Portions : How To Decide How Much To Order For Your Function

Planning parties, be it a significant birthday or a wedding, is always a time of heightened stress. You are excited by the upcoming event and at the same time worried when you look at the details.

Your caterer or wedding advisor will help you get the details in the correct order – but you still want some control over quantities of food and wine to order.

Here is a check list of how to plan, and the questions you need to ask yourself:

1. Beverages – We estimate from ½ bottle of wine per person to 1 bottle. However many other factors come into play such as

a. Lunch time or dinner.

b. Age of group – younger men will prefer beer/women often prefer non-alcoholic beverages for lunch etc.

c. How many guests are driving?

d. If champagne is served as an aperitif then this should count towards total wine ordered.

2. Food including canapes – Standard portion sizes for meat and fish for plated meals are easy to find using a site such as http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/perfect_portions. However canapes at the start of an event are more difficult to gauge. Here are our tips.

a. Canape party without dinner

i. 5 canapes in the first 30 mins and then 3 per hour up to a total of 10 per person.

ii. By adding nuts and olives you can decrease the number of canapes

b. Canape party with dinner

i. No more than 5 canapes per person.

ii. Consider just having olives, crisps and dips.

3. Buffets – This can be a traditional buffet served from a set table or enhanced canapés-twice the size of a finger canapé.

a. Traditional buffet – The ratio of meats to salad/starches will be for every portion of meat or fish (175gr per person) provide 240 gr of salad/starch. This means that if you have a poached salmon or breast of chicken you will provide 100gr of potato or pasta salad and two portions of other salad each weighing around 70gr each. If you think about this logically there is a total volume or weight of food a person can eat.

b. Finger buffet – Enhanced canapes. The standard is 10 per person for a party lasting 2 hours. If your guests are known as ‘good eaters’ err on the heavier side when you choose your finger canapes. A hummus with carrots or mini baguette will be more filling than a delicate smoked salmon on toast!

3. Dessert portions – go all out in this area – remember the last food your guests eat will be remembered best. So variety and good display are very important. A tower of profiteroles (croque-en-bouche) would be spectacular with a rich chocolate mousse and perhaps a tropical fruit salad.

Final thoughts – do ask your outside catering professional to explain how they have arrived at their portion sizes – they will be happy to explain and you will feel more in control.

An article in a series published as a blog for South London Outside catering users.

Mimosa are a leading outside caterer in the Herne Hill and Dulwich areas of South London. Why not visit their website at www.mimosafoods.com and let Mimosa meet your catering needs!

Tchoutchouka, Babaganosh or Houmous? Moroccan Food?

Well yes! You’ve probably heard of at least one of these foods from Morocco, not often known as part of the Maghreb, probably two, but you’re well up in your North African cuisine if you know all three. Still, do you know what they are and anything about their origins? Know much about the Maghreb? Read on.

Maghreb first – An area of North Africa generally thought to consist of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia but also potentially including Mauritania and Libya. It’s a region partially cut off from the rest of Africa by the Sahara desert, mostly populated by Arabs of Berber descent. Historically it also had a significant Jewish community which might seem odd to bring up except for the fact that these foods are also popular in Israel but with slight variations to the names.

Tchoutchouka next – This was a new one to me. A dip, relish or stew consisting predominantly of peppers, but in certain parts of Morocco and Tunisia with the addition of tomatoes and onions roasted and then combined. Often served cold but sometimes when hot finished by cracking eggs on the surface and leaving them to cook using the heat of the dish. It’s a popular accompaniment for Merguez, spicy sausages, in Tunisia, with or without the egg.

Now Babaganosh – At its simplest, char-roasted aubergine flesh mixed with olive oil, a little tahini, salt and some lemon juice. As with all these dishes there is no correct or authentic recipe. Other addition might include onion or garlic, other vegetables and flavourings such as cumin and chilli powder. This is beautiful when eaten cold with wedges of raw vegetable or pieces of pitta bread. A typical garnish for this might be a sprinkling of mint leaves or pomegranate seeds.

Last but not least Houmous (or is it Hummus?) – We all know about his one! A dip or spread made from mashed or crushed chick peas. Remind yourself what the other basic ingredients for Babaganosh were and you’ve got your finished Houmous. Both names are valid and there are numerous other possible spellings. There was some upset in 2008 when Lebanon tried to declare that Houmous was a uniquely Lebanese dish in response to the commercial success of various Israeli brands.

Falafel is a bonus! – This had to be included since it fits in so well with the other three dishes. Usually known as a type of chickpea fritter deep fried until crisp on the outside and served in pitta bread. Well this is correct but in Egypt it would be made using fava beans probably more commonly known as broad beans here in the UK. The fava bean is the one bean commonly eaten in Europe that is actually native to North Africa. Most other beans originated in the Americas. Along with the chickpea it has been cultivated and eaten for thousands of years in Morocco and the Mediterranean area.

Mimosa are a leading outside caterer in the Herne Hill and Dulwich areas of South London. Why not visit their website at www.mimosafoods.com and let Mimosa meet your outside catering needs!