My husband and I agreed: It was another fantastic holiday party this year! I prepared a couple of new items for the buffet, he made his homemade Bloody Mary’s, we both enjoyed seeing all of our friends on what turned out to be a terrific party, despite the ever unpredictable (blizzarding) Nebraska weather!
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| Foreground Left: Herbed Cheese Bell Pepper Poppers; Right, Baked Brie and Granny Smith Apples |
A couple of blog posts ago, I gave some tips for preparing such a feast, made up completely of hors d’oeuvres and finger foods. Besides the organizing and prep work that can help any size function go off without a hitch, there are a few simple tips on buffet style serving that come in handy for this type of event.
The name of the game for an hors d’oeuvres only table is accessibility. You want people to be able to easily access the table with some sort of flow. You want them to be safe from tripping on any cords on the floor or candles on the table. You want them to try each and every one of the tiny delights you prepared for them to sample! But how do you get them to notice each and every thing in a sea of yummy looking items?
First, the “box behind the curtain”: When I set the table for my hors d’oeuvres buffet, I lay a table cloth over the surface of the table. I then add a second cloth, over the top of empty (but sturdy) cardboard boxes that are set upon the first table cloth. I tuck this top cloth in and around the boxes in a sort of “free form” that flows from one end of the table to the other. Why?
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| I put heavy cardboard boxes at the center of the table to build height. |
Because height in the center of the serving table makes it both easier for people to reach the items they want to try (without burning their arms or sleeves in the strategically placed tea light candles) and for them to see the items in the center of the table. Make sure if you attempt this that you use heavy-weight, sturdy boxes. Place your serving dishes on top and give them a push or a wiggle to make sure that they’re not going to come toppling down when someone grabs from the plate!
A few other simple things to consider about buffet serving: Make sure you run the cords all together out from underneath the table in one area. Either push your serving table up next to the wall in this location (where the cords emerge) or tape the cords down so no one can trip. You can use a power strip to easily turn off or unplug everything at once.
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| Drape a top cloth over to conceal the boxes and tuck the edge of the drape under, letting it pool. |
Another thing is that if you have chafing dishes with handles, make sure the handles are turned in toward the center of the table to avoid sleeves catching on them. Finally, if you employ the use of warming trays or hotplates, I cover them neatly in heavy duty tinfoil before setting the buffet table. I make sure to keep the foil neat and smooth for attractiveness. This tip saves me time on cleanup and saves wear-and-tear on my serving pieces. Besides, my collection of warming trays are all different in size, color and design so this makes them all appear uniform on the table.
Finally: Make sure that when you decide where each item will be placed on your buffet, that you make an attempt to mix up the hot and cold items along the table. In other words, each plate (or section of a divided plate) would include only one item, but don’t put ALL of the hot items together and vice versa. This helps people mix up their plate and try everything so they don’t just load up on the hot foods and you have all of the cold one leftover!
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| Left Top: BLT Filled Tomatoes; Beneath that, Blue Cheese Balls; Others pictured include Mushroom or Sausage Toast Cups, Water Chestnuts in Blankets, Endive Spoons with Red Pepper Salsa, many more.... |
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