Hi there. I am having a small wedding with eight people total (my fiance and I included) in the park where we met. We are thinking about having a picnic after the ceremony. However, we really need to have no-fuss foods that can last a while. Personally, I am not a "finger food" person. I only weigh 106 lbs, but I love to eat! What are some entrees that we could have at our picnic that would stand up over time? Something that could be made the day before, preferably? Also some recipes for some cold or room temperature appetizers would be appreciated. Thanks much! I remember about a year ago, watching the show "Barefoot Contessa" on Food Network..she had made this delicious, elegant lunch, and packed it all up to have a picnic at the beach. The food is nice...classy.perfect for an after-wedding...here's the entire menu:
***Fillet of Beef Sandwiches***
1/4 pound blue d'Auvergne or other creamy blue cheese
2/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To assemble:
1 loaf health or 7-grain bread
1 1/2 pounds rare fillet of beef thinly sliced, recipe follows
1 bunch arugula
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the dressing, mash the blue cheese with a fork and blend with the sour cream, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
To make the sandwiches, cut the bread into 8 slices, each slice 1/4 inch thick. Spread 4 of the slices thickly with the dressing. Top with slices of beef and arrugula and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the rest of the slices of bread very lightly with butter and place, butter-side down, on top of the beef.
Fillet of Beef:
1 1/2 pounds whole fillet of beef trimmed and tied
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
Preheat oven 500 degrees F.
Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
Place beef on a baking sheet and pat the outside dry with a paper towel. Using a pastry brush coat the beef with the melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes at 500 degrees F for medium rare.
Remove the beef from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing.
***Endive and Avacado Salad***
1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 heads endive
3 ripe Haas avocados, peeled and seeded
Whisk together the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a vinaigrette. Remove a 1/2-inch from the stem end of each endive, discard the core, and cut the rest across into 1-inch chunks. Cut the avocados into large dice or wedges. Toss the avocados and endive with the vinaigrette. Season, to taste, and serve at room temperature.
Note: Haas avocados are the brown ones from California. The green ones don't have nearly as much flavor.
****Gazpacho****
1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!
After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.
****Outrageous Chocolate Brownies****
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour, divided- 1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and bitter chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.
Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not overbake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.
There's also an episode entitled "Picnic at the Pond":
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ig/...
And one called "Portable Picnic":
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ig/... I have a great pasta salad recipe that is great cold and has no mayo so it can be left out. You can use whatever veggies you like. You could also add a meat (i.e. marinaded chicken) to it if you wanted. Congrats on your wedding - I hope you and your future husband have a wonderful life together. =)
PASTA SALAD
DRESSING:
3 parts Canola Oil
1 part Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
Balsamic Vinegar (add to taste)
Oregano (add to taste)
Basil (add to taste)
INGREDIENTS:
Summer Squash (sliced thin)
Zucchini (sliced thin)
Red Onion
Tomatoes
Minced Garlic
Broccoli
1 box Bow Tie Pasta
1 Box Tri-colored Pasta
Romano Cheese
Canola Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Cook veggies along with garlic in canola oil and balsamic vinegar. Cook until veggies are soft. Cook pasta separately. Add veggies to pasta and mix in dressing (I always save plenty of dressing for later - the pasta will absorb a lot of the dressing). Top with Romano cheese. Wraps are easy to eat and transport, and can be supernutritious if you make them with lean meat, stuff them with veggies and a salsa or light dressing.
Making lean beef burgers or ground turkey breast b |
