Understand what it means when you choose to offer a full-size dessert--In our experience full-size desserts at a dinner party work best for 12 or fewer guests UNLESS you have a caterer or other helper. Why? If you don't hire someone to handle dessert, guests will be waiting while you serve dessert portions, and thus will have to wait less if you have 12 or fewer guests. If you pre-plate full-size desserts to avoid hiring a caterer or helper to handle dessert, you must also make sure that you have space on your counter or kitchen island or in your refrigerator for the pre-plated desserts ON THEIR PLATES. You must have room for them somewhere while the first part of the dinner is going on. A full-size dessert for a group larger than about 10 or 12 guests is best served buffet style, with portions pre-cut and/or plated and put out on a dessert buffet before your party starts.
Ice cream and other frozen-type desserts can be messy to handle yourself--Again, if you'll be scooping while guests are waiting, it's better for a small group. You can pre-scoop and put the scoops on cookie sheets in the freezer until dessert time as long as you have enough room in your freezer. And frozen desserts can't be left out on a buffet or they'll melt; they must be brought to table or to the buffet table at serving time.
Mini desserts can be easiest of all--They don't need to be sliced or scooped, take up less room, and can be served buffet style or plated. You can set out mini desserts buffet style before the dinner party starts or have them waiting in the wings for dessert time. Or here's another way to serve them: one of our clients has one or two of the catering team (us) go around to seated guests and offer mini desserts and small plates to guests seated at her dining tables--sometimes we serve guests and sometimes they prefer to help themselves and all we do is put the plate down on the table for them, depending on the mood of the party. People really like this as it makes them feel special. The fun factor of mini desserts is another reason to choose them for your dinner party--their fun size puts guests in a good mood! Also, people feel more virtuous when they have a mini dessert than if they have a full-size dessert.
BTW, beware relying too much on a candy buffet combined with dessert--though candy buffets are popular at events nowadays, too much candy and not enough baked or made desserts (whomever actually makes them, be it you or a restaurant or food emporium or caterer or baker) says you couldn't be bothered and is too much like a Halloween party (unless of course it IS a Halloween party).
Warmly,
Kristina
Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com
No comments:
Post a Comment