Conference turris::cooks

    A few years ago I attended a friend's wedding in August at the Andover
    Inn in Andover, Mass.  The item I remember best from the meal was a
    cold strawberry soup served as an appetizer.  It was delicious!  And
    also refreshing on a hot day.  Unfortunately, I don't have a recipe,
    but it shouldn't be too hard to find one somewhere....?  July would
    certainly be a perfect time to have something using strawberries.

							-- Nina

  Can you give a bit more information? Like who would prepare the food?
  Friends/family, or will it be at a restaurant, or would you consider a
  professional caterer? The most important question is: how much do you
  plan to spend, per person?

  We recently helped some friends plan and organize their wedding meal.
  After figuring out roughly what they wanted to spend, and the
  importance of other factors, like convenience, timing, location, etc.,
  we settled on a very nice local restaurant. We negotiated a special
  menu with them, complete with wines, and it turned out just great. If
  this is a possibility for you, it can work out really well.

  An even better meal can be arranged if you're willing to spend for a
  gourmet caterer. They can help you plan a perfect meal, taking into
  account your budget, tastes, any special dietary requirements, etc.
  One top-class caterer we know is Roberta Dowling of the Cambridge
  School of Culinary Arts. She does affairs for folks who summer in
  Hyannis Port and charges plenty. Some of her former students are more
  modest, and pretty good, too. I can send you a couple of names if
  you're interested.

  But, from the sound of it, you might be considering to do it all with
  family and friends. Is that the case? If so, the possibilities are
  endless. You probably already know the most obvious guidelines: summer
  can be hot, so dishes should be light on both quantity and grease.
  Small hors d'oeuvres, especially vegetables. Probably a fish or
  seafood first course. A cold vegetable soup is also a great first
  course. Then either a fish/seafood or light poultry (e.g., chicken)
  second course (or maybe veal). Cool desserts, like light cake or pie
  with sherbet or ice cream, and fruit (raspberry or strawberry) sauces,
  etc. One nice touch is a little cup of sherbet between the first and
  second courses. This freshens people up if the first course was
  strongly flavored (like with garlic or strong herbs).

  Chilled white wines and plenty of cool water with all courses. For
  example, champagne with hors d'oeuvres, young dry white with first
  course (a dry Italian like orvieto, maybe). If this course is a cold
  soup, you could even skip the wine or just continue the champagne into
  this course. Medium bodied white with second course (maybe a
  meursault), or a light fruity red, chilled (beaujolais?), and, if
  people still want wine with dessert (probably not, though), something
  a bit sweet, like sauternes, muscat, or asti (bubbles again!). And
  coffee and tea afterward. A meal like this could take between 3 and 4
  hours, start to finish. It's for people who like to eat. 

  If you're less obsessed with eating than I am, you could completely
  eliminate the first course and the dessert wine. That will lighten it
  up, take almost an hour less time, and keep people relatively sober
  (something to think about in the heat). To help compensate for the
  lost first course, you can build up the hors d'oeuvres a bit, or add a
  light salad course (any combo of mixed-color lettuces, spinach,
  watercress, endive or arugula with just oil and vinegar) before or
  after the main course.

  If you can eat outside, even if it has to be under a mosquito-netted
  tent, or on a screened porch or veranda, it will be great fun. Start
  the meal anytime between 1:00 and 6:00 so that you can have some
  daylight. Have separate glasses for each wine, and for water. White
  linen tablecloths. Fresh cut flowers everywhere. Candles for when the
  sun goes down. In daylight, the whole table will glitter like gold and
  diamonds and the colors of the food will be brilliant! Later, the
  dessert wine and/or cognac (if you're really crazy!) will reflect the
  golden candlelight. Photos will never capture it, but the picture will
  stay in your memory forever.

    re: 2
    
    Mike,
    
    The reception will be at the Shawmut Inn in Kennebunkport, ME.
    
    They do the catering themselves.  We're not terribly concerned with
    the price per person for food, because for such a terrific place,
    they include ice sculpture ( I think we'll choose the clam sculpture
    because it can hold fresh seafood), and a wedding cake.  At first
    I was nervous about the overall quality, but I've seen pictures
    of their work and tasted their good and they are excellent.
    
