Desserts for a large party - planning ahead

THIRZAH

You can make profiteroles or eclairs in advance - open freeze them then allow to defrost on the day of the party, crisp them up in a moderate oven for five minutes then fill with cream.I did 200 for a wedding a few years ago.

I've also made rum babas or savarins and frozen them. After defrosting put back in the baking tin, warm them slightly in a coolish oven-gas mark 2-and then pour over the warm rum syrup.

Little tartlet cases- without filling- freeze well too.

If you don't want spend too much time on the desserts on the day of the party you could make something like chocolate fudge cake which can be filled and iced before freezing.

Floozie

Floozie wrote: »

A crumble which can be made ahead and frozen
Trifle which can be made in advance
Meringues which can be made in advance and can be served as they are on the day with whipped cream or made into eton mess
Lemon posset which can be made in advance

Forgot to add why not have some cheese and biscuits if anyone does not have a sweet tooth. You can buy some posher cheeses at M&S or Waitrose, some nice biscuits, crackers or oatcakes then some nice chutney (English Provender maybe), grapes, celery and nuts on the side. No preparation needed in advance!

Mado

Not to worry...I had planned on bringing a large wheel of brie from France as we are coming back a week before and buy a large block of our family's favourite cheddar (in case there is much left overs!).
I make a mean apple and chilli jelly that I planned on offering as well next to it.

meritaten

I ALWAYS do a large fruit platter - on one of those huge foil serving trays.
piles of strawberries (the British and best ones just coming into season), Grapes both green and red (I cut them into 'minibunches), Fresh pinapples cut into chunks, Some raspberries, blueberries and physalis scattered about.
I don't do apple or banana because they don't take kindly to being chunked then standing around. you can always add things like dates, cherries or melon or whatever is cheap and in season. just put loads of it on!
the platter is usually the first dessert to disappear!

nuatha

I catered our wedding last week with similar numbers.
Some things were done in advance and frozen down, others were prepared a day or three ahead.
In advance and frozen; baked cheesecakes (cut into 1 inch cubes), macaroons, mille feuile, eclairs, brownies, victoria sandwiches, muffins. All of these were prepared as miniature, bite size portions.
3 days ahead were small pastry cases, which were turned into lemon meringue pies and strawberry tarts.
2 days ahead was lemon posset, used to fill bought chocolate shells (one inch coffee cup shape)
1 day to go was the filling of the pastry cases, I suspect conventional lemon meringue will freeze okay, but the vegan version doesn't.

I found costco* useful for things like banquet roll, decent disposable plates, platters and fruit, generally they were cheaper than the wholesalers I have access to for these. I sourced most of my ingredients from various supermarkets as these worked out cheaper and used an online specialty supplier for a couple of items.

*Costco, if you are prepared to shop in bulk (and are aware of supermarket prices) then I think an annual membership will save you money. If you are only considering it for a one off then I doubt its worth it.

HTH

purpledonkey

Nuatha I love those ideas! I would also stick to petit fours style desserts like small profiteroles or maybe a croquembouche as a centre piece (although this is time consuming and huge)? You could make up a chocolate mousse/eton mess in individual shot glasses. Mini tartlets with raspberries and ganache work well as do mini meringue baskets filled with syllabub. Macaroons can be made in advance and taste better a couple of days after baking. Small squares of millionaire's shortbread or salted caramel brownies are popular.

There's some good ideas on this blog: http://mariesbakery.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/petite-fours.html

Mado

I found a place on line that sells bulk nuts at a reasonable price... ordered some and will report on the quality!

On the Costco front, is it feasible to borrow a friend's card to have a look? I'm always after a source of cheap frozen raspberry for jam making.

nuatha

Mado wrote: »

I found a place on line that sells bulk nuts at a reasonable price... ordered some and will report on the quality!

On the Costco front, is it feasible to borrow a friend's card to have a look? I'm always after a source of cheap frozen raspberry for jam making.

Costco cards are photo ID, so borrowing one isn't feasible. However members are allowed to take up to two guests, the card holder has to pay for the purchases (Costco do not take credit cards). So asking your friend who is a member to go with you would be a feasible solution.

allybee101

Costco - agree, see if you can find a friend who has a card, or try Bookers. Bookers has some great stuff - free membership but businesses only. If you know someone who has a business they may take you along. They usually want to see a letterhead/ business bank account statement or similar.
They have a lot of good catering stuff (i.e Creme Brulee ready mixed, just cook it up and then portion out before it cools.

nightingalesgarden

Make your own ice cream stand? Set ice cream in ice (using lovely bowls), provide lots of toppings and cones/wafers and just keep an eye and top up the ice cream as and when. Goes down a storm and can look amazing if you use vintage containers (think wedding sweetie stand)

banoffee is always a winner - or rather any combination of biscuit, banana, caramel and cream. I made a version for 120 people on a camping stove in Costa Rica when I was working for a charity out there - just sandwiched caramel (boiled tins of condensed milk) and banana between two small biscuits. But the cheese cake or the classic version are lovely - just Go*gle