What do you do when you have a large group of people coming over for dinner and everyone wants something a little different? (Big family gatherings, we're talking to you!) Well, there is a way to make everyone happy without going insane yourself. We call it the dinner buffet bar!
The idea is to have one basic dish that serves as a base for a bunch of extra toppings and flavorings. Each person can add as many as they like or keep it completely plain and simple.
Here are a few of our favorites:
• Taco/Burrito Bar - Give people a choice of taco shells or burrito wraps and let them go to town!
• Mac and Cheese Bar - Make a big batch of fairly basic and mild mac n' cheese. Offer stronger cheeses and seasonings that people can stir in themselves.
• Polenta Bar - Creamy polenta makes a delicious base for any number of toppings, both simple and fancy.
• Crêpe Bar - Once you get the hang of making them, crèpes are incredibly easy to make - even at the last minute. They can be filled with any number of savory or sweet fillings.
Toppings for any of these bases can be simple or complex. We usually offer people a choice of meat, like pulled pork, hamburger, sausage, or shredded chicken. Beans, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, braised greens, roasted red peppers, and other cooked veggies round things out and offer alternatives for vegetarians. It's nice to have a few different cheeses that can be sprinkled on top or stirred in, as well as toppings like yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche.
What other buffet bars of this style do you like to do?
Related: Easy Summer Dessert: Homemade Pudding Cup Bar
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Often when I throw a party, I just lay a spread of middle eastern food which is usually quick and easy to make ahead, pickled things from the pantry and fresh bread.
By middle eastern food I mean, taboule, zatah, humus, baba ghanoush, stuffed vine leaves, olives with lemon, etc...
Love this idea.
I love this idea and do this often... we often do a chili bar or a baked potato bar, pretty much same toppings for either; bacon bits, cilantro, lime, sour cream, different cheeses, steamed broccoli, hot sauce, salsa, you get the idea. Great idea for kids birthday parties especially with the chili as you can keep it warm in a crock pot and then most of the toppings can be brought up to room temp, others I just put in a small bowl and then nest that bowl into a bowl of ice. When we are really going all out we do both chili and baked potatoes... yum! I also have a rustic looking fence post type of ceder block and we put that out onthe table and put the little bowls of toppings on it, looks great! love the idea of a polenta bar- never thought of that!
We have often done things this style at my book club - taco bar, baked potato bar, etc. The one that hasn't been mentioned yet is the omelet bar! People picked out their toppings (bacon, green onions, mushrooms, various cheeses, etc.) and lined them up next to the stove for our chief omelet maker, who had a big bowl of cracked/beaten eggs and made short work of about 10 individual omelets. SO fun.
Last Father's Day, we had a potluck-type steak bar.
I did have everyone bring their own steaks, but provided all kinds of fun toppings:
Blue Cheese
Goat Cheese
Garlic butter
Caramelized onions
Bacon bits
Sauteed Mushrooms
I also baked a bunch of potatoes, as those seemed to lend themselves well to the toppings - though I did add regular butter, sour cream and cheddar cheese. This was a big hit with everyone (and their cardiologists).
We did have a couple of grills going for everyone to grill their steaks when it came time to eat.
While on holiday we had a cooked breakfast bar as well as a burger bar. Good when you have some vegetarians as they can pick and choose what they want to eat.
I threw a holiday party for my team once, and it went over well.
First we did a pizza bar -- I used Boboli crusts, had sauce, cheeses, toppings and such. Each person assembled his own pizza, they baked in a few minutes, and, voila!
People liked the pizza, but they flipped over the dessert. I made drop-cookie dough (like, say, the dough for toll house or M&M cookies. I gave each person a mug with about 1/3 cup of dough and set out mix-ins galore: M&Ms, chips of various flavors, coconut, several sorts of nuts, crushed candy, oatmeal, you name it! Each guest mixed in her favorites, then we baked the cookies. I thought each person would make 4-5 cookies, but people seemed to prefer one giant cookie. Adults and kiddos alike loved this.
We baked the cookies on parchment-paper-lined baking sheets. I simply wrote each person's name in pencil near their cookie so we could tell them apart when they were done.
I used to work for a restaurant that frequently hosted weddings. A big hit for buffet-style meals was a mashed potato bar. Similar, I'm sure, to the baked potato bars mentioned above. Except more fattening. :)
For Oscar night I made a taco bar for my S.O. and me. There was braised chard for a veg option and then slow-braised chipotle brisket (SmittenKitchen's crockpot recipe-- highly recommend!!). And all the fixin's. So fun.
We are a buffet and really, the ideas that emerge are getting better.
Ernane´s Buffet
making pizzas with everyone's favorite toppings is a good one and so fun:
http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2009/11/pizza-party.html
We host a kind-of-a-pizza-bar which is a hit: we set the pizza stone in the oven, and i make a double or triple batch of pizza dough and fresh tomato sauce, we set up boals of all the common (and some uncommon) toppings and set a station where in their turn everyone get's up and creates a pizza that then is cut into smaller pieces and we all get to taste each other's creations.
Having everyone wash their hands, put on the apron and the use the pizza paddle and pizza cutter gets everyone really involved and into it.
two more bars we created come to mind: a falafel bar - like the middle eastern one, but with fresh falafel balls and pita halvs, and the second - a burger bar - everything but the burgers are set in boals and trays so everyone can create their own burger. beer included.
I like to throw noodle bowl parties. They are 1) cheap, 2) varied for all tastes and dietary needs, 3) quick and finally, you can do pretty much everything ahead of time. Just have on hand a couple of types of noodles (like rice, vermicelli, soba, etc), some proteins (chicken, beef or tofu), vegies (shredded lettuce and cabbage, julienned carrots and cucumber and sliced green onions; some herbs (cilantro basil and/or mint), some dressings (the world's your oyster here) and finally some toppings like peanuts and/or toasted sliced almonds. And, don't forget something hot for your spice loving friends. This could be sliced chilies like jalapenos or serannos and/or a bottle of sriracha. This is such a fun way to throw a party. Everyone can create their bowl according to their tastes and dietary needs. A hint to keep your noodles from sticking. Rinse them in warm water with a couple tablespoons of canola oil in it. This rinses the starch off the noodles so they won't stick and leaves a small amount of oil which will, again, keep the noodles from sticking. Also, keep the noodles at room temperature. If you refrigerate them, you are guaranteeing they will stick together.
A hint for bowls big enough to hold all this, keep your eye out at the dollar store. I have picked up several large bowls there that work well for this kind of a party. If all else fails, you can always rent some for the evening. The ingredients for a party like this are so inexpensive, you will have plenty of money to rent bowls.