    I think the beef dishes were about $35, and lobster  @$42.  Then
    overall is an 18% service charge for waitresses, etc.  Included
    is salad, appetizer, entree, dessert.  I would like to start off
    with perhaps a cold soup, then is it a sherbert, the entree, salad,
    and last dessert.  They had very elegant desserts, but I think I
    will stick with something light like a peach melba because the wedding
    cake is a heavy fruitcake,so  it should be a nice combination. 
    But is this to much of a "fruit" menu??
    
    Tracy

    Tracy, I am getting married in June and faced the same problem as
    you in deciding upon a wedding menu.  I am tired of the typical
    wedding fanfare of pasta and steamship round.  We found a caterer
    (sp?) who uses some of the recipies out of Martha Stewarts Wedding
    book.  We are starting off with a strawberry soup (reply 1 from
    Nina made me breathe a little easier).  The main dish will be a
    selection of grilled sirloin with herbs and garlic or grilled turkey
    with herbs and garlic.  We are then adding many different salads
    (i.e.  wild rice with scallops and shrimp etc).  Our wedding is
    outdoors so we have to keep things light since June can also be
    hot.  My suggestion is to rent this book out of the library to get
    some ideas.  Though I know you are not crazy about fowl or seafood
    I believe it is nice to have the option of beef of chicken/seafood.
    There are many people who are now watching their diet/health and
    are staying away from beef.
    
    Your reception place sounds lovely.  I love Kennebunkport.  Getting
    nervous yet?? I am
    
    Carrie

    My sister-in-law got married last year and planning the menu was
    the most contentious part of the wedding, so you have my condolences.
     It was difficult to satisfy the RANGE of people who were coming--old
    90-year-old German grandmas, 18-year-old rockers, French Canadians,
    Southerners, and the world's worst collection of fussy, "no,
    I-just-cant-abide garlic/tomatoes/fish/chocolate/red-wine/white-wine/
    you-name-it" non-eaters.
    
    The final menu was a compromise and everyone loved it.  Here it
    is:
    
    Lots and lots of hors d'oeuvres (we had six kinds:)
    
       Raw-ish seafood bar (clams, oysters, shrimp) this went FAST
       French garlic sausages en croute
       A very good liver pate on slices of fresh apple
       Smoked salmon on thin-sliced pumpernickel
       Stuffed endive, celery, and carrot barquettes
       Cheese puffs made with roquefort and brie (two kinds)
    
    HOT soup (Yeah, I know, cold soup is chic--but all the old folks
    would've FREAKED at cold fruit soup.  We had a nice chicken consomme
    with beautiful little bits of julienne vegies in it.  Very pretty
    and no one complained.)
    
    There were little plates of melon cubes wrapped in prosciutto on
    the tables to keep everyone from scarfing all the bread and getting
    too full to continue with dinner.  It wasn't really necessary.
    
    Caesar salad (no sorbet--too many grandparents and little kids would've
    said loudly "What's dessert doing here so SOON?" and been embarrassed.)
    
    Grilled veal chops with herbs and garlic
    (The main course was a major battle.  Bride hated fish, groom's
    family wanted lamb, grandma kept yelling "everyone loves chicken!",
    and I as chief menu consultant refused to okay prime rib in the
    heat of summer.)  Everyone at the veal and loved it.  It was served
    with grilled summer vegies on the side--peppers, zucchini, onion
    wedges, and a potato or two.  Servers came around with a reduced
    sauce for those who can't eat their meat without gravy.  
    
    We didn't offer a choice of entrees, since the bride's family thought
    that asking people to choose in advance was vulgar and asking them
    to choose at serving time was impractical.  
    
    Dessert consisted of beautifully arranged fruit and cheese platters
    for each table, and the wedding cake itself.  It was a hazelnut
    meringue torte with buttercream frosting and utterly delicious.
     BUT--that buttercream frosting was about 20 minutes away from melting
    by the time we ate dessert.  
    
    We did offer a choice of wines:  pink champagne (very chic now that
    one can GET good pink champagne) and soft drinks with the hors
    d'ouevres, a nice California Chardonnay (I think it was Liberty)
    and Beaujolais Villages with the veal, and a glass of sauternes
    at dessert (this was EXPENSIVE, but all the French and Germans in
    the crowd loved it).
    
