SushiCat
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chiming in here on two fronts:
I too have been made much more aware of the sustainability of our food sources and it has sparked much discussion among those I know and changed my purchasing several times already. I am very glad to have had the chance to hear about what is going on and taste some sustainable foods ...
Also, the food at C was truly incredible. Since then, everything I have eaten has been compared and contrasted to that delicious lunch with many courses and many inventive cooking and presentation techniques. The food, preparation, service were astounding and outstanding and it has left a lingering delicious taste in my mouth!
ok a 3rd item, the company both at our table and mingling should not go unmentioned.
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Don't be fooled by one fair trade coffee sign as chances are that this means something to you beyond what it means to the farmer who grew those beans. It is very easy to sit back and comment on Starbuck or any of the other big coffee chains. from our high speed connected / coffee infused desks, but let's remember that we are all supporting them.
Again, not that I want to defend Starbucks, but it is true that in the days when they were small (or at least smaller), they too posted about fair trade coffee and made many attempts to treat their farmers well, put money back into coffee growing communities etc. I would venture to guess most of you had your serious coffee start at Starbucks. They have changed the industry for sure and why do we slam them for making a buck even if they are marketing a lifestyle?
I drink coffee and I try to find good beans for which I am happy to pay more - especially if I think that some of the extra money is getting to the farmer. I also support some of the independant coffee shops in our city not because they are independant per se, but because I like to support local business IF and WHEN they have a quality product. We all do this, we vote with our wallets. I drink most of my coffee at home so for me it is more about buying beans and I look for the combination of freshness, good taste, friendly service etc.
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Parkside, it is the right price for a great meal, excellent service, good atmosphere etc. Not to mention the wine list, eau de vie selection as well as the good coffee etc. It is a great place inside or out. Enjoy!
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Hello all - and thanks for the reminders about posting. I am so NOT recovered it defies belief! 225 is too many people to cook for, unless perhaps, you are a professional.
Here is what I did:
Two days before the event, finalized my menu plans and shopping lists; shopped for bulk veggies and fruits and as many stables as I could; planned prep for Friday; managed to fit in a bit of onion chopping etc.
One day before event, shopped for more items - e.g. ice etc.; cooked anything I could think of that would taste just as good pre-cooked; worried a TON about refridgeration space! Started the cold soup bases - they needed to be vegetarian so I had to get some good flavor in etc.
The facility I was using has three normal house sized refridgerator/freezer units and one larger fridge only unit, plus one small coffin style freezer. I thought they had a great stove, but I was wrong, only 4 burners, two large/two small and electric with a few problems. They do have a nice oven, convection and holds about 6 professional pans.
I can't actually remember all that we cooked and I think my notes got left behind. It looked something like this:
Breakfast
Fresh bagels, cut up canteloup, other fruits like grapes, plums etc., cream cheese, tofu-cream cheese, p.b. & jam, yoghurt, cottage cheese, cold cereals and assorted juices and milks, coffee and tea, cold water and iced tea. For hot foods at breakfast we served hardboiled eggs and either a frittatta or an eggy-bread pudding (savoury but vegetarian).
Lunch
Each day we had assorted breads and fillings for sandwiches, a lettuce or veggie salad, tuna salad or chicken salad (or both!), all the condiments you can imagine, hummus and sometimes something else like this, plus either some kind of green beans, or other veggie AND a cold soup.
Soups were: cold zucchini - both vegan and a dairy version, cold cucumber, cold carrot and ginger (biggest hit) and gazpacho.
Veggies and salads were: curried green beans with cocunut; carrot and chick pea salad; cucumber salad in an Asian vinegrette; roasted potatoes/sweet potatoes/beets; roasted green beans; ceasar salad, green salad, chopped salad etc.
Afternoon snack consisted of anything good left over from the previous night's dessert (supplemented if need be by store bought sweets, just no time or inclination to bake), as well as crudite and hummus, cheese plates, watermelon, and assorted fruits
Dinner
Cold or hot soup - e.g. tomato and rice, lentil, gazpacho (tried to not serve the same as at lunch)
Either poached chicken in a sauce, or roasted chicken quarters or another meat
Veggetarian entre, e.g. veggie lasagna, ratatouille, pasta primavera etc.
Hot vegetable and salad
Corn on the cob - it was mostly in season and very good in that part of the world (sadly the only bite I had was from a raw cob the first night to 'test' it)
Dessert - baked daily by a woman who is near and dear to my heart and helped keep my sanity. My favorite is what she calls cobbler, but is not what most of you call cobbler ... essentially a cake batter baked in a sheet pan with fresh berries on top that bake into the cake - yum
I had help with dinner (and dessert as mentioned) I cannot take credit for all, nor do I want to as we had our hands full! The big things of note were this:
People eat more at lunch than at any other meal
Lots of people are doing some form of high protein / low carb. eating
Many people do not know much about food. For example some people thought we were buying everything and just putting it out on the buffet table, when clearly things were very much home-made, etc.
