Dessert Ideas - gala for 350 - Under the sea theme

[forty_caliber]

What do you have to work with?

What kind of refrigeration space do you have available?
Do you plan to transport the desserts?
How many sheet cake pans do you have?
How much oven space do you have?
Do you have 350 parfait glasses? ramekins?

.40

[NoraC]

I love fruit soups! maybe a good mini addition as shooters.

[NoraC]

Originally Posted by forty_caliber

What do you have to work with?

What kind of refrigeration space do you have available?
Do you plan to transport the desserts?
How many sheet cake pans do you have?
How much oven space do you have?
Do you have 350 parfait glasses? ramekins?

.40

I have a good size walk in, with plenty of speed racks; extra fridges are available in the kitchen and on campus. From kitchen to table I have 1 server for each three tables, though I can divert other volunteers to get to one for each two tables for this course. I have enough full and half sheet pans to do anything I can imagine. I have convection oven space for 24 full sheet pans, plus gas oven space for 4 more officially, though I can and have done 8 for good cause and with engineering.

Glasses and ramekins are either on hand or rentable - Speak to me!!!!

[forty_caliber]

Originally Posted by NoraC

I have a good size walk in, with plenty of speed racks; extra fridges are available in the kitchen and on campus. From kitchen to table I have 1 server for each three tables, though I can divert other volunteers to get to one for each two tables for this course. I have enough full and half sheet pans to do anything I can imagine. I have convection oven space for 24 full sheet pans, plus gas oven space for 4 more officially, though I can and have done 8 for good cause and with engineering.

Glasses and ramekins are either on hand or rentable - Speak to me!!!!

With the facility you have seems like you could do about anything you set your mind to.

Parfaits - Tall glasses with alternating layers of fresh fruits and whipped cream or mousse. Garnish with shaved white and dark chocolate...fresh berries.

Sheet Pans - Jelly rolls with filling of your choice(s) served on small plate. Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with shaved chocolate and fresh berries.

Ramekins - Individual custards, or creme brulee`. Garnish with Godiva chocolates on the side.

Just a few suggestions. Let us know how it goes for you.

.40

[betterthanabox]

Creme Brulee would be wonderful! I wonder if you could use a shell of some sort as the vessel, just a thought.

[4meandthem]

How about a ship cake.The ocean could be a sheet cake.



Or maybe mousse and berries served in scallop shells.

Ice cream station with sea themed cups to make your own sundaes.



Themed cupcakes!

Red white parfaits with a top to make them look like lighthouses.

Might be able to fold the dinner napkins like this.


A doughnut/cake shaped like life preservers on a blue sauce.plated

[4meandthem]

Love these!

[simonbaker]

Originally Posted by NoraC

Desserts are my least favorite thing to make. I have a some pretty good tricks, but they don't get my imagination going the way savory does. So I am asking the aid of the imaginations here!

I am working on the menu for the annual "big" fundraiser at my church. It is a dinner and auction gala. Passed apps, plated salads, buffet main course, family style desserts at each table is the general menu format. Passed apps keeps folks moving around the silent auction tables; family style desserts gets them back to the table for the live auction part.

The theme this year is "Under the Sea", so the bulk of the menu will lean toward seafood, with other choices modeled on famous ocean liner menus to satisfy those who hate fishy stuff. There is no geographic element to the theme (we aren't doing a luau or a clam bake or an islands thing, just under the sea). The names and descriptions of the menu dishes carry out the theme as much as the items themselves do. The food at our gala always aims to be top notch - no compromises type stuff - if we don't succeed, it won't be because we didn't try.

The cooking is done in a "more than adequate to feed 200" institutional, school kitchen. 350 meals, done well, stretches it and we always end up renting some equipment and working some magic outside. The tables are set for 10, so the space for placing the desserts is tight. At least 2 desserts of about 6 servings per table needed, with some "extras" for providing on request. Service done by "slightly trained" but well supervised teens, who clamor for the chance to be chosen each year. The budget is not unlimited, but because the labor is donated, it has always been more than adequate. We gross about $100,000.

I have a few ideas, none of which excite me. What would you do?

Are you looking for entrees, salds or desserts? A fun light dessert is crepes filled with chantilly cream with a lemon curd sauce. Another idea may be to do flaming banana's foster on the buffet line . Once everyone is setteled dim the lights & do a nice presentation. Vanilla bean Hagen Das can be pre-dished & served from the flaming presentation.

[NoraC]

Originally Posted by simonbaker

Are you looking for entrees, salds or desserts? A fun light dessert is crepes filled with chantilly cream with a lemon curd sauce. Another idea may be to do flaming banana's foster on the buffet line . Once everyone is setteled dim the lights & do a nice presentation. Vanilla bean Hagen Das can be pre-dished & served from the flaming presentation.

Thanks - we actually did bananas foster last year, but they were taken flaming to each table. Very impressive, though a little scary with high school volunteer servers.

I was looking for dessert ideas mainly, but if we can get the right ice cream machine, I think we have it worked out. Each 10 person table will get a "Beachcomber Trifle" of rum soaked spongecake, tropical fruits and pastry cream, garnished with the ever flavorless, but lovely star fruit. Also, individually portioned Blue Ocean sorbet goblets, topped with a lovely wedge of chocolate will be delivered to each table.

For the main course, served buffet style, I was really psyched to find a chicken dish (Lyonnaise) that was served the last night on the Titanic. Steamship round for the carving station, obviously. Stuffed shells as the pasta/vegetarian option. Clams casino. A Cajun grouper that is always in demand with this group. Shrimp sail boats of skewered shrimp, implanted on grit cakes. Haricots vert "sanded" with buttered crumbs. Golden coins in a tarragon honey glaze (carrots). Scalloped potatos. Assorted breads and rolls, depending on what I feel like - fresh bread never goes wrong.