    Instead of huge flower arrangements at every table, we had flowers
    in POTS--no worries about wilting and folks could take them home
    without spilling water all over the car interiors.  The cake was
    decorated in fresh flowers, too.
    
    There, that's it.  Do what YOU want; it's YOUR wedding and if you
    want kielbasa with caviar, you can have it.  
    
    For other ideas, go to the library and check GOURMET magazine, June
    and May issues, from the past four or five years.  Or just dump
    all your constraints in the caterer's lap and tell him, "I'm just
    too busy with all the other arrangements to handle this.  Do the
    right thing."
    
    Have a lovely wedding!
    

    You say you like beef?  Due to the possible hot July weather beef
    is an excellent choice because it can be served without the need
    for heavy sauces.  I went to a wedding in Williamsburg Virginia
    in August (talk about hot).  The main course was a small fillet
    mignon stuffed with oysters.  It had been grilled to medium rare
    and was just delicious.  I am not a big fan of beef but I was
    impressed.  The oysters added a wonderful flavor and a real touch
    of summer.  It was served with a simple wild rice and a gorgeous
    cesaer salad.  No mushy vegatables no sauces to spill on your tie.
    The wine was actually a wonderful Tavel Rose.  Not too heavy to
    put off the 'white wine only' fans, not sweet to put off everyone,
    yet a good full body to stand up to the meat.  Enjoy the day.
    

	I'm hoping to reactivate this string...

	I'm getting married in May or June of '91.  It will be an outdoor
	wedding in Gloucester, MA -- right by the ocean.  I'm currently
	thinking of doing the food myself (well, actually my family and
	my fiance's family would be doing most of it ;^).  I have a couple of
	ideas about main courses, but would like some ideas on how to 
	fill out the menu.

	For main courses, I was thinking of smoked turkey, and smoked 
	ham.  My fiance's parents make them, and they're *delicious*. 
	What would go well with these dishes?  Any ideas on wine?  Do you
	think that these two dishes would be plenty for main courses?

	Thanks for all you help!

    For some great ideas for (fancy) wedding menus, check out Martha
    Stewart's book on weddings.  It should be at your library.  She's
    got everything from appetizers to the wedding cake in there.
    
    Cara
    

	I'm thinking of a buffet.   Although the wedding itself would 
	probably qualify as "formal", I'd like the reception to be
	fairly relaxed with people helping themselves to what they'd
	like.  This will be an early afternoon wedding.

	It would be good if the dishes can be prepared ahead of time
	(either a few days, or earlier then frozen).

	Re: Martha Stewart's Wedding book.  I saw it in the bookstore and
	it looked like it had great ideas for everything from flowers to
	table settings to menus.  My birthday's coming up & Mom said 
	she'd get it for me.

	Sue

    How about a potato or pasta salad?  You can make either one as
    simple and down to earth or as fancy as you want.  I really like
    them with smoked meats - the tastes seem to go well.  Both can
    be prepared a little ahead of time, if kept refrigerated.  Or you
    can go with a heartier "German" hot potato salad.  Another good
    thing about these two types of salads is that most people like them.
    It's not like those fancy aspics that always seem to be left over....
    
    Since it's going to be in the spring, how about using some fresh
    spring veggies like peas, sugar snap peas, or asparagus?  Sugar
    snap peas make delicious raw appetizers, along with a dip.

    --Louise

    A few more things to think about -
    
    The time of day - will people be expecting a full/substantial meal, or
    will a selection of appetizers be more appropriate?  Will you have
    facilities to keep the food hot or cold, or will you need to plan for
    foods that are served room temperature?
    
    Seating - will you be providing a place for everyone to sit while they
    eat, or will people be walking around mingling (which makes it
    difficult to manage a plate, a beverage, a purse...)  People who are
    dressed up may not eat for fear of wearing it, and then all your hard
    work will have been wasted!
    
    Place - by the ocean sounds beautiful, but will it be windy, will you
    be subject to surf spray?  How much stuff will you (or your friends!)
    have to lug to the site; serving utensils, condiments, trashbags,
    etc., etc.
    
    
    Whatever you do, start making lists!
    
