9 Houseguests on the Way -- for 10 Days
Beginning to stock the freezer and fridge with as many make-ahead items as I can think of. Already in the fridge and freezer: Portioned out duxelles, cooked spinach, roasted onions, potted beer cheese spread/apple chutney, orange butter, salad dressings and a couple of veggie/fruit breads, and a vat of spaghetti sauce. Also have all the dry ingredients for whole grain bread bagged up and in the freezer, and building a stock of baguettes.
Other thoughts on items I can pre-cook now to speed preparations later would be most welcome.
The limitations are severe: We're in Washington, DC, and it will be H.O.T. (As in, chili is probably not a good idea.) The Friend eats only seafood and dairy products, including Happy Chicken eggs, but no beef, poultry, pork, or lamb. (So much for a country ham with all the fixings....sigh.)
We have a second fridge, and the goal is to get a good head-start, not the entire 10 days of breakfast and dinner for 11 people. OH -- 7 of the guests are French, as in coming from Paris.
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For what it's worth, this is the ONE French family that cannot cook. Not kidding -- we come armed with good knives when we visit, and have stocked their kitchen with a few utensils we always use. They marvel that we can march into the kitchen and cook for 11 people without blinking. We don't tell them it's out of self-defense.
Thank you all -- two weeks and counting!
Hacking a Tart Pan
https://food52.com/blog/3500-hacking-a-tart-pan
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/this-is-what-american-parties-look-like-around-the-world
Amagansett Corn Salad w/cherry tomatoes, basil, sugar snap peas
https://food52.com/recipes/224-amagansett-corn-salad
It sounds like your friends eat organic chicken? The Silver Palate's Chicken Marbella is an excellent make-ahead dish for a crowd and the leftovers are great picnic or lunch fare. You can google it up or send me an email and I can email it to you.
A few other ideas:
Summer squash couscous with sultanas (raisins), pistachios and mint
https://food52.com/recipes/5425-summer-squash-couscous-with-sultanas-pistachios-and-mint
Couscous w Chickpeas, Lemon, Onion, Raisins, Celery & Bell Peppers
http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/chickpea-couscous_salad_with_lemon_and_fresh_mint.html
Cherry Clafoutis
https://food52.com/recipes/167-cherry-clafoutis
Get a bunch of people to help you pit the cherries, then make this to spoon over ice cream or pound cake. (Here's how to use a chopstick or plastic drinking straw as a cherry pitter: https://food52.com/blog/3795-hacking-a-cherry-pitter.)
Cherry Compote by David Lebovitz
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2014/07/fresh-cherry-compote-recipe/#more-16099
Amanda's easy, delicious peach tart. But you might want to make 1-1/2 times the dough to serve 10-12. You can use a cookie sheet if you don't have a pie dish large enough. Use a crumpled strip of tin foil to "shorten" the cookie sheet if you don't have enough dough to fill the whole sheet.
https://food52.com/recipes/14217-peach-tart
Just saw this California Gazpacho:
https://food52.com/blog/10793-california-gazpacho
Vegetarian lasagna
https://food52.com/recipes/27789-vegetarian-lasagna
Zucchini sauteed with mint, basil, walnuts
https://food52.com/recipes/29275-sauteed-zucchini-with-mint-basil-and-walnuts
Summer Squash Gratin with salsa verde and gruyere (crazy delicious)
https://food52.com/recipes/12430-summer-squash-gratin-with-salsa-verde-and-gruyere
Lots of easy strawberry shortcakes. You don't even have to bake biscuits. Buy scones, cut in half. Macerate some hulled strawberries in a little sugar for an hour or two. Spoon over toasted scone halves, spritz with whipped cream, garnish with a little mint.
Also, if I were the friend who had such dietary restrictions, I would insist that you not structure meals around me. I know you want everyone to be happy, but your friend may feel badly if everyone has to eat what she eats.
Frittatas are great for make ahead meals and they are good at room temp. Chopped salads can be fun. You can set them up like a salad bar and include chopped hard boiled eggs, fun salami and cheeses, shrimp and some good bread. Maybe even your beloved ham. :)
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Put yourself in their place. Would you like hot dogs and hamburgers while visiting France? As well intentioned; it could be boring.
I'd do a "Low Country Seafood Boil" for one night outside.
And don't be shy about using a US commercial product "zatarains" dried spice bag for seafood boil.
Cut up a couple of lemons...put in the a beer let it cook a bit with the spice bag. (it gives it a head start to extract the flavor).
Then fill up the big pot with water and box spec salt. Bring to a boil.
Add: Potatoes..boil a few mins...add corn on the cob shucked and cut into thirds. Boil. When potatoes are tender add shrimp and crab. (crawdads if you can find them).
Boil a few mins until the seafood is done and drain (use one of those big strainer inserts that came with big stock pot).
Dump the whole thing out on newsprint or butcher paper on a picnic table outside.
Serve with salad, a selection of dressing. Corn bread sticks. And lots of soft butter.
Get a mini keg of beer and Red Solo Cups.
Peach Cobbler and Ice Cream.
This makes me proud to be an American.
https://food52.com/blog/8707-the-splendid-table-s-refried-beans-with-cinnamon-and-clove
https://food52.com/recipes/17078-al-forno-s-penne-with-tomato-cream-five-cheeses
https://food52.com/recipes/19102-edward-giobbi-s-spaghetti-alla-foriana
I would make lots of vegetable and seafood stocks for making sauces and focus on America's secret weapon: fresh summer produce. Europeans are almost always amazed at the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available to us. They think we only eat fast food and stuff that comes in cans. I would plan dinners around what's in season and available at the farmer's market. With seafood, I'm thinking a seafood boil and/or a clambake should be dinner at some point.
Salmon burgers can be served as burgers or over a salad
http://thesolitarycook.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/saturday-sandwich-salmon-burger-with-my-sisters-famous-tartar-sauce/
First Night in Florence Spaghetti is a cinch to toss together
http://thesolitarycook.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/first-night-in-florence-spaghetti-3/
Most of all, don't hesitate to delegate tasks to willing hands. I'm sure you will have some.