My Entertaining Season Begins

[lovebenton0]

Happy New Year to you too!

And a lovely party as usual.

NY next year, eh? And no blog over Xmas either!

[Marlene]

For our dinner party last night, I tried the Crown Pork a second time and also the blooming onion. Both worked much better this time around.

Inspired by maggiethecat's Potato Madelaines thread,

Plus a Ceasar Salad that I forgot to take pics of.

And for dessert, Carmelized Apples with Puff Pasty Cinnamon Sugar Twists

[snowangel]

So, I'm doing a small dinner for about 12 people (our meals together group from church). I vascilate between a pork tenderloin, the Zuni Cafe cookbook Mock Porchetta, and Posole. It's been cold, this will be informal. Or, maybe I should just smoke a butt?

[amccomb]

Is it time to start entertaining again?

[Marlene]

Funny you should ask. I've just received menus for our annual Seasonal Party, which this year will be in November. and we've started booking our weekend dinner parties as well.

We don't usually kick it up into high gear until after Halloween, but yes, it's almost time!

[Marlene]

We did have a small dinner party last night. Nothing I haven't cooked before, but it gets me into the swing for the upcoming season.

Prime Rib:

Roasted Potatoes in some lard and a bit of bacon fat:

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar and shaved Parmesan:

Dessert was Petitie Fours and mini fruit tarts purchased at Whole foods and a Triple Cream brie with chili honey:

Accompanied by Special Coffees. In this case, Bailey's, Kaluha and Grand Marnier

Ah. The season is upon us.

[snowangel]

Fab, Marlene. I'm wondering just why you dn't live down the block...

Tell me more about the chili honey.

[Marlene]

We also picked up the chili honey and cheese at Whole Foods. I adore their cheese section. They had sample of the cheese and honey out. The honey by itself, does have a bite to it. But the cheese offsets that very nicely. It's a great combination.

[racheld]

How did I miss this!!!???!!!

I joined eG at exactly this time last year, and never saw a bit of this thread. Just read (and gazed. And drooled) all the way through. Everything looks just wonderful, and I want to climb up on that cakestand and walk right into the dark vastness of that Devil's Food Cake.

Wow.

rachel

[Marlene]

We're gearing up for our gala seasonal party. This is a caterered affair and I'm currently trying to chose between two different caterers and menus. The menus are:

Menu 1

Hors D'oeuvres

Cold:

Asiago, Proscuitto Cheese twists

mino corn bread muffins with jalapeno chicken salad

stuffed beef tenderloin medallions

Hot:

Mini spring rolls

mini baked potatoes wiwth procscuitto, scallion and parmesan

beef roulade - cracked pepper and teryiake

Main

Tournedos Stephanie (fillet bordered in puff pastry topped with Bernaise Sauce)

or Prime Rib

and:

Tortellini Alfredo

Lyonnaise potatoes

Pesto Pasta

Mixed green salad with raspberry vinagrette

Dessert & Coffee, Tea

Cheese tray

Platters of :

mini caramel crunch cakes

brownie tower

chocolate dipped strawberries

Menu 2

Hors D'oeuvres

Cold:

Parmesan rosemary crackers with herbed cream chees

mini corn muffins filled iwth turkey and cranberry

honey mustard chicken bites

Hot:

mini potato pancakes

beef satays

bacon cheddar quiches

mini chicken fingers

Main:

Individual Beef Wellington or Prime Rib rolls wrapped in sage stuffing baked in burgandy wine sauce

Roast Turkey

Romanoff Potatoes

Rice Pilaf

Red pepper pasta salad

Dessert, coffee and tea

Chocolate Wreath Cake

Imported cheese selection

mini seasonal pastries, including mince meat, cranberry tarts, etc.

Please note, I did not select the items on either menu. These are choices given to me by both caterers. I can of course make substitutions etc.

Which would you choose and why?

[Safran]

Menu 2

Hors D'oeuvres

Cold:

Parmesan rosemary crackers  with herbed cream chees

mini corn muffins filled iwth turkey and cranberry

honey mustard chicken bites

Hot:

mini potato pancakes

beef satays

bacon cheddar quiches

mini chicken fingers

Main:

Individual Beef Wellington or Prime Rib rolls wrapped in sage stuffing baked in burgandy wine sauce

Roast Turkey

Romanoff Potatoes

Rice Pilaf

Red pepper pasta salad

Dessert, coffee and tea

Chocolate Wreath Cake

Imported cheese selection

mini seasonal pastries, including mince meat, cranberry tarts, etc.

