Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. Tammy G, caterer here.
It's almost New Year's Eve, so let's plan your party.
It's usually easiest to have finger foods that you can prepare ahead of time.
AMOUNT OF APPETIZERS
Let's say that you are planning for 40 guests. As a rule of thumb, plan for 5 to 7 appetizers per person. That's about 200 to 240 total pieces. If you are just serving appetizers without dinner, then count on 7 to 8 appetizers per person.
Never serve all one type of appetizer. Variety is the spice of life! Mix and match items so that you have something for everyone. And don't forget the vegetarians in your life. Your best plan is to serve at least three to four different varieties.
For larger parties, try a few more. I usually try to have at least two cold items, two hot items, small sandwiches and a variety of petite dessert items.
PRESENTATION
Presentation is every bit as important as how the food tastes. First, you see the food. Second, you smell the food. Third, you eat the food.
Think about colors and what will match or contarst with them. Many baked appetizers are covered in filo or pastry dough, so they have a brown or tan color. Put these on bright colored plates or trays. If you are using chafing dishes, use other food items such as herbs and small vegetable garnishes to add color.
You can line your serving trays with different kinds of lettuce leaves (never iceberg) or kale. Insert fruit kabobs into a melon or pineapple. If you have a veggie tray, hollow out a bell pepper or red cabbage head to put the dip in. This saves on containers that you must have (plus wash later) and keeps with the vegetable theme.
TABLE SET UP
Try to avoid having everything in one spot. If you have everything together, you will create congestion. You want to avoid this at all costs. Try placing small food stations throughout your house. You want people to mingle and move about, not stand at the drink table all night.
Since people tend to gravitate to the bar, put it in a different section of the room from the food. You can even put it in a different room, if you need to. I always recommend putting the non-alcoholic drinks in a separate place too. It's crazy to have to wait in line at the bar if you only want a cup of punch.
Once you have the location for the bar established, look for areas of dead space to put the food. Use a banquet table for any large items and chafing dishes. Put a tablecloth on it and you can store extra items such as plates, napkins and coolers of ice underneath it, out of sight. This helps with the clutter.
Use coffee tables, end tables, sidebars, kitchen tables, etc. to display other food items. You might plan to have cold appetizers in the kitchen, hot items on the buffet table in the dining room and dessert in the den.
Remember to have lots of plates. Nine inch and seven inch are your best bets.
Until next time.
