2 hundred ten pounds of turkey!

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VeraBlue

Executive Chef
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Messages
3,683
Location
northern NJ
In place of my regular menued dinner this thursday, 16 November, I'm serving Thanksgiving dinner to anyone and everyone associated with my 'situation'. I'm preparing for 550 guests.

It's free.

No dime to drop in the bucket, no fare to produce, no tarrif will be collected. Eat till you ache, it's all free today! Actually, my company picks up the cheque.

When you have that many guests coming to dinner, you simply must start cooking days in advance. I made the cranberry compote, all 20 gallons of it today. I sauteed all the vegetables for the stuffing, and sauteed the carrots for the peas and carrots. 2 ladies on my crew spent two hours cubing day old bread for the stuffing. When I left today, 150 pounds of sweet potatoes were baking in the oven.

I've got to start cooking the turkeys tomorrow so I am finished by Wednesday evening. I have 24 turkeys to roast! My baker started baking pies this afternoon. Hopefully, he'll be done by Wednesday evening as well!

I'm having Thanksgiving dinner for 6 here at my home on 23 November! A much more manageable amount of guests...and perfect for the one turkey..all 18 pounds of it!

What is a comfortable number for you? I can do the 550 easily enough, what with years of practice....but I really prefer intimate dinners with 12 at the maximum. Besides, my good china only has service for 12:-p
 
6 or 8.... unless it's a party...with just lots of finger food. The last party had 40 guests.
 
If I'm going to do more than 30, the weather better be nice so people can enjoy the yard and garden! 30 people in my home would be cozy only if you like :brows::unsure::brows: with aquaintances!
 
VeraBlue said:
In place of my regular menued dinner this thursday, 16 November, I'm serving Thanksgiving dinner to anyone and everyone associated with my 'situation'. I'm preparing for 550 guests.

Am I the only one who doesn't know what your "situation" is? I feel like I missed something very important somewhere along the way. :ohmy:
 
VeraBlue said:
...What is a comfortable number for you? I can do the 550 easily enough, what with years of practice....but I really prefer intimate dinners with 12 at the maximum. Besides, my good china only has service for 12:-p

Thanksgiving for us this year will be for two. That won't stop me from doing a full T'Day dinner. After all, leftovers are what it's all about!
 
Thanksgiving will consist of around 20 - 25 people (that's usual) but I will be able to feed more :blush: - but there better be leftovers!!!!!! THAT'S the ONLY reason to have Thanksgiving at your house! Nothing better than broccoli casserole for breakfast the next morning and a turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce sandwich for lunch (with mayo :rolleyes: ).
 
Corinne said:
Am I the only one who doesn't know what your "situation" is? I feel like I missed something very important somewhere along the way. :ohmy:

I don't talk about it much. I'm the executive chef at one of the NYs largest university campuses. There are three campuses, two in the city, and one in the hudson valley. Each campus has an executive chef, answering to a general manager located at one campus in the city. The campus I run is the beautiful one, in the hudson valley.
 
Andy M. said:
Thanksgiving for us this year will be for two. That won't stop me from doing a full T'Day dinner. After all, leftovers are what it's all about!

I won't get involved if there is no promise of hot turkey and stuffing sandwiches at midnight.
 
In the restaurant environment, I'd cook for however many I needed to - at home, I'll handle 20-30 'cause I kept most of my catering equipment. Preference? I think 12 to 15 is a nice amount of people to get around the table and be able to visit with everyone.

This year?? TWO! But it will definitely be a traditional - can't go to bed without a turkey sandwich....
 
I have no problem cooking for 20 when I serve buffet style, which I almost always do. In nice weather, when people can sit out on the deck, I can up that to 30.
But my comfort zone is 8-12. I can seat 8 at the dining room table, and 4 more at the coffee table, which is a cut down round oak dining table. The kids like to eat there, and I have matching tableclothes for both tables, and do the same candles and flowers for the kids as I do for the adults.
 
My dining room set seats 12 easily, 14 or 15 if we're cozy. But it's in storage. Now I think with some creative juggling I'll manage 5 or 6 on the boat.

On the deck (when we were in the house) we had a table made out of a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood - it was great - we could feed a huge crew out on the deck. It was a lot of fun.

Thanksgiving this year will be small, one of our crew now has a SO who will be cooking for her family for Turkey day. A good friend of ours from NY/PA area is going to try to come out, and my youngest daughter and her father (maybe). Another of our usual crew crossed the line with me - and he got a rousing chewing out last night - he may cancel. That means maybe 5 people, this is going to be tricky - but I think I'll have all the sides done and on ice in a cooler - that way while the turkey rests everything else can go in the oven and get cooked.
 
Constance said:
I have no problem cooking for 20 when I serve buffet style, which I almost always do. In nice weather, when people can sit out on the deck, I can up that to 30.
But my comfort zone is 8-12. I can seat 8 at the dining room table, and 4 more at the coffee table, which is a cut down round oak dining table. The kids like to eat there, and I have matching tableclothes for both tables, and do the same candles and flowers for the kids as I do for the adults.

When I was a girl, my father had a regulation size pool table in the living room. It didn't last overlong, however. There must have been some shucking and jiving to get in the living room in the first place. I know how my mom hates anything 'on the way'...and little is on the way as much as a regulation size pool table. Anyway.......my dad had a huge piece of plywood that he would lay across the pool table, making it easily a table for 30!
 
I can handle 12-15 if we are eating inside, I can do more when the weather is nice and we use the deck. I really like somewhere between 10-12 I think.
 
Glad that's over!

I left the party at 7pm with half an hour of service left. When I left 435 people dined/were still dining. I didn't expect many more. I had purchased 25 turkeys, I had three left. 100 pounds of sweet potatoes, 150 yukon gold, 70 green beans, 25 peas, 25 carrots, 45 corn, 4 cases of grapes, 1 case of tangerines, 2 cases of apples, 1 case of pears, 2 cases of honeydew, 1 case of canteloupe, 2 case of pineapple, 45 pounds of various cheeses, 35 gallons of gravy, 15 gallons of cream of mushroom soup, 14 gallons of pumpkin soup, 60 pies, 30 gallons of apple cider, 500 dinner rolls, a dozen ficelles, 4 artisan loaves which were supposed to be for decoration.

When I say there is no food left, I am hardly exagerating. I've got one pan of green beans, one pan of sauteed vegetable blend, 2 gallons of each soup, 2 gallons of gravy, 2 pans of mashed potatoes, 1 pan of candied sweets, and about 4 pies. No fruit, no cheese, and they ripped the artisan bread I used for the display at the fruit and cheese bar apart with their bare hands! Hard to imagine that lunch had ended a mere 2 and a half hours prior.

If I hit the 550 mark like I anticipated, I would have been effeciently wiped out. It was a great night, though...a huge success. The compliments were flowing from all ends, all departments, all offices.

When I got home I ate a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato on oat bread and had two drakes' coffe cake juniours, with a glass of milk. It was fabulous.

I am soooooooooooo ready for my martini:wacko:.
 
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