Before the main service, we will offer a Clambake Corn Chowder - all the seafood and sausage of a Maine beach in one terrific soup.

Moving backwards through the menu: Greek Islands salad (think feta and olives) with a great oregano vinaigrette and a bought, ranch option. Individually plated and brought to the tables, with boats of dressing.

We are starting out the night with passed appetizers: Angels on horseback, seafaood salad in wonton cups, cukes stuffed with bousin and garnished with baby shrimp, mini crab cakes, celery boats stuffed with a variety of pretty tame, non seafood fillings. I am forgetting an app, but don't feel like getting out the list to see what.

..and that's what I am doing for dinner the second Saturday in April ...for 350 of my closest friends ...

[simonbaker]

It all sounds absolutely wonderfull! I would love to attend.

[NoraC]

Originally Posted by simonbaker

It all sounds absolutely wonderfull! I would love to attend.

Come on down! It's not all that far to Gallatin TN.

[simonbaker]

We are probably about 1500 miles from you up here in South Dakota. Otherwise I would be there in a heartbeat. Thanks for the offer. I would love to hear how it all turns out for you.

[FincaPerlitas]

For a group of this size, I'd be thinking of either some sort of custard-based dessert such as a trifle, parfait or bread pudding or perhaps a tiramisu or tres leches. All of these can be prepared well in advance and actually improve with a day or so of refrigeration. I'd give a lot of thought to my presentation and come up with something interesting and attractive.

Personally, I'd probably go for the tres leches cake or perhaps a variation using cream of coconut instead of the condensed milk in the traditional recipe and garnishing the whipped cream topping with fresh toasted coconut.

Another coconut cake worth considering (but a lot of work for such a large group) would be Bobby Flay's Toasted Coconut Cake with Coconut Filling and Coconut Buttercream: Throwdown's Toasted Coconut Cake with Coconut Filling and Coconut Buttercream Recipe : Bobby Flay : Food Network.

Also, baked alaska could be a great choice if you have enough freezer space. It's a bit old fashioned but makes a great presentation with a fresh fruit/berry garnish and even more so if you flambe it.

I'd be interested in knowing what you finally decide to do and how it comes out. Let us know!

[NoraC]

OK - for the last week I have done nothing but Gala - no email, no laundry, no groups ... BUT the Gala was a great success. I need another day to rest, since I only do this size event twice a year, but wanted folks to know how much I appreciated the help and that I will be back with an "after action report".

[simonbaker]

Originally Posted by NoraC

OK - for the last week I have done nothing but Gala - no email, no laundry, no groups ... BUT the Gala was a great success. I need another day to rest, since I only do this size event twice a year, but wanted folks to know how much I appreciated the help and that I will be back with an "after action report".

Congratulations on your success!!! We look forward to hearing the details when you get time. Relax & put your feet up with a good glass of wine you deserve it!

[DaveSoMD]

Congratulations on the Gala success!

[NoraC]

Final Under the Sea Menu:
Apps:
"Angels" - Asiago cheese/horseradish stuffed shrimp, wrapped in bacon
Cucumber rounds topped with boursin - as refreshing as a sea breeze according to the publicity, and pretty darn good according to the taste tests.
Seafood salad on toast points - well over 1000 were eaten, so I think they liked the salad as much as I did, but it was a simple shrimp/lobster/Krab salad.
Celery boats, with hummus, dressed up pimento cheese, or pineapple/bell pepper/cream cheese for our less adventurous guests

Soup: Lobster corn chowder (with cumin and green chilies); sold out on this one, even though we made as much for the soup course as usual. Last year we had about 3 gallons of soup left over. It was just unusually good this year.
Salad: Greek Island Salad with a semi homemade oregano/Feta dressing - bought Greek vinaigrette and added a bunch of fresh oregano, garlic and feta, some kalamata juice and extra virgin olive oil. Staring with the bought helped hold the emulsion together, so we could let a server dress the salads as they went out, without worrying about separation.

Entrees:
Steamship Round - 24 hours at 180 degrees, on a bed of veg, thyme and wine, served at the carving stations with au jus - 2 spectacular, 70 pound Fred Flintstone chunks of meat; a real show stopper!
Chicken Lyonnaise (from the Titanic's last meal, though we didn't really advertise that aspect to everyone; folks in the know enjoyed sharing the knowledge judiciously)
Fried Grouper with lemon wedges, homemade tartar sauce and cocktail sauce
Stuffed Shells in homemade Alfredo (our vegetarian choice)
Linguine with red clam sauce
Shiver me Timbers: Shrimp skewers stuck into fried grit/smoked cheddar cheese balls visually a success and controlled the portioning for a buffet service, but I wasn't really as pleased with the dish as I had been in taste tests.

Veg:
Golden coins - honey roasted carrot medallions. Par boiling then roasting really made these popular. I usually use tarragon with the honey, but the fresh was crazy expensive from our vendor, so we skipped it. Still really good. For most folks the texture of cooked carrots is the problem - a final 10 minutes of roasting in honey gives a nice "crust"
Paella style rice (veg and spice only/no proteins)
"Scalloped" potatoes
Haricot vert

Assorted rolls, with butter, on the table and replenished on request.

Dessert:
Blue coconut sorbet in a martini glass with a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie and a slice of star fruit - absolutely the prettiest thing we have ever served, but a bit of a nightmare since the big freezer died the day before the Gala, so we had to plate all 350 at service time.

I was privileged to be able to help put this food out.

[DaveSoMD]

That sounds amazing and I bet that dessert looked stunning.

[simonbaker]

It sounds like an amazing presentation. Congratulations on your success!