 |
 |
||||
 Cocktail Party Tips Hors d’oeuvres is a French term, meaning “outside of meal.” We all serve hors d’oeuvres at a cocktail party, however, these days, that means a replacement for dinner, most likely due to our extraordinarily busy lives. So plan on serving enough food to constitute a meal. Don’t panic. It really is manageable. Below are some tips for planning your perfect cocktail party. The most important thing to remember is to have a good time yourself and continue to breathe throughout the party, not to mention, on a daily basis. Fun and inexpensive ways to decorate: One idea is to stay with a single color – red is an obvious color for the holidays. Inexpensive flowers look pretty and abundant in a bundle. You won’t have to arrange them and it looks like there are more flowers than there really are. Another idea is to get many, many helium-filled balloons, tie a three-to-four foot ribbon to the knot and let them float to your ceiling. This is a very inexpensive way to decorate with a big impact. In keeping with the red theme, poinsettias are fairly inexpensive and accessible this time of year – not to mention quick and easy. These days, you can easily find beautiful dark-colored red with the dark leaves anywhere – the drugstore has them. And I’m sure you’ve all gotten those beautiful branches from magnolia trees to decorate your mantlepiece with white fairy lights interspersed. It creates a beautiful glow and pulls the eye upward. These also looks good on top of an old armoire. The possibilities are endless. You can use what’s in your house to decorate – garden ornaments in or around your food, a gorgeous plant, a beautiful wastebasket (washed, of course) can be filled with cotton cloth and used for loaves of baguette. Another idea, should you choose to use red, is a few bags of fresh cranberries poured into a clear glass vase with flowers (of course, add water – it lasts for weeks!). You can use a string of bright lights in a puddle, maybe with reflective wrapping paper – perhaps in a bowl - in the middle of your table. When you’re arranging your buffet table, think of height. Use a wooden box covered with a tablecloth and an easy hors d’oeuvre to bring visual interest. Different colored tablecloths are fun. Huge candelabra that may be collecting dust can be spruced up and used on the table*. Drinks on a Budget People at a party (or anywhere for that matter) feel much more spiffy with elegant glasses, and so will you. Stemmed wine glasses, inexpensive ones, can be found at Ikea, World Market and the like. Then you can put them away in that handy box they came in for the next party. A little math can go a long way in keeping with a drinks budget as it prevents you from overbuying, though, mind you, I quite like having lots of extra bottles of wine. Expect your guests to have about two drinks the first hour, then one every hour thereafter. And always remember to keep seltzer and bitters on hand. Here are some suggestions. A bottle of wine gives 5 5-ounce servings There’s also the idea of serving a punch, which can go further. And if you plan ahead, you can freeze some cranberry (or other pretty color) in a bowl to keep it cold in the punch bowl. You might even add cranberries or other berries to the juice to make it prettier. The Food Cocktail parties are a terrific opportunity to experiment with new or unusual recipes without the risk of trying them for a dinner party. Serving this new dish as an hors d’oeuvre, the experimental dish is only a small part of an array of food. Try a new dish or two, then fill out the rest of your menu with tried and true recipes. Add olives, nuts, and the Southern favorite, which everyone seems to love – a block of cream cheese with Pickapeppa Sauce poured over it with crackers on the side – humorously called Idiot’s Delight. Another thing people seem to love everywhere is pigs in a blanket. If presented in an elegant way, these will just be another delicious, if somewhat inelegant, dish that will disappear quickly. It really is okay to serve them. As a caterer, I can assure you these are very popular. A good menu doesn’t mean that each recipe has to be time-consuming or difficult – it can consist of five simple hors d’oeuvres – think hot and cold, textures, flavors, etc. Keep it exciting in that way. And remember the vegetarians in the crowd while you’re planning that great menu. A great menu is simple – there are many places on the Web to find great recipes. And remember to trust yourself. Back-up food is very helpful – breadsticks, chips and dips, etc., in case your guests are particularly hungry. Popcorn topped with Parmesan is easy and quick. Try to remember those little cocktail napkins – put them in places around the house in case of spills, etc. For dessert, you can line up large spoons (preferably that match) on a silver tray filled with chocolate mousse (Grant Park Provisions mousse is divine) and bits of chocolate candy on top. Silver trays are easily found at a charity shop (Goodwill, etc.). Also, using those inexpensive drink glasses you found, you can fill those with little dollops of dessert. That goes a long way with very little food. Remember to keep it manageable. If you have more than 20 or so guests, and it’s just you in the kitchen, remember to prep three-quarters of your food in advance. Keep the number of hot items on your menu to a minimum and try to have more room temperature items. This will help avoid that last-minute scrambling. Maybe add some canapes to your menu – those tiny open-faced sandwiches which can usually be made fully in advance and served at room temperature. The most important thing about having a party is that YOU are having a good time. I always find it helpful to have a glass of wine before the party which is a good way to relax and get into the mood. Remember to have fun. It’s your party. *To easily shine silver, simply make a ‘bowl’ out of some aluminum foil, place the silver item or items in your ‘bowl,’ sprinkle with a lot of baking soda, and pour boiling water over it. This takes the place of polishing the silver and takes very little time, and not a bit of elbow grease. We here at Grant Park Provisions also know that there are those last-minute dinner parties your spouse/boss/friend, etc. has sprung on you. With a few hours’ notice, we will be happy to help with such a feat. For bookings and information call 404 313 3019 or email: info@grantparkprovisions.com. |
||||