Conference turris::cooks

    in note 1590 there is a vegatable lasagna that says together very
    well (not alot of sauce that its mushy like cheese and meat) its
    very good but i'm not sure if i could volunteer to make it for 100
    people.  no seriously, its delicious and would probably freeze well.
    

    
    Casseroles, casseroles, casseroles. They are endless in variety,
    most can be made way in advance and most can be made in large
    quantities. 

    How about lasagne, baked ziti and/or eggplant parmesan?  These
    are easy to eat without having to use knives.  
    
    Or make a batch of boneless chicken breasts with cut 
    potatoes, peppers, and spices.  You can make this with
    sausage  too!
    
    Or how about that chicken casserole that has broccoli and
    cream sauce and it's baked with breadcrumbs and cheese on the
    top.  I don't have a recipe for this, but it's been served
    at different events I've been to.
    
    You could also have mini-quiche's, stuffed clams, deep fried
    vegetables, shrimp cocktail....etc.  
    
    Just a few ideas.

    Seafood Newburg
    Scallop Casserole
    Broccoli Casserole
    Ham Roll-ups
    Mini-Hot Dogs in Currant Jelly & Mustard
    Quiche Squares (easy to freeze)
    Meatballs (easy to freeze)
    Rice Salad

    
    How about that Pasticcio casserole from an earlier note?  (Greek
    Lasagna)
    
    Karen

For real gourmet eating:

For cold foods I would bake up several types of pate', perhaps a traditional
country pate', a no-liver veal pate' and a no-liver chicken pate'.  There
are recipes in many cookbooks - serve the pate' sliced thin with rounds
of rye and plain bread, cornichons (little french pickles), a dijon mustard,
both smooth and "country" blends, and perhaps a nice home-made mayonaise
(okay at this time of year - it's not too hot), and some crudites (raw
nibble-sized veggies).  I would also offer a nice dip for the veggies...
Depending on the budget, you might also offer smoked salmon or smoked
trout with an assortment of water biscuits and other fine crackers.

Some seafood casseroles, as mentioned, are always nice and you can offer
baked puff pastry shells to hold the lobster newburg or coquille st. Jacque,
or whatever.  You might also offer a turkey or chicken casserole for
those who aren't fond of fish.  Puff pastry shells can be made or bought
frozen and baked ahead.  You don't need to serve the shells hot if the
filling is hot.  If using traditional frozen puff pastry shells, figure
two/person.

Traditional salads can be messy - for buffets I generally offer some
nice crudites and several dips of dressing for them...but keep them
truly bite sized, if they are too big, they are also messy.  I would
also consider offering some marinated, chilled veggies.  Simply blanch
the vegetables in boiling water, rinse in cold, then toss with a vinegerette
and chill for a few hours...serve at room temperature.

Desserts can be as simple as a nice array of pretty cookies (like
madelaines) and some fresh fruit in a fruit sauce or flavored fruit liqueur
to an array of exotic bite sized fruit tarts...check with a good bakery
and I bet they will be helpful with suggestions - figure three bite sized
fruit tarts or cookies/person.  Fruit in liqueur can be strawberries
and nectarine or peach slices in peach liqueur or strawberry liqueur.
A fresh fruit sauce of raspberries or strawberries can also be used.
Simply sweeten the fruit, let sit for a few hours to absorb the sweetness,
puree and force through a sieve to remove seeds.

None of the above is inexpensive, and you will have to put in some
work ahead of time to cook up the pates, but it would be worth it for
the guests....recipes for pate are in many French cookbooks.  I'll
try to dig some up this coming weekend if it isn't too late.

    (This is wild, I was going to post the same note today!)  I've got
    a lot of ideas from you all and to the original noter: 
    
    I'm having a party for Moms 50th (about 70 people) and will be serving
    Quiches (Tomato & Mushroom, ham & cheese, broccoli and Sausage),
    lasagna w/ garlic bread & cheese, garden salad, stuffed bread (w/
    mushrooms, pepperoni, pepper, onion and cheese) stuffed mushrooms,
    and cassaroles.
    
    I like the ideas here.  I think cassaroles (Mac & Cheese, etc) are
    the way to go.  Especially if its informal and there's that many
    people.  Good Luck!

I've done stuffed breads using frozen white bread dough, but fresh would do 
just as well.  The ingredients are sauteed/steamed or whatever to get as much 
oil/water out of them.  The bread is rolled out into a rectangle using a bit 
of flour to prevent sticking,  The ingredients are spread leaving a one inch 
boarder on 3 sides.  The dough is then rolled starting from the side without 
the boarder.  The ends and edge are sealed with a few drops of water and some 
pinching.  Let the bread rise a bit (till is looks a bit bigger, maybe by 1/4 
or so).  Then bake as you would a regular loaf.

Stuffing ingredients:

	Drained sauteed slices of pepperoni
	Sliced black olives
	Slivered dried tomatoes
	Parmesean cheese
	Oregano, basil

	Chopped steamed broccoli
	Grated Jarlesberg
	Sauteed sliced mushrooms

	Chopped steamed spinach
	Crushed garlic (sautee the spinach in it a bit)
	Anchovies or cooked sliced Italian sausage 
	
Or, just about anything else you can dream up.  Just make sure the stuffings 
are on the dry side, and chopped up enough so there are no big lumps, but the 
texture is not entirely lost.

						     
							- JP

    This recipe serves 6, but can easily be doubled or tripled:
    
    1 pound fresh mushrooms
    2 tablespoons butter
    1 clove garlic, minced
    2 teaspoons soy sauce
    1 teaspoon lemon juice
    1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
    2 tablespoons flour
    3/4 cup milk
    1/4 pound Prosciutto ham(may substitute Virginia baked ham),chopped
    1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese
    3 tablespoons white wine
    
    Clean and slice mushrooms. in medium saucepan melt butter and saute
    garlic and mushrooms until done, do not overcook. Add soy sauce,
    lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add flour and stir. Blend in milk(a
    little at a time) and stir over low heat for 5 minutes.  Add 1 cup
    of Swiss cheese and the ham, mix. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish.
    Sprinkle remaining Swiss cheese over top and drizzle wine over all.
    Place in 475* oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and
    edges bubble.
    
    This is good served in patty shells or over rice.
    
         
     

    French bread pizzas - easy, cheap, and good at room temperature
    Calzones
    Shish-kabobs (good at room temp)
    Natchos
    Hummus and Syrian Bread
    Peking Raviolis (can make ahead and warm in microwave)
    Eggrolls (not to difficult) 
    Fried Wontons with filling (like crab, shrimp, beef, port, or lamb)
    Stuffed Shells
    	

    Veggie pizzas - can be made ahead and refrigerated, serve at room
    temp.  Using crescent rolls as a base, you can use seafood, vegetables,
    fruit and use different flavored cream cheeses.  Cut into squares
    and put on serving trays.  Make little nosegays of silk flowers
    - wrap the ends with florist's tape and curl, and put on serving
    platters.  This helps liven up less fancy-looking food.  The exact
    recipe has been posted in appetizer notes, sorry I don't have the
    exact number.
    
    Terry

    Make quiche, but pour it into muffin tins. (Just spray the tins
    with PAM, no crust or cups needed!)  Easy to eat, and were a big
    hit at my party this weekend.