←

Well, I'm leaning towards menu 2 simply because it sounds more 'festive'... Of course, it depends on who caters...

[Marlene]

I have a revised menu from Caterer #1:

Hors D’oeuvre

Butternut Squash Soup Shooter

Mini Potato Pancakes with Caramelized Onions, Roasted Garlic, Cheese and Sour Cream

Vegetable Spring Rolls Hand rolled with a curried pineapple dipping sauce

Stuffed Artichokes Artichoke bottoms with sun dried tomatoes and Asiago Cheese

Sesame Crusted Chicken Brochettes With a miso dipping sauce

Pork Brochettes With a Maple Walnut Glaze

Buffet Dinner

Bread & Rolls & Butter

FOUR Salad Selection

Traditional Tossed

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Three Rice and Avocado

Spicy Black Bean & Corn

Roast Ontario Turkey

A de-boned turkey rolled with an apple sage stuffing.

Carved on your buffet with a side of cranberry sauce and a rich demi-glaze

Tournedos Stephanie

A tender fillet bordered in puff pastry, topped with Bearnaise Sauce

Potatoes Romanoff

Oven roasted potatoes with a creamed celeriac stuffing.

Glazed Carrots with Honey

Desserts

Mini Caramel Crunch Cakes

Brownie Tower

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Domestic & Imported Cheese Display

Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee & Tea Station

Soft Drinks, Juice Selection

Lemons, Limes, Olives, Onions, Cherries

Shortly, I'll post a price comparison as well.

[Malawry]

Menu #2 from caterer #1 sounds better to me, not knowing the price parameters. Things like "chicken fingers" make me think "prefab," and I gravitate towards vegetable hors d'oeuvres partly for this reason. The turkey entree sounds pretty good too.

None of these menus are especially "wow" to me. But I don't know what you're looking for here. Who are you entertaining and for what purpose? Catering has an unfortunate tendency to work towards the lowest common denominator in terms of tastes and sophistication. But if the food is good, most people won't care--folks don't go to weddings and holiday parties to be challenged from a culinary standpoint. (That's partly why I like to focus on the starters in my own catering business--I can get people to try something interesting and strongly-flavored with their cocktail in a bite-sized portion more than I can off a buffet or dinner plate.)

[Marlene]

That's what I'm trying to do here Rochelle, branch out a bit with the starters. Most of the people are fellow partners at Don's accounting firm, a few clients, and a few of my clients. My clients tend to be a bit more adventurous, but really, it's a room full of accountants.

None of the menus sing to me just yet, although I'm liking the idea of the butternut squash soup in shooter glasses and I really like the mini potato pancakes.

On everything else, I'm pretty open to suggestion though. Certainly caterer #1 is pretty open. I've used both caterers before and both have pros and cons. Caterer 1 has done our Seasonal party for 3 years. The food is always outstanding, but sometimes I get staff who are either clueless (read the bartender who spilled a drink on the managing partner of the firm) or have attitude.

Caterer #2 catered our summer party, which was of course much more casual. The food was good but not as good as caterer 1, but their staff really shone.

I'm waiting for Caterer #2 to re quote then I'll post any revisions and prices for both.

[Betts]

If you are a repeat client of caterer#1 and prefer their food, then speak up about who you want for servers - most experienced and personable. The spilled drink could happen to anyone - how it was handled is most important. I rather like that revised menu for #1.

[Marlene]

Actually it happened twice. In the same night. To the same managing partner. But yes, I have had words with them about their staff..

[Malawry]

I dunno. I think staffing is even more important than the food. If the staff sucks then people won't have a good time even if the food is fabulously perfect. And that's coming from somebody with virtually no FOH experience. Was it the same staff member both times who dumped drinks? What did they say when you had words with them?

[Marlene]

It was the same bartender, yes. And when I told them, of course they apologized profusely and promptly send me the same guy the following year.

[Jake]

Definitely have a long talk with them about staffing and specifically request that the problem bartender not be sent again if having him/her again would mean you spend half your time watching to make sure nothing awful happens.

I agree that you should and can have more unusual starters and keep the mains simple to appeal to your entire group. I have to say, the inclusion of a pasta salad makes me positively cringe....but that's just me. In my experience most caterers use it as a filler and I have yet to meet one I really like There are so many options for cold sides.

By all means, if you love potato pankakes and squash soup (who wouldn't!) then include them, you should enjoy the evening too! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions with regard to costing of dishes etc.

[ruthcooks]

Overall, I think this is a tasty sounding menu, and a lot more work than I would care to take on, even as a caterer. But about those salads--pasta salad with turkey and cranberries? Corn and beans with beef and Bearnaise? It looks like they are equalizing the cost of the more expensive ingredients like beef and artichokes with cheaper stuff like rice, pasta and beans. There's a better way to do it.

