Catering 101
If you’ve been reading this blog regularly, you know that I’m a real foodie. I love to cook (and eat) as much as I love to coach. So when a friend of mine, Michelle, announced she was getting married, I offered to cook for the engagement party, being held at another woman’s (Rosemary) house.
Although I’ve hosted my own parties, this is the first time I’ve designed a menu to other people’s specifications, and then prepared food in my own kitchen to serve elsewhere. I think I’ve spent nearly as much time organizing the gig as I have cooking. Fortunately, I enjoy both, although the details have given me several sleepless (or almost sleepless) nights. But more about those later.
Anyway, I want to serve food that will make people go “Wow!” I want to impress, to amaze, to inspire. And I’m barely a talented amateur. I also don’t want to be up until wee sma’s cooking the night before.
So I’ve planned a menu of items that can be made ahead of time–some of them as many as five weeks ahead of time. I’m serving chorizo puffs (make ahead and freeze) spinach empanadillas (make ahead and freeze), ham and gruyere three cheese foccacia (make ahead and freeze), my famous tarragon shrimp (make 4 days ahead and marinate), a Stilton-pecan torte (make 2 days ahead; i.e. today) and Oriental meatballs (make ahead and freeze). I’ve also made both cheddar and brie crackers (they’re really easy!), three kinds of flavored nuts, and some other munchies, all of which are freezable. (The biggest problem I have now is that I’m running out of freezer space.) I’m doing a veggie tray with two dips, but I’m getting creative–a blue cheese-and-pecan dip (the hostess loves blue cheese) and a raspberry dip, and non-standard veggies. No broccoli or cauliflower on this tray. That, unfortunately, will have to be done tomorrow. But that’s about the only last minute thing. I think.
It sounds like a lot of work, and I suppose it is, but I absolutely love it. There’s something almost Zen-like about cooking, in that I focus completely on what I am doing. I get completely into this zone with no stress and no worries–and yet, it’s creative at the same time. The “zone” is something like I get into when I’m playing a computer game, only I feel productive and satisfied at the end of it all. Plus I’ve spread it out over five weeks, so I never over-burdened myself with too much at one time.
The only problem now is this nagging sense that I’ve forgotten something. I guess I’ll figure out what that is soon enough. As long as it’s before the party!
