HERE'S a few thoughts on how to cope with feeding a number of festive
revellers.
It is the thought of having to provide rather more special types of
dishes, and in greater quantities, that makes people feel
panic-stricken, I find.
If there are to be more people than can comfortably sit around your
table, it is much better to have a buffet party.
This has the added bonus of your guests being able to move around, sit
and talk to different guests with each course, and generally mix better.
There are one or two things to bear in mind, though, with buffet
entertaining. One is to have plenty of places for people to sit. Piles
of cushions on the floor or even the stairs will suffice when chairs run
out.
A vital point to remember when planning a buffet party is to have food
which is easy to eat with just a fork.
It is virtually impossible to balance a plate and glass, and try to
cut up food at the same time!
Attractive
You can have any type of meat or poultry based main course, providing
that you slice the meat in strips.
As long as everything on the plate is bite-sized you can't go wrong.
It matters that all food should look attractive, but I think it
matters more if it is to be arranged as a buffet.
One tip is to have the food on serving plates or ashets which are big
enough so that when your guests help themselves they don't spill the
food.
If you haven't got many large serving plates you can always cover a
tray in foil and use that as a platter.
If you want to cover up the serving table and you have no tablecloths
suitably coloured, try a white sheet, and have red candles and good
quality red paper table napkins.
If you want to cut down on the washing-up by having paper plates, my
advice is to have them for the pudding course.
When it comes to planning the actual food, bear in mind that people do
eat less from a buffet than they do when sitting drown around a table.
Save yourself the effort of extra plates and forks by not having a
first course, but having two or three types of ''eats'.'
Chipolata sausages are always popular, with a mustard dip. Or deep
fried mushrooms, with a garlicy mayonnaise dip. You can make a smoked
salmon and dill pate type of spread and make rolls of this by cutting
the crusts off sliced brown bread, then rolling each slice with a
rolling pin.
Spread with the pate and roll the slice up. Cut each slice in half, to
give you rolls about 1[1/2]ins long. By rolling the bread it prevents it
from splitting as you roll it up, and you can fill it with any sort of
smooth spread.
Plan food which can be made in advance and frozen, if necessary,
whatever is convenient to your way of life. Plan food which you feel
comfortable about making, don't go all out to impress your guests with a
new recipe. It is surprising just how much food can be prepared ahead of
time, right down to washing salad and storing it, in polythene bags.
Favourite
If you keep a a piece of kitchen paper in the bag with the lettuce it
helps prevent any discolouration of the torn bits of lettuce. You can do
this two days before your party.
Here is my favourite rich chocolate cake pudding.
Use very good chocolate for the best results. It freezes well, and all
you need is a fruity alternative, perhaps a mousse, or chopped fruits in
a honey and lemon sauce.
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