I'd Prefer A Wedding Meal Anyways

            Today was a typical day – as most wedding catering days are similar. I began with preparations for dessert – baking madeleine cookies and crushing meringues. Then I moved on to making canapés – smoked chicken and black olive with pesto in phyllo pastry, smoked salmon and crème fraiche on blinis, spicy chicken kebabs, tempura of shrimp, vegetable spring rolls, and cherry tomato filled with crab. Most of the prep had been completed yesterday, and I was already familiar with most of these canapés, so assembly went pretty quickly. The only tedious part was hollowing out the tiny cherry tomatoes in order to stuff them. After a staff meal of, you guessed it chicken and rice (luckily there was also waldorf salad today), I was sent over to the marquee to begin helping there. As I was walking over, a couple from the wedding celebration stopped me to ask if I could take their photo together, as they thought it would be the only one they would get all night. It isn’t in my job description, but I was happy to help.

Plating the chicken salad starters.

            First thing was picking parsley for garnish, then cutting microgreens for the salad. Then preparing the vegetables and potatoes for the side dishes, and the bread and rolls for the bread baskets. I was glad that the chefs were actually explaining things to me today – like how long to cook the vegetables, at what temperature, and what to put on them. We also heated the soups and sauces, and attended to the applicable dietary requirements – tonight there were two vegetarians, one vegan, and three gluten-free diners. This can be tricky in an eight course meal, ensuring there is an option for every diner at each course. Even just trying to find a sauce for the vegan vegetable gateau main (can’t use pesto – it contains cheese). While we didn’t have much else to do, we did as much prep as we could for tomorrow, which will be a very similar menu. Tomorrow’s function is much smaller, at only eighty-eight people, and we will surely be fairly relaxed tomorrow.

            Here is a funny event from today. At 5:00p.m., chef told me to go over to the lodge to get my staff dinner. This was unusual, because normally I get a staff lunch before going to the marquee, and then I eat leftover wedding meals once we have finished serving. He sent another cook as well, telling him to drive me over. The cook said he wasn’t hungry, but chef said, “No it’s not all about you, maybe other people are.” Then he left. Without me. After being gone a while, chef called over to the lodge and asked him if he had forgotten something (or someone). Then the cook said he would bring some dinner back for me. He didn’t, so chef told him to drive me over to the lodge. He still didn’t, and after all the hassle I said I was fine and could wait until we finished serving.

Plating, garnishing, and serving went on as normal, and we finished up around 9:00p.m. Hopefully we made another dream wedding day for another happy couple.

Tonight’s menu was:
Canapés: Cherry Tomato Filled with Crab, Smoked Salmon & Crème Fraîche on Blinis, Tempura of Prawn with Sweet Chilli Sauce, Mini Vegetable Spring Rolls, Filo Tartlets with Smoked Chicken, Black Olives & Pesto, Spiced Chicken Kebabs.
Starter: Salad of Green Asparagus and Smoked Chicken, pickled girolles, hazelnut dressing, garden herbs.
Bread: Wheat bread, raisin rolls, sesame seeded rolls, white rolls, caraway rolls, red pepper rolls.
Soup:  Cream of Celeriac and Smoked Bacon, with truffle oil.
Sorbet: Orchard Apple
Main Course Option #1 - Meat: Seared Fillet of Irish Beef served medium, braised shallot, celeriac purée, fondant potato, brandy and Madagascar green peppercorn sauce.
Main Course Option #2 - Fish:  Pan-fried Fillet of Sea Bass, Mediterranean vegetables, red pepper coulis and pesto.
Main Course Option #3 – Vegetarian: Provençal Vegetable Pithivier with Red Pepper Tapenade & Basil Pesto
Main Course Option #4 – Vegan: Gateau of Vegetables
Side Dishes: Roast Baby Potatoes, and Roast carrots, onions, parsnip, and turnip.
Dessert: Eton Mess: Mixed berry compote, whipped cream, crushed meringue, raspberry coulis

Petits Fours Assortment: madeleines, cranberry white fudge, fruit jellies, flaked white chocolate truffles, Belgian dark chocolate truffles.