Teenagers with no specific experience in cooking are not always the best kitchen helpers, but they are challenging and lots of fun!
No matter how hard you try to cater to the variety of eaters, there is always at least one person who is doing something more extreme and needs a version of short order cooking ... usually this person is not a small child!
The biggest task is cleaning - I renewed my respect for all the restaurant dishwashers out there - they are truly the unsung heros of our food exploits!
Chicken is easier to cook for a crowd than beef.
If you have a selection of deli meats, turkey is taken at least 2 to 1 over all other meats
IT WAS WAY TOO HOT where I was - 90+ F, 30+ C every day with humidity in the 90% range! Blech. No airconditioning in a kitchen in that kind of heat is exhausting!
... and more
It will be a while before I think about this large an event again. Five days of those eaters at those meals was enough for me. I have had many a simple salad since it ended, and more meals out than usual and it is hard to readjust down to cooking for a regular crowd!
Thanks to all who offered suggestions, and recipes. Also thanks for the interest and patience as I am quite late in posting about my adventure! As usual I was only able to make some of my planned items as I had to adjust day by day depending on what fruit was ripe, etc. Also leftovers from dinner have to factor into lunch because we only really had enough fridge space to make things work from one day to the next. I was really glad that I roasted off a case of spuds and 25 lbs each of beets and sweet potatoes in advance, this type of advance prep saved me.
The other thing I forgot is how you don't really want to eat what you have cooked even though you have planned meals based on what you like, e.g. cocunut curry green beans etc. Once you make 'em for the crowd, all you want is a nice raw tomato etc. I'm alone now for the next 9 nights, I'll be eating fresh fruit and maybe some steamed veggies if I feel ambitious!
Edit: Forgot to mention, had to shop each day to fill in what we needed and get more fresh things that needed refridgeration! That was an additional problem, none of the raw ingredients were delivered, got fresh bagels and bread daily, fresh corn and other veggies/fruit as needed etc.
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We are midway through, lunch dinner Sat. all meals Sunday and now through lunch Monday. It is going well, but OMG people are incredibly thankful and very strange (as I already knew) about the food they eat.
Is everyone on atkins? Can't keep enough meat type proteins in stock ... it is HOT and sticky weather here, I'm eating only fruit and a few salads but everyone is loving what I'm creating ... more soon - I promise!
S-cat
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great ideas, keep it coming! I'm finalizing menus as best I can on Thursday this week and the cooking begins with prep on Friday and first meal service is Sat. lunch. I'm not adept at blogging while I'm busy, so I'll likely post info. at the end. I promise to try and post something in the early days ... if my helpers are helpful then I will.
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jam sandwich cookies, the name escapes me ...
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Definatively shar-trœz, or at least shar-truz
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It is hard to stop, isn't it!
Make some savory items or chutneys that can be eaten with other meals! This is what I started doing when the jam storage seemed overwhelming and it is quite fun!
Otherwise, your cake idea is a very good one, people will start raving about your cakes (this happened to me) and I find that I can eat jam easily for both breakfast and lunch, just have to put your mind to it! Toppings for ice cream very good, I'm sure incorporating into it would be good too!
pickled green beans?
Enjoy!
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Low-Country Chicken Bog?
I'm thinking of several rice based items, and looking at an East Indian themed meal for at least one lunch or dinner.
hmmn, the quiche/fritatta idea is good - gotta ponder that one and see if I can make it happne. I'm not positive of exactly what pans I'll have at my disposal for doing multiples, this is a big factor for some ideas put forth so far.
Thanks all - appreciate the comments!
S~meow
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Thanks to SnowAngel I just re-read this thread. Tammy, you are inspiring! Seems like you cook very interesting food, I'm sure your eaters appreciate you! I'm doing some big cooking next week and besides my usual ideas am looking to supplement - I need things that are good for breakfast and lunch, can be at room temperature is always an added benefit and do not have a majority of expensive ingredients.
I'll add comments on how it goes after my event, or during if my helpers are enough helpful!
I usually do a lot of interesting salads, like rice or cous cous salad, cucumber salads, a couple of cold soups etc. It is a multiple day event, so I want variety as I have the same eaters.
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Wattacetti,
good questions - should have provided that. I have a six burner electric stove and a small size commercial oven at my disposal. I can't really give exact budget numbers, but basically looking for less (as opposed to more) expensive items. There will be no fois gras, nor matsutake mushrooms.
I can use and have decent prices on lots of fresh local produce and it will be corn on the cob season, so I'll incorporate that.
Last time I cooked in this particular kitchen we made some delicious things in the ovens, I'm just used to my home oven, so it is always fun to bake multiple trays of things in a hurry and have it work out.
Other resources, the basics, pots/pans/knives bowls, a couple of food processors etc.
Hmmn, butter chicken
and thanks Snowangel, I was looking for that link! -
Any ideas are appreciated. I'm doing some 'bulk' cooking for a crowd of about 225 people, several days in a row. I'm looking for tasty budget conscious dishes that are not all about pasta.
Thoughts?
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I had to share - sorry no photos but you can picture it if you try ...
