I love to cook and share my creations with family and friends, entertaining them with formal informality. My table is set with white linen and matching napkins, highly polished silverplate, crystal candlesticks and 12 or 13 inch round silver trays as chargers. I place a plated salad at each place to the left of the service, the dinner plate on the charger. A small basket of dinner rolls and a tray of assorted crackers at each end of the dinner table. I place a soup tureen and small soup bowls next to it on the buffet. The meats and sides have been taken up, pattered or bowled, and placed on a large cookie sheet in the oven to keep warm (covered with foil) until the first course is underway. Half way through the soup, I put the platters of food on the buffet for self serving as desired, clearing away the used soup bowls. At this point, I'm free to sit and enjoy my guests and the food - very little up and down. By dessert time, everyone is relaxed and drawn into the ambiance of good food and fellowship and there is a surge of clearing away together while the coffee and teas are freshly brewed and desserts are appreciated.
Its a lot of work to create a menu that flows and suits the needs of the guests, and it can be an expense as well, but the coming together over food thoughtfully prepared and presented is a gift of sorts to the guest and I am constantly amazed at the warmth it generates. It is so worth it, anytime of year!
I love to cook and share my creations with family and friends, entertaining them with formal informality. My table is set with white linen and matching napkins, highly polished silverplate, crystal candlesticks and 12 or 13 inch round silver trays as chargers. I place a plated salad at each place to the left of the service, the dinner plate on the charger. A small basket of dinner rolls and a tray of assorted crackers at each end of the dinner table. I place a soup tureen and small soup bowls next to it on the buffet. The meats and sides have been taken up, pattered or bowled, and placed on a large cookie sheet in the oven to keep warm (covered with foil) until the first course is underway. Half way through the soup, I put the platters of food on the buffet for self serving as desired, clearing away the used soup bowls. At this point, I'm free to sit and enjoy my guests and the food - very little up and down. By dessert time, everyone is relaxed and drawn into the ambiance of good food and fellowship and there is a surge of clearing away together while the coffee and teas are freshly brewed and desserts are appreciated.
Its a lot of work to create a menu that flows and suits the needs of the guests, and it can be an expense as well, but the coming together over food thoughtfully prepared and presented is a gift of sorts to the guest and I am constantly amazed at the warmth it generates. It is so worth it, anytime of year!