Ok all, I need some inspiration.
I am currently planning a wedding reception with a good friend. She has decided to have it at her house and do all the decorating and cooking herself. That's a tall order for a bride! I need some recipes that I can whip up now, freeze and serve in June for the reception (appetizers, side dishes...whatever). I do have some recipes, but a few more would be nice. Who better to ask then the gang at serious eats!
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6 Comments:
how many people are coming to the reception? and do you want the food to be casserole type?
just a bit of advice though, is there any one else you can enlist to help you guys out? i'm a newlywed, and even though i did a lot of the decorating myself for my wedding, there was no way in hell that i could have ever made the food. i thought i'd have time and energy to do all kinds of things in the days leading up to my wedding, but it ended up being nutty as hell.
french tart at 9:16AM on 03/15/07
Spanikopita is delicious and freezes well.
ptrap at 9:33AM on 03/15/07
My family made the food for my wedding reception, about 250 people. My dad smoked pork shoulders for months, shredded and froze the meat with BBQ sauce. For the reception, we heated the meat in Nescos and served it with bakery buns. Other relatives made HUGE batches of pasta and potato salad. We purchased cakes. We had veggie trays and fruit salads as well.
The pork sandwiches were a huge hit.
savvy at 10:13AM on 03/15/07
And what's the theme? Are we talking super casual (then BBQ or Cajun or even Hawaiian might be good)? Are we talking a sit down for 10? Or buffet for 50? Is it lunch or dinner or cocktail? Will people be walking around with food? What's your budget?
On the inexpensive, sit down end of things, you can't go wrong with Italian. I've made a huge pot of red sauce with meat and frozen it very successfully. I've even made large batches of lasagna and frozen it - with fresh mozzarella even. I just defrost and bake when I want it. It never comes out grainy tasting. Presentation goes a long way.
I threw a birthday (dinner) party one year (approx. 40 people came) where everything was on a skewer and grilled. I even had tropical fruit kebabs. I served buffet style - my table was positively prickling. And the birthday "cake" was a tower of cupcakes (homemade buttercream frosting freezes well for about a month I think). Cakes, in general, frost more easily after they've been frozen - but I wouldn't want to make it/freeze it more than a week in advance.
Anyway, I wanted to be sure that every thing could be eaten standing up since I don't have enough room or furniture to seat 40. There was a heavy Asian influence to the food and a variety of sauces for all the different skewers (like satay sauce, vietnamese dipping sauce, spicy orange brandy sauce, etc.). Most meat will be fine for about 3 months in the freezer after it's been cooked. A lot of skewer food is fine served room temp. If re-heating, be careful about not drying it out. You might consider a chafing dish with hot water to warm/keep it warm. The veggies, however, will be best prepped and cooked the day you serve 'em.
Not exactly recipes like you asked but you probably need to get a better idea of what your needs are. Hope that helps!
JoAnn at 4:48PM on 03/15/07
Get yourself one of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. Check them out to see what you like,but they are the answer to easy, delicious entertaining. Since you have not mentioned how many people, or the season the wedding will take place, It will be diifficult to tell you which book is better for you. Most of her things can be made ahead, and reheat well. For example ,her to die for mushroom lasagna, which I'vemade multple times. Good luck!
Mich23 at 11:15AM on 03/18/07
I too had a do it yourself, family wedding. For cocktails, I had various nuts & olives put out in pretty bowls, along with purchased high-end breadsticks, crackers & dips.
Since I host a potluck chicken bbq every summer, I asked the family members that have 'specialties' to make their dish, but to feed 200. My mom made her famous baked beans, my dad his German potato salad, and my aunt her incredible herb laden tossed salad. My uncle & brother manned the grill with chicken & pork loin roast. We kept the menu small & simple...I think when you're doing it yourself that's the biggest key.
We did purchase the cake from a local baker.
I had many guests come to me & tell me it was one of the best wedding's they had been to...very relaxed!
The biggest key will be recipes you are comfortable with, and alot of planning ahead in the form of lists! Good luck!
mepolo at 1:23PM on 03/19/07