2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:
I usually avoid serving soups at buffet-style parties as it can mean balancing both a plate AND a cup or bowl for the soup, plus the need to put out forks AND spoons but when I have done it, the soup has been a hit. And I absolutely love the idea of using a collection of Christmas mugs for the soup.
I really love serving soups at buffets, but you do have to be creative. I've served soups that you just have to sip, so don't need spoons - really spicy soups (both hot and cold) in shot glasses, cool creamy soups in pitchers and you pour it into those squat plastic cups, and then just sip.
Regarding the hot soups served for large crowds, I've done this for up to 100 people. I don't have that many Christmas mugs (have about two dozen), so rent some plain white ones. And stack the spoons into another mug, so they don't take up a lot of space on the buffet table. I've found that few guests try to eat the soup at the same time as the rest of the meal, so no "balancing both a plate and a cup or bowl." They usually have the soup by itself as a starter. They walk around with the mug and soup, and then go get the rest of the meal.
I dunno. But it's always a big hit, and very well-received. I do this with chili, too. In fact, some of my kids now have two soups - the Potato Bacon Chowder, and chili - as their traditional Christmas Eve meals.
Haven't had oyster stew on Christmas Eve in a very long time, but remember it with considerable nostalgia. Right up there with Mama bundling us all up against the cold, and hurrying out the door to get to Midnight Mass on time. We were usually late anyway, although Dad said that it was okay as long as we beat the Mansuetti's - another big family like ours, that also seemed to have issues with promptness.