Love fruit salad
Layered the following:
Raspberries, blueberries, halved cherries, apricots, golden kiwi
In the middle somewhere added a dollop of whipped cream
served it in our Love bowls - they are glass and large and it looked gorgeous sitting in there. Tasted divine as well.
I love summer and summer fruits!
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Mine always last as long as we can ration them ... people routinely come and ask for a jar and/or snag them quickly when offered as gifts. I think we have used ours for two years post preserving and nothing is lost - they are prized possessions. We often eat them heated and served with good vanilla ice cream, sometimes if we are lucky with RLB chocolate sauce
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Well you are likely going to get different opinions from everyone who replies. From my experience which doesn't include all the restaurants that exist:
West
C
Parkside (patio, weather permitting)
Other notable mentions / inclusions:
I hear Provence Marinaside has great brunch menu - but haven't been.
I would likely add Rain City Grill - haven't eaten there in a while and don't know if things have settled down, but the view / location are top notch
Hope they have fun!
We have some out of towners who want to do Tojo's but I'm not sure I can handle what I think one needs to do there, which is to trust in Tojo and ask him to create based on what is freshest etc. There are too many raw fish/seafood that freak me out ... confessions of an e-g'r!
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I've only hit three, which confirms what I already knew a) I don't eat out enough, and b) it is so often Asian that I miss some of these other spots! I'm going to have to make an effort but maybe not until Sept - July and August seem so busy already!
Also, who has been to Saveur, you are not telling us about it and we want to know! Please post something if you have been - especially if your experience was positive, I heard something else good about it, but from an insider.
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Great topic!
The issue is the more you know, the more you will spend. I recently was discussing chicken processing with a butcher I know, and now will always buy air chilled chicken, which usually means specialty chicken. The difference in taste may be subtle, but there is much less 'shrinkage' and chances for falling ill are radically reduced.
I tend to be this way with all things, if they are produced well, they may cost more, and I and those I feed, are worth it!
Anytime you can taste the difference, or when the key components are much better for you, it is worth it. Examples:
Pasta
Chocolate
Olive oil
Vinegars
Fruit
etc.
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Spanish smoked paprika is a nice addition as well.
Roasted peppers make a nice addition - they make the resulting mix lighter and fresher.
One thing to consider as you experiment, some flavors interfere with each other, so you may want to try some simple things first, e.g. more lemon, less tahini etc. Have fun - I was thinking of posting my old base recipe, but then decided it was too far off the mark of what I make these days - have fun!
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I too want to echo a huge thank you to all at C for creating such an enjoyable lunch and afternoon! To Rob Belcham, thanks for explaining about the hazelnut cloud as well as thanks to all the kitchen and FOH staff - an amazing lunch and very fun silmultaneous service.
Also a big thanks to Jamie Maw, Arne and anyone/everyone else who made this event happen! I'm dreaming about various elements of the dishes (mmmn, sablefish collar), and still a bit giddy. We did manage to carry on the sustainability concept both at our table and into our evening meal (which I managed not to have to cook) and it made for a most interesting day, and a lot of discussion about other proteins for which we also need to think about sustainability.
One thought I am carrying away with me is that it doesn't have to be more expensive. Let's keep the concepts afloat and keep pushing the enveloppe.
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Ducky, yes.
Zuke and Appreciator, thanks for the input. My thought was what you said Zuke, so if you go there soon, please let me know.
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A good friend is thinking of a birthdat celebration at Seasons Hilltop Bisto, it is part of the Sequoia group. Anyone have anything to tell us?
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I like Golden Szechuan as well, but the last few times I was there it wasn't up to par, hence the reason that I'll now drive to Richmond.
I've been meaning to organize a Szechuan night just haven't gotten it together with all the other events, also wanted to do some off menu tasting before this. Also somehow this seems like a good winter event, I'm leaning towards Oct. or Nov. unless someone else beats me to it, I'm happy to do this at either Golden Szechuan or Ba Guo Bu Yi, don't think I can afford the new place ...
If anyone is trying the Hainanese place at the foot of Main, let me know - I can bop down there for a lunch or meet up with a willing crowd for dinner.
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There are some oh-so inspiring photos in this thread, our dinner was quite simple last night, but quite good.
started with the Bill's famous bruschetta, even though we are still on hot house tomatoes, I find the campari ones have flavor.
grilled halibut marinated in lemon zest/ginger/EVOO/fresh mint and topped with a fresh mango salsa (mango, shallot, orange pepper and lime juice)
grilled shrimp with eastern spices, cumin, paprika etc.
baby warba potatoes with parsley butter
asparagus with fig vincotto and a little walnut oil, shavings of parmesan.
sorry no photos - too much wine!
South Indian - Sri Lankan Cusine
in Western Canada: Dining
Posted
Delhi Darbar and Noor Mahal were highly recommended to me by a vegetarian who had spent a lot of time in Southern India ... if this helps. I did eat at Delhi Darbar once, but ordered the wrong things (e.g. not Southern).
Tell us what you find!