Tips From The Mrs: Fancy Party PART DEUX

This is Part 2 of the Fancy Party series and it's devoted 100% to food. For this scenario, I'm doing a buffet, because for a party buffet is easiest. Mostly because unless you have a table that seats 24, it'll become far too complicated to do a seated dinner.

Also, this is where I tell you that a good hostess asks questions. Ask if anyone has any food allergies or dietary restrictions (vegan, vegetarian, kosher) and then make sure they have a few choices. Your whole party doesn't need to be gluten free, but make sure you have 3 things that they can eat. Some food allergies will affect your entire prep, such as a shellfish allergy, in that you need to make sure it doesn't touch anything that's touched what they're allergic to, but honestly, it's mostly the stress of it that's difficult. If they're kosher, ask them everything about what you can do to make them feel comfortable, but they'll probably want to bring their own food since the whole meat and dairy touching thing can get really strict (kosher kitchens are a real thing and they're intense).

FOODS

This is where people make the mistake of thinking everything should be fresh, homemade, hot, and fancy. That's also how you end up sweating in the kitchen wrestling with making hollandaise or boiling fresh ravioli while everyone else is having fun.

Repeat after me: It's okay to take massive shortcuts.

You're under no obligation to bake fresh bread for garlic bread, form your own meatballs, buy mini-muffin tins for tiny quiches, or make your own pita chips. However, it's good to pair your store-bought with homemade. If you want garlic bread, buy a loaf from the store and make the garlic butter yourself. Buy the meatballs but make a killer sauce yourself. Put shredded cheese or bacon on top of the quiches and try making the hummus for the pita chips yourself.

The key to not killing yourself over this party is pre-prep. Like, I'm talking DAYS beforehand. I'll show you a fake menu, and tell you when to prep everything.

Grilled veggie platter

Orzo pasta salad

Caesar salad

Mac and Cheese

Meatballs

Pita chips and hummus

Mini-quiches

Bread sticks

Prosciutto wrapped melon

Cheese and crackers

Various desserts

Grilled veggie platter: Buy a medley of zucchini, asparagus, peppers, portobello mushrooms, brussels sprouts, and eggplant. Olive oil, salt and pepper is all these things really need, then grill. Do this the day before, arrange them on their platter, and warm up before serving. These are all good hot, warm, and room temperature, so feel free to keep the whole tray out throughout the party. Provide some dipping sauces, something with lemon and dill would be nice. Grab the sauces at a specialty food store.

You know you'd eat this.

Orzo pasta salad: Orzo, olives (variety), caramelized onion, roasted garlic, and very finely cut and sauteed kale, chopped fresh tomato, then tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, maybe some red pepper flakes, along with lots of black pepper, can be made two days before and served cold.

Essentially, this.

Caesar salad: Cut up the romaine the day before, make the croutons the day of, and do the dressing in the blender right before people start arriving. Dress the salad when you see the first car in the driveway. Provide the croutons and a bowl of parmesan on the side so that people can do it up themselves. Also, it stops the croutons from getting soggy.

This would be SO GOOD, RIGHT?!

Mac and cheese: I like Alton Brown's recipe (he's on Food Network and I love him). Do everything but adding the panko, allow to cool, then freeze it. You can do this even a couple weeks beforehand with no ill effect. Place the frozen dish in the fridge the night before the party, then 20 or so minutes before people come, add the panko and bake.

Nomnomnom

Meatballs: Buy a bag of your favorite brand of meatball at Sam's Club or Costco, bake them when the first person arrives, and serve with a delicious homemade marinara (that you can also make the day before and reheat before serving).

Basically it's a meat that no one has to attempt to cut while standing.

Pita chips and Hummus: Buy your favorite brand of pita chip, and blend up the hummus the afternoon of the party. Refrigerate it until it's time, then garnish and serve.

Mucho food porn on this post, eh?

Mini-quiches: Buy them. Heat them up along with the mac and cheese, top them with cheese, a dollop of sour cream and some chives, then serve.

Mmmmmm

Bread sticks: Make whatever your favorite breadsticks are (I hear there's a fantastic copycat of the Olive Garden ones in various places online) the week before the party. Bake them until they're almost done, freeze, and top with melted butter before finishing up baking them when the first person arrives.

Bonus points for wrapping in a white linen napkin

Prosciutto wrapped melon: This can be done the day before, and since it's served cold, it's easy.

Everything is better on a stick

Cheese and crackers: Buy a variety of crackers, and grab a variety of cheeses. I like to do goat cheese, brie, cheddar, gouda, and a cheese spread made with something stinky, like gorgonzola. Extras on the tray include grapes, slices of apple and pear, and maybe slices of a hard salami. Set this up in the afternoon, but don't slice the apples and pears til you're ready to serve so that they don't turn brown.

This person even wrapped something in grape leaves.
Pretty hardcore.

Various desserts: I would do a blueberry-lemon pound cake with a lemon glaze, pre sliced and presented on a platter, and it's something you could easily buy. Then maybe do some cookies, everyone likes chocolate chip, but I really love gingerbread after a meal, which can be made the day before without ill effect. Pies are delicious, but since I prefer most a la mode, it's not ideal for a buffet setting. If we were in France you could easily buy delicious glass pots filled with creme brulee, then torch them up quickly once people were ready for desserts. Chocolate covered strawberries, Oreos, and pretzels can be done a couple days before and will be gone almost instantly.

Clearly this is for a wedding. But you get the main idea.

For setting it all up, go to Martha's link here. It's technically for Thanksgiving, but the logic is there.

This Channing Buffet by Jonathan Adler would be perfect for serving food on. When you're not having a party (which is most of the time) it's amazingly gorgeous dining room storage. For all the serveware you just used.

Am I the only one who thinks that this dual-desk from Crate and Barrel would make for super-cool multi level buffet realness? Like food on the double desks, plates, napkins and silverware on the middle section, then flowers and/or finger foods on the rest of the shelves? Plus, it's still desks, just move it back into your home office after the party.

Or just use your kitchen table. Whatever. KILL MY DREAMS.