    Good luck!
    TW

    
    re: .0
    
    I am in the same boat (almost).  The wedding is at the end of this June
    - 1990.  I am not thrilled with the choices from the caterers as they
    are all rather heavy sit_down_and_be_full menues.  I am going to give 
    them a `preferred' menue and see if they will go for it.  I would like
    a buffet (sitdown) or family style serving - with turkey and ham, potatoe
    salad and asparagus, a garden salad, fresh veggies and deviled eggs for
    appetizers.   And what else????????  What goes here????   Help !!!!! 
    
    If anyone has suggestions on this - let me know.  I am not very good at
    this, and trying to come up with a menu for this has been frustrating.
    I am trying to keep it simple so that the caterers will be agreeable.
    And I really would like it to be good food that everyone likes, that 
    isn't going to weigh them down and keep them at the bar.  Oh yea, it's
    an afternoon reception and will be indoor/outdoor.
    
    Thanks in advance....
    
    Jodi

    There should be a lot of nice strawberries and california fruits
    by June - how about fruit salad as either an appetizer or an adjunct
    to the cake for dessert?  That way dieters can have a sliver of
    cake and a dish of fruit salad, and remain "honest".  It's also
    easier to keep than eggs for an appetizer - deviled eggs tend to
    spoil quickly - besides, who needs all the cholesterol!
    
    June is when sugar snap peas are in season, too.  They make delicious
    appetizers, and are nice steamed and marinated (like the asparagus
    that I think you mentioned) or stir-fried for a side-dish.  They're
    also a little exotic - not your every-day vegetable for most people.
    
    --Louise

    Yes, I am DEFINATELY serving strawberries - it will be the height of
    the season here (central mass).  Rather than the traditional wedding
    cake, I am having a cheesecake and will serve that topped with
    strawberries for desert (plus bowls of fresh whole berries). 
    
    I hadn't thought about the spoil factor on eggs - good point.
    I am not sure I know what sugar snap peas are... could you describe
    them?  How about cold dishes?  
    
    Thanks

    My sister had whole poached salmon (cold) at the light buffet at her
    reception. THe pink salmon was quite lovely. It was served with 
    several different sauces/mayonnaises. 
    
    The only problem was that when my 5-year-old nephew went through
    the buffet line he yelled, "Gross! That fish still has eyes on it!"
    
    Kate
     

    Sugar snap peas are pretty new, so I'm not surprised you haven't
    heard of them.  They've been hailed as a new vegetable, the
    vegetable of the decade, etc., in the garden catalogs and
    magazines.  I'd almost have to show you a picture in one of
    my garden catalogs to really describe them, but here goes a try!
    
    Take a regular garden pea-pod, filled out with nice young peas.
    Make the pod entirely edible, just like the flat snow-pea pods.
    Increase the flavor and sugar content to match the best fresh
    petit-pois - those delicious french baby peas.  Make the pod
    stringless and just a little narrower than a regular garden pea-pod.
    The whole pod is about 2-3 inches long, depending on variety, and
    just about round in cross-section.
    
    To serve sugar-snaps:
    
    	- eat them whole right off the vine (my favorite method) 
    	- remove the tips and tails and serve in a bowl with a dip,
    	  using a light dip ie not a heavy fatty one
    	- snap them in two and add to salads
	- stir-fry lightly either whole or snapped in two
	- steam briefly, cool, and marinade in a vinaigrette similar
    	  to one for making marinaded asparagus
    
    and so on.  They're really delicious, and also are easy to grow.
    I take a nylon string trellis, about 15 feet long and 5 feet tall,
    and stake it up along the back of a 3 foot wide bed.  I dig an 8
    inch wide trench, about 4 inches deep, along the trellis.  In that
    trench, I plant my taller snap-pea seeds, covering them 1 inch deep
    and spacing them 1 inch apart - really thickly seeded! I plant the
    bushier early snap-pea seeds, again 1 inch deep and thickly seeded,
    in the remaining 2 feet of the row, in front of the taller peas.
    The early ones are good, 2 inch pods, and ripen 2-3 weeks before the
    later ones.  The later ones are even better, and have 3 inch long
    pods.  I use Pea Innoculant, which can be purchased in the garden
    catalogs and is good for helping peas fix nitrogen.  The only other
    fertilizers I add are organic phosphorous and potassium - greensand
    and I forget what the other is called.
    
    So, more than you ever wanted to know about snap-peas!
    
