Cooking for a crowd

[Mottmott]

What do you suggest for a family dinner for 15-25 people a week and a half in the future. It will be held in someone else's house, but cooked in my kitchen. I will have little time to do much cooking the day or two preceeding the dinner and am looking for suggestions for things that may be made well in advance and frozen. There will be a couple non-meat-eaters in the group (cheese, seafood ok). Someone else is providing dessert.

My first thought is to make a ham which can be made ahead and served room temperature or slightly warmed on site. An obvious dish for the vegetarians would be a lasagna which can be made ahead, frozen, and heated on site. But the sides for the ham elude me. So far, I've come up with cucumbers in a sweet/sour pickle which I like against the saltiness of the ham and can make quickly. Any other suggestions? Perhaps some of you with catering experience can counsel me.

[foodie52]

I would do lots of mini rolls, chutneys and mustards and mayo so that people can make little sandwiches with the ham.

A big salad: just wash and chop everything beforehand. Bottled dressing. Assemble at the last minute.

Crudite tray if you want: baby tomatoes, carrots, etc. with some sort of dip, if you don't want the salad.

Rice salad. Cook the rice the day before. Make a big bowl of diced bells, celery, spices, raisins, etc. Toss the rice and mixture at the last moment, or a couple hours before.

[sabg]

any combo of grilled veggies are good. you cant freeze them but you can do a day or ahead. a cous cous or orzo salad with raisins/apricots, chicken and some nuts is always good and so easy. i do a lot of steak salad. buy the salad washed and ready and make a london broil the day ahead and slice it, put in palstic and let it cometo room temp and serve on greens with great bread. sesame noodles are easy also and better a day later.

[Mayhaw Man]

Everybody likes a theme party. How about a Louisiana Party? We don't know how to do much down bere, but we are experts at having parties.

Chicken/Turkey and Sausage Gumbo

Shrimp Etouffee

Red Beans and Rice

Piles of Boiled shrimp

All of the above with bread and salad

Peach Pound Cake for dessert

All of this stuff can be served ahead of time and you can load up on beer, wine and soft drinks. It's easy, reasonably priced, and all of it can be mde a day or so ahead of time (in fact Gumbo is always better the next day).

[Cusina]

As a side for the ham I'll suggest a sweet potato and apple dish.

Make it in two large crock pots. Five pounds each of sweet potatoes and of apples (I like a mix of golden delicious and granny smith.) peeled and chopped. Mix with orange juice, brown sugar, ginger, allspice and cinnamon for a sweeter mix. Or, alternatively, mix with vegetable stock, ginger, garlic and soy for a more savory version. When I do smaller batches at home I add nuts, but I wouldn't do that for a larger crowd just in case you have an allergy.

Edited to say that Mahaw and I were typing at the same time. I love his idea! Might have to use it soon...

Edited March 16, 2004 by Cusina (log)

[mnebergall]

How about a potato gratin or macaroni and cheese?

[tastykimmie]

how about having potato salad and some fresh collards/kale cooked all day with some sort of pork product...................yum yum ham hocks!!

Edited March 16, 2004 by tastykimmie (log)

[GSBravo]

At the risk of being crucified, how about a Mexican buffet? You could have stuff set up for tacos, burritos, nachos, etc, etc.

[txaggie]

A friend of mine recently had a dinner party for 20 people. She made pork in the slow cooker. Then as sides made chalupas, beans, rice, and a couple of homemade salsas.

She described her recipe for the pork and it sounded delicious and easy --

She out a few ladels of tomatillo sauce in a slow cooker. Rubbed fajita seasoning on the pork (Boston butt). Put that in the slow cooker with another ladel of tomatillo sauce on the pork. Cook that overnight. Put the cooked pork in the fridge so it cooks and the fat congeals a bit. Remove whatever fat you can from the pork and pull it apart with forks or whatever. Then she reduced the sauce that was in the slow cooker (tomatillo and pork juices) and poured that on the cooked pork.

[Gale]

What do you suggest for a family dinner for 15-25 people a week and a half in the future. It will be held in someone else's house, but cooked in my kitchen. I will have little time to do much cooking the day or two preceeding the dinner and am looking for suggestions for things that may be made well in advance and frozen. There will be a couple non-meat-eaters in the group (cheese, seafood ok).  Someone else is providing dessert.

My first thought is to make a ham which can be made ahead and served room temperature or slightly warmed on site. An obvious dish for the vegetarians would be a lasagna which can be made ahead, frozen, and heated on site. But the sides for the ham elude me. So far, I've come up with cucumbers in a sweet/sour pickle which I like against the saltiness of the ham and can make quickly. Any other suggestions? Perhaps some of you with catering experience can counsel me.

a really good side with ham and that in my experience reheats well is butternut squash/corn gratin. This stuff rocks!! Very easy to add the breadcrumbs and heat thru to serve

Butternut Squash and Toasted Corn Gratin - recipe by Paul Gaylor

2 corn on cob ( if using frozen, I would thaw, toss with a bit of oil, and roast for 8 -10 minutes, just until is starts to brown) (use about 8 oz, more if you like corn!)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 # butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2" dice

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted (or 1 tsp ground cumin - I've done both)

2 small chilies, seeded and cut into rings ( I used serrano)

1 - 14 oz can coconut milk, unsweetened

2 tbsp breadcrumbs

Salt and Fresh ground BP

These directions are written using corn on cob:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush the corn with a little of the oil, and roast for about 30 minutes, until litely browned. Leave to cool.

Put squash on a baking sheet and toss with half of the olive oil, then roast for 10-15 minutes until just tender. Litghtly grease a gratin dish with the butter and arrange the cooked squash in it. Season to taste.

Scrape corn kernels off cobs with a sharp knife. Mix the corn with the cumin and chilies, and sprinkle this mix over the squash. Pour the coconut milk over this, then scatter the bread crumbs on top. Drizzle the remaining oil over the top and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the crust is browned and crisp.

Edited to add - this can be made 3 days ahead, then just assemble onsite and heat. I have held the components of this dish at least that long with no problems.

Edited March 16, 2004 by Gale (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

I recieved an email about the peach pound cake. I just posted the recipe in recipe gullet. It is very good. Tastes just like summer. Enjoy.

[Jeffy Boy]

Chili. Easy to scale up the recipe, freezes well, and tastes even better once reheated. You can make a vegetarian version too. Serve with tortilla chips and top with a blend of sour cream/lime zest/lime juice. Everything can be self-serve.

Don't forget the cold beer.

[Comfort Me]

Moroccan meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce, moroccan carrot salad with raisins, cumin, and cilantro, couscous with sultanas and pine nuts, and hummos and pita.

I did this menu for 200, with a little help, and got it all done, start to finish, in 5 hours.

Edited March 17, 2004 by Comfort Me (log)

[MsMelkor]

Pim, Melkor, and I cooked for 16 people when we rented a ski house a few weekends ago. We made a butternut squash and carmelized onion gratin, portabella mushrooms, mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette, apple crisp, and ropa vieja (Cuban pot roast), which we started in the morning and left to simmer all day. One woman didn't ski because she had to do some work, so we asked her to keep an eye on the ropa and stir it periodically. She's a vegetarian, but she said that it smelled so good she had some - score one for the carnivores!