Planning out the food for any celebration really needs plenty of deliberation. You could choose to serve appetizers and hors d’oeuvres but those need so much preparation because of those tiny bits of food. Sit-down meals are another option but they are dreadfully formal. Why not try a buffet? Here are some ideas you could use for the menu:
Before you pick the right food to serve, you have to know what kind of meal they will be used in! Are you hosting a breakfast or brunch, or will it be lunch? Are you opting for a tea will you go ahead and serve dinner? The meal itself will dictate the choices of your food.
When you’ve decided on the time, then you can pick the food. A usual menu for breakfast or brunch would usually consist of an egg dish, a selection of breads or cereals, possibly another protein choice like a meat, and juices or fruits. Lunch is a simple meal and is usually a salad and/or a soup, and an accompanying main course like a quiche followed by a light dessert like macerated fruits. Tea usually consists of food that can be held in the fingers – slices of cake, cookies, sandwiches, and two hot beverages. Dinner means the sky is the limit with a minimum of three courses of soup or salad, a main dish, and a dessert can be served. The only thing you need to watch with a buffet is that meals should already be divided into solo portions so that they are easy to get.
A time that is becoming more and more popular is a brunch buffet, usually held on the weekend. This is an easy time since it can start quite early in the morning and can continue all the way to early afternoon, depending on the guests and the hosts themselves. A simple but filling menu can be an omelet buffet. All you need to do the night or day before is prepare all the fillings to go into the omelet and the morning of the brunch, simply break the eggs and beat them well. You can pour the eggs into a large pitcher to make forming the omelets easier. Each guest then just needs to choose what fillings they want and have them put into the omelet that is made to order. Along with farmer’s bread, croissants, sliced cheese, fresh butter, and a fruit compote, it’s a brunch that will satisfy any appetite.
To accompany this, you can compose a beverage buffet. Hot coffee and tea can be at the ready and all the accompaniments also ready to serve in their own little bowls. Between citrus slices, brown and white sugar, molasses, honey, cream, grated chocolate, and sweet spices, guests will have fun making up their own concoctions.
Planning extends to the buffet set-up itself. With the omelet brunch, keep the table along one side of a wall so that the cooks can have complete control of the table top stoves while cooking. The fillings can be put in front and each guest can pile on their choices on saucers that they hand over to the cooks. Plates and cutlery can be picked up nearby, before the accompanying food is chosen. Beverages should have a whole other station to themselves to allow for ease of construction.
Sweets can take their own table at the brunch or can be served along with the beverages. It’s nice to offer a cookie or two to nibble along with the tea or coffee.
Plan to have an eye-catching centerpiece. What’s better than a large basket overflowing with luscious berries or peaches and plums?