How To: Plan, Cook for, and Throw a Dessert Reception

Four hundred is a little extreme, but we still think that large parties and even wedding receptions can be catered without too much stress or money, especially when you're just doing desserts.

More importantly, doing something like this yourself gives opportunity to make a party uniquely your own - embrace constraints and creativity!

And we can't ignore the cost savings, too; for this last wedding we catered, our friend spent about $500 on ingredients, disposable serving cups and spoons, and coffee accessories. We're not factoring in other drink expenses or the actual wedding cake, but this is so far below the $10-$15 per head that a caterer would charge for a simple dessert reception, that we feel that sometimes it is just worth it to do it yourself.

Menus for two different seasons, and a collection of posts, tips, and links below.

Planning & Ideas
Planning, cooking, and serving food for a big party is all about getting and staying organized! Make a plan and stick to it.

A few more tips on planning:
• Start with the season - what do you want to eat this time of year, and what is in season? Seasonal produce is less expensive, too.
• When budgeting, always have at least a hundred dollars in cash at the end for last-minute emergencies and expenses.
• With a dessert or hors d'oeuvre reception, plan on about 10-12 bites per person. A two-bite cupcake or cake would count as two.

• Celebrations: Desserts for a Wedding
• How To: Plan a Wedding Reception Menu

Menus & Recipes

• Menu for a February Dessert Buffet
• Menu for an Autumn Dessert Reception
• Salted Caramel Ice Cream
• Spiced Apple Cider Sorbet
• Old Fashioned Cocoa Ice Cream
• Pumpkin Coconut Ice Cream
• Melting Moments Lemon Cookies
• Chocolate Truffles
• Champagne Truffles
• Chocolate Orange Truffles
• Spiced Cream and Plum Verrines with Cinnamon Almonds
• Assorted Meringues

Helpful Things
• Party Disposables
• Candied Flowers from Market Hall Foods

Serving Ideas & Tips
• 700 Truffles and Counting...
• Tip: Stabilize Whipped Cream
• Party Tip: Serve Ice Cream in Souffle Cups
• How To: Set up a Party Buffet
• How To: Arrange a Buffet Table
• D.I.Y. Wedding Reception Report

More on Weddings and Parties
• Good Question: Wedding Finger-Foods on a Budget
• Good Question: Elegant Wedding Finger Foods?

Congratulations for pulling that off successfully. That was a huge amount of work.

posted by art on October 16th 2007 at 8:30am
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Awesome. I love it when people get a grip on weddings and understand that it's more about enjoying being together than how much money was spent.

posted by akbuilt on October 16th 2007 at 9:25am
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I'm just curious, how far ahead did you start making items? And how many freezers did it take to hold everything?

posted by Michelle of Montreal on October 16th 2007 at 9:27am
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Michelle,
I started about a week ahead with that giant truffle-rolling/cookie baking/plum chopping party. We held it at my parents' out in the country, and put everything in a full-size (fridge-sized) freezer in the garage. I had backup freezers available, but surprisingly everything fit in the one. We put truffles, cookies, plum compote, and all the ice creams in the freezer.

I made the ice creams throughout the week before the wedding, making one batch of ice cream each evening, along with one giant batch of meringues. Egg yolks - ice cream; egg whites - meringues.

Then the day before the wedding I made all the cream for the verrines and the spiced almonds. The cream was stored immediately in a fridge at the wedding site, and the almonds were fine at room temp.

posted by faith on October 18th 2007 at 6:53am
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