    --Louise

    
    Hi Noters!
    
    I need your help.  I got a phone call from a friend of mine who
    is catering a wedding on Saturday that I was supposed to be a guest
    at.  
    
    For some reason that I don't fully understand, things have not gone
    well and are still kind of up in the air.  Not all that UNUSUAL in
    the wedding business, I can assure you, but... I have been enlisted
    to help with the food for Saturday.  (I should mention that I owe 
    both this friend, and the couple getting married at least a million 
    favors each for helping me with MY wedding business, so whatever they
    need, I will TRY to do!)
    
    Here are the details:
    
    Cake and Punch reception for 250
    3 Kinds of coffee, hot water for tea and something else that escapes me
     right now (maybe decaff)
    'Pastry' trays: 
     . tarts 
       .rasberry
     . quickbread/creamcheese 'sandwiches'
       . zucchini
       . pumpkin
       . lemon/poppyseed
     . sour cream coffee cake 
    Butter Mints
    Mixed Nuts
    
    The tarts will be made in 4 inch circles and cut into 6 wedges
    The creamcheese sandwiches will be cut into 1 inch fingers
    The coffeecake will be cut in squares
    
    I think we need another option.. the parameters are it has to 
    not be square, wedge or rectangular shaped, must be relatively
    small, inexpensive and easy.
    
    My first inclination is mini-bagels, but I'd like to know what
    comes to YOUR minds.
    
    Also, when I make tarts I do a lattice top.  With such small 
    pieces, I'm sure that the pastry won't hold up to being cut 
    (I'll end up with a crumb topping!).  What could I top the 
    tarts with to be attractive in small pieces?
    
    adTHANKSvance for all your help and suggestions!
    
    dm
    

How about a cookie -- they are round!

Other alternative, fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate.  You only dip the
bottom half, and I have seen them with the leaves on which make good little 
handles.

Other alternative would be a fruit salad, or perhaps a sponge or angel food
cake with a fruit or a chocolate sauce topping.

    
    How about small, mixed-fruit kebobs?  

    I would love to do something with fruit, unfortunately
    especially at this time of year, fruit is way out of 
    line with the budget.  We'd need to do at least 150
    pieces of whatever we decide on.  Cookies are a good
    option.  Any thoughts on a not too sweet cookie?  
    Don't repost a recipe here, a pointer would be fine.
    
    Thanks for your speedy suggestions!
    
    dm

    Danielle,
        The Cranberry Chocolate Chippers in note 363.41 have gotten rave
    reviews every time I've made them, and you get to have some fruit as
    well as chocolate. The cranberries cut the sweetness of the cookie too.
    
    Debbie
    

    SOmewhere in here there is a recipe for Meltaways.  They are not too
    sweet, but literally melt in your mouth.  I believe they are listed
    under one of the Christmas Cookie notes.  I used a pastry bag with
    tinted icing for a baby shower one year to dress them up (just a little
    squiggle, nothing fancy) and they were a big hit.  Extremely easy to
    prepare.
    Sarah
    

	I have a recipe at home for cookies made with almond paste.  I
	usually make them for the holidays.  The cookies are VERY rich:
	lots of butter.  They're very versatile: my sister makes mini
	chocolate cheesecakes using the dough as the "crust", I often
	top them with various jams, you can dip them in chocolate, or
	drizzle with chocolate.

	If anyone's interested, I can post the recipe.
	Sue

You can make reasonable fruit skewers (which has now become a staple recipe for 
me) using pineapple chunks and grapes, both of which you can get easily and 
can be tasty this time of year.  For a little more money, splurge on a 
basket of blueberries -- one on each skewer goes a long way.  With more 
time and shopping around, which I suspect you have little time for now and 
you probably won't even read this note 'til the wedding is over, you can 
find ripe melons.

meringues are a traditional "fancy cookie" and ideal for weddings and showers.
any cookbook has a recipe.  You can make lemon, orange, and/or chocolate
meringue cookies for a nice mixture of colors.

    
    Hi,
    
    Thanks for all your help and input.  We ended up doing two
    things, mini fruit kabobs and some small pastel cookies 
    (which I didn't make or taste, so I don't remember what they
    were).  
    
    All of your suggestions will be tucked into my wedding file
    for the next time I need ideas!
    
    dm