Tuesday at the Table

Much of last week, I was preoccupied. And that's because I was deep in planning and prep mode for a big dinner. The youth group at our church put on a dinner theater every other year, and for the last several, I have been organizer and lead chef for one night of the three-day event. Get the drift?

I pulled together what proved to be an awesome team, and planned a menu inspired by the play's vaudeville theme.

To say the big day was exhausting and stressful and overwhelming is quite accurate, but it was also great fun, and we got rave reviews. Even though I don't have actual recipes for every component of the meal, I thought I'd share some notes, and recipes/links when I have them . . .

Appetizer

Charcuterie & Cheese Platter - a variety of cheeses, meats, & olives

Baguette & Butter - fresh from a local bakery, semi-sliced & placed whole on the table still in its bakery bag

Planter’s Punch - a citrusy punch that we dressed up with colorful straws & fruit slices

Salad

Salad “Jardin” - field greens, cucumbers, roasted beets, red onion, & tomato, dressed with a traditional French vinaigrette

Entrée

Herb Chicken - cooked on a grill and topped with awesome sauce (purchased pesto thinned with lemon juice & olive oil, 
with chopped parsley added)

Pommes Frites - baked fries tossed with a mix of olive oil, chopped garlic, & minced parsley

Roasted Vegetables - zucchini, sweet onion, carrot, red pepper

Desserts

Profiteroles with Fudge Sauce - purchased mini cream puffs topped with homemade fudge sauce

Chocolate Mousse - homemade by one of our team members (yum!)

Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce - tweaked Ina's recipe (see link); instead of apricot/Calvados, we drizzled with that famous caramel sauce

Not every weekend do I want to serve 80, and yes, we're still recovering, but it sure was a pleasure supporting and nurturing the kids via the table.