How about serving the green salad alone, and adding another choice of starch and vegetable? For example, instead of pasta or rice salad, serve one or the other in a hot, creamy casserole of noodles or gnocchi, or risotto cakes or emerald rice as a starch choice. Instead of corn salad, serve corn pudding or succotash as a choice with the glazed carrots.

Or, change the salads. Choose salads that make more sense with the rest of the menu and/or, along with the green salad, go with each other like a mini salad bar. I'd choose one starch and either a vegetable or not-too-sweet fruit salad.

Or, forget the other salads entirely, leaving just the green and don't add anything else to the menu. This is my preference...I think it's possible to have too many flavors at once, the palate just gets confused.

Most menus today have too much seafood for my taste, but this one has none. Why? What are caramel crunch cakes?

Chocolate dipped strawberries. Pineapple, oranges, raspberries, apricots, even grapes are good with chocolate, but I've never thought strawberries and chocolate tasted good together. Guess I'm in the minority here, or are other people sick of seeing them too?

[Marlene]

I'm inclined to agree on the salad issues. My instinct is to go with a tossed green salad, and perhaps a green been almondine and the carrots. And perhaps a simple rice pilaf.

Um caramel crunch cakes are individual caramel cakes with a crunchy topping and caramel sauce. And I don't care about the strawberries, the cheese course is for me!

Oh and the reason there is no seafood and only one pork dish which i may change out is : We dont' eat fish or seafood here. Well, I eat shrimp and lobster but my husband hates it. So in deference to Don, no seafood. (although I've been thinking about sneaking a shrimp cocktail platter in there!

And a number of our guests are Jewish, who although they don't keep kosher, many of them don't eat pork, so I try to stay away from that as well.

[Marlene]

Revised menu from Caterer #2

As you can see, both menus are now pretty similar. Whichever one I select I will be making a couple of changes to in the salad area, but for now I present these for comparision purposes.

Now the kicker. All in, (including food, rentals and staff) Caterer #1 quotes at $3,054.00 . Caterer #2 quotes at $1,877.00

Cold Hors D'Oeuvres

Parmesan Rosemary Crackers with Herbed Cream Cheese

Mini Corn Muffins Stuffed with Turkey and Cranberry

Honey Mustard Chicken Pieces

Hot Hor D'Oeuvres

Beef satays with horseradish sauce

Bacon and Cheddar Mini Quiche

Mini Potato Pancakes

Salads

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Salad - Bowtie pasta with roasted red peppers, shaved Pamesan cheese, fresh asparagus, diced red onion and a roasted pepper marinade.

Entree

Roast Prime Rib of Beef(7oz) - Gorgeous prime rib cooked to medium and served with spicy horseradish and pan gravy.

Roast Ontario Turkey - (3oz with 3oz dressing) Whole turkeys roasted on our premises, freshly carved and served to you with pan gravy, sage dressing and cranberry sauce.

Side Dishes

Romanoff Potatoes - a magnificent casserole of creamy potatoes, cheeses, scallions and sour cream. (4oz)

Glazed Carrots

Deluxe Bread Assortment arranged in a basket with creamy butter on the side. 30

Desserts

Gourmet Cheesetray - A Cheese platter with a touch of sophistication. The wedges of Canadian and imported cheeses are elegantly presented with grape and seasonal fruit garnish and accompanied by toasts.

Seasonal Finger Desserts Each one of our dessert selections is deliciously different.

Fresh Brewed 100% Columbian Coffee -

Orange Pekoe Tea -

[racheld]

I'm a bit intrigued at the disparity in pricing---is it the number in service? And I seem to have missed the number of guests. Are both quotes for similar menu and number of staff? For buffet/bar service, or is one for a seated dinner?

Sympathy to you and Don on the illness during your party. Those are no fun anytime. Our most unforgettable catering event was the evening we finished up the client's kitchen and cleanup, all staff had departed, and I went walking toward the bathroom down a long dark hall. Walked straight through the open basement door and woke up at the bottom of the stairs, all guests and the EMT squad gazing down at my disheveled posture.

[Marlene]

both quotes are based on thirty people. 1 waitperson, 1 bartender and 1 chef/supervisor.

Same amount of rental items.

The hors douvres will be passed around and the main dinner is buffet.

[Malawry]

$3000cdn for 30 people? That's a lot more than I'd expect. I'd lean towards Caterer #2 at this point. Just be sure to iron out service issues early, if possible.