Copperpots

A Brit, a Yank and a Kitchen

Monday, October 30

Help! Our Wedding Menu!!


So, to those of you who dont know what I do for a living, I'm the in-house designer/web person for a military retirement community in Florida... which happens to have a very nice golf club, and this is where we've decided to have our wedding reception (Dec 1, 2007). I am lucky in this respect because it has made me friends with the club manager, and the chef. And they have basically told me that I can create whatever menu I want (as long as it is do-able in banquet proportions - approx 75 peeps).

Now, as excited as I am, I've never done anything like this! I've only been to a handful of banquets, and therefor never paid huge amounts of attention to what was being served.... so I need help!

I've come up with this to start with... I know I have to keep people with picky palettes in mind... but I dont want a standard chicken/steak menu either... I want duck.. or lamb... or something just a bit out of the ordinary....

Help! HELP!! =)

So.... lets call this Wedding Menu Draft 1!


***
Curried Pumkin Soup
***
Field Greens Salad with Raspberries, Walnuts and Stilton
***
Pan-Seared Duck Breast with a Raspberry Coulis
OR
Prime Rib something...?
***
Yukimi Daifuku
(Mochi Cake Ice Cream)
***
Wedding Cake!!
***
and of course..
a big kick ass cheese display
***


Hehehehe... I'm sure to some of you that menu sounds very familliar! ;-)
The pumpkin soup is something that I've made several times.. dead easy... pumpkin puree, diced onion, butter, curry powder, salt, pepper... super easy to increase in qunatities. I'd really like to have duck or lamb at our wedding.... but anyone know how difficult it would be to actually do duck breasts for a banquet? And the prime rib... would that be conflicing with the duck as a dark meat? I dont think chicken would work... 2 poultry? And fish? So many people hate fish... why must there be picky eaters!? WHY WHY!? As for the mochi cake... I dunno.. a friend suggested it and I thought it would be something fun to throw in there in anticipation to the cake part. ;-) They are simply bite sized droplets of icecream wrapped in a rice cake, that can be eaten with the fingers.. see this pic here...

Anyways... I'd love to hear feedback!!!!! =)

13 Comments:

Blogger *Chef Marina* said...

Hmmm... decisions decisions! Well, first of all, kudos on a super-yummy sounding menu... I'd love to see a lamb dish (just 'cause that's my all-time FAVORITE meat, and uhh... I *am* coming to your wedding still, right??), but prepared in a more Middle-Eastern/Greek way... I grew up with the lamb being roasted, preferably with some sort of garlic and herb rub, and then served with a tsetseki (sp??) sauce: yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill, olive oil, pepper. It's very simple to prepare but loaded with flavor!

5:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

mmm! The mochi icecream sounds like a great idea, and easy to have made/bought ahead of time, plus, it's pretty non-offensive... anyone should like it. I think prime rib is a good idea, but I would seriously reconsider doing duck or lamb. I'll eat just about anything, but I would be reluctantly eating duck or lamb. Duck texture is just too fatty, and lamb is too aromatic (but much less offensive than duck). I would have fun with everything else, but try to be somewhat standard for the main course. If you want some fish, you could do seafood appetizer.

5:55 PM  
Blogger Lea said...

Michele- thats why there will be 2 choices... one that *I* want... and one that all the finicky folks can have.. thats where the prime rib or chicken comes in...

8:03 PM  
Blogger Jay said...

It sounds good, really good. You should have the things you love, it's your day, and it's a great way to let your guests know a little more about you.

3:07 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Two words... London Broil

8:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's got to be the best sounding menu for a mass catered event I've ever seen. Much better than the usual 'Let's just feed everyone chicken so they don't complain' stuff you usually find.

I went to a wedding a couple of years ago where the main course was chicken with kiwi fruit. The chicken had clearly been microwaved as it had that glue-your-teeth-together consistency. Bleurgh!

I have had duck breast at a function at a hotel once. There were about 50 people there so I don't see why making it for 75 should be a problem.

So are the vegetarians being left hungry? Or are they just not invited. ;)

9:49 AM  
Blogger wheresmymind said...

Here's the dealio...the trick is to have dishes that are gonna be cooked in quantity. Duck breast...I don't know man..I LOVE the idea...but I'd rather have a good prime rib than mediocre duck. Also, probably good to have a 'boring/traditional' option for people as some people don't have developed palates?

10:40 AM  
Blogger Lea said...

Ros- I only know one veg-head, and thats my dad.. I'm sure he'd eat meat for my wedding (he did for my birthday last year at a Japanese shabu-shabu place)

Jeff- I totally agree with you.. I'd also rather have great prime rib than mediocre duck.... hmmm.. maybe a lamb roast? I know the chef does that often... I set up his menus... he does it at least twice a month...

10:58 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

You already picked the ideal menu I would have gone with. Don't change a damn thing.

12:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Duck is fantastic - only problem would be that people like their duck cooked in different ways... Could do goose as a different meat?

And as for moochi ice cream - man, i LOVE that stuff. i haven't heard of a single person who has tried it and disliked it!

12:26 PM  
Blogger Susan in Italy said...

Congratulations and Best Wishes!!!

Pumpkin soup: delicious, elegant, the salad also sounds pretty and yummy too. If there's a choice between duck breast and prime rib, (oh nevermind I see the choice is the guest's) but if I were going, I'd order the duck! Mochi ice cream sounds great! At any rate, you seem to be a person to whom food is important and if you serve more adventurous things, your guests will be able to get a chance to see that side of you.

4:16 PM  
Blogger Sara said...

Sounds delicious to me. At our wedding we had fish or beef for the entree and it worked very well. It sounds like you have more adventerous people coming...maybe lamb or chicken?

4:54 PM  
Blogger Lea said...

I am starting to lean towards lamb and chicken... =)

8:28 AM  

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