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Cook Talk

Pat, your wedding for 200 people
pat/ellen
02/19/16
The meats- ham, roasted turkey, chicken strips and brisket(bride choices). My choice would be brisket, turkey and chicken
Vegetables - green beans, fried corn,
Bride wants jambalaya and white rice and potatoe salad to add the bayou touch..
Tea, lemonade, water and wine (drinks)
ellen
02/19/16
Pat, this was a long answer, and the computer ate it, then it took a week to find the original question again, but here goes:
Menu for 200 people- wedding reception, at 2 pm
Hi, Pat,
Not sure why Leslie's answer posted twice and yours disappeared, butt here is another try.

Usually with a 1 pm wedding, the food is planned at a reception level, rather than a full meal menu, because people ate lunch and are not so hungry. This is a heavy menu for a reception. So, this menu could stand some changes , and it will also lower costs.

For 200 people, you will look at 4 people in the kitchen/ dealing with the food, and about 12 out front to set up, serve, and clean up. 3 serving lines, or even better, 2 double sided serving lines.

The meats- ham, roasted turkey, chicken strips and brisket(bride choices). My choice would be brisket, turkey and chicken
With the jambalaya, which already has sausage and chicken, do ham and brisket only. 60 pounds raw weight brisket, 30 ham. Have 200 little rolls or biscuits, 2 quarts mayo, squeeze bottles yellow and spicy mustard and BBQ sauce
Without the jambalaya, do ham, brisket and one, not both poultry. Add 30 pounds boneless, which is 60 pounds bone in chicken or turkey

Vegetables - green beans, fried corn. 18 pounds ready to serve per 100. Fried corn is quite difficult in this large amount, do make ahead and reheat. Or sub a slaw or salad for the corn.
OR consider a complete switch and do a many bean marinated salad and a colorful Mardigras cole slaw, such as the recipe on this site.
jambalaya and white rice, do at most 10 pounds rice per 100 including both for this time slot. With no gravy, I would skip the white rice entirely. My favorite jambalaya recipe:
www.gumbopages.com/food/jambalaya.html
4 cups of rice is approx 2 pounds

potato salad to add the bayou touch.3 gallons per 100, could do 2 different kinds, or one batch potato and one batch pasta salad

You need to add a couple of chips and dips, such as 10 pounds chips plus 4 quarts of dip such as a Creole cream cheese dip. Maybe a fruit tray such as one of the deluxe fruit trays for 100 from the fruit tray page. I would put these with the lemonade as an appetizer table

Tea, 12 gallons, 3 unsweetened
lemonade, 8 gallons, serve with appetizers
water, pint per person
wine (drinks), depends on whether it is a toast, or a half bottle per person for each wine drinker. See the beverage planning page

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