresso.