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Publication Date: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 Food is an important ingredient in planning of bridal and baby showers
Food is an important ingredient in planning of bridal and baby showers
(May 02, 2001)
By Jane Knoerle
May is a great time to give a bridal or baby shower. Your garden probably looks its best, the weather is nice, and, after a long winter, guests will be in a party mood.
Tradition has it that the first bridal shower took place in Holland when a maiden fell in love with a poor miller. Her father forbade the young couple to marry and refused to give his daughter the customary dowry. The miller's friends decided to help the couple and "showered" them with gifts.
Today's bridal showers are different from those steeped in tradition that were given for our mothers or grandmothers. While a mother-and-daughter tea or a luncheon is always popular, today a shower can be anything from a picnic on the beach to an evening cocktail party.
In her book "Wedding Parties and Showers," author Jo Packham gives some guidelines for showers.
**One or more of the bridesmaids, led by the maid of honor, usually hosts a wedding shower, although co-workers or any close friend can also do the honors. The people who are not supposed to host the shower are the mother, sister, or grandmother of the bride.
**Showers should be held no closer than two weeks before the wedding. Most showers are given four to six weeks before the event.
**Except for immediate family and attendants, the same people should not be invited to more than one shower.
**The hostess' job is to plan the art and select a theme. Decorations should be in keeping with the theme of the shower. For example, centerpieces for a kitchen shower could be baskets filled with fruits and vegetables.
**Invitations should be mailed at least three weeks before the party.
**The bride should arrive a half hour early to help greet the guests and introduce them to each other.
**One of the bride's attendants should record the name of the giver and gift received as the bride opens each present.
**Have someone take photographs during each shower. A photo album of the event would be a nice gift from the hostess.
**Shower guests should always be invited to the wedding and reception.
Many of these guidelines can also apply to a baby shower, although these showers usually do not have a theme.
Entertaining at a baby shower
Since babies arrive all year long, any month is a good one for a shower, but spring seems extra special. Arline Groscup of Sharon Heights recently gave a baby shower for Caterina Benson. (Baby Juliana Moira Benson arrived April 26 weighing 10 pounds, 22 inches long.) Many of the guests were Caterina's sorority sisters from UC Berkeley. The older set included neighbors who had known Caterina's husband, Frank, when he was growing up in Sharon Heights, where the young couple now also live.
Tables for the Saturday luncheon and baby shower were set in the dining and family rooms. Each was centered with a bouquet of tulips, freesias and other spring flowers. Confetti in the shape of baby bottles and china baby booties filled with candy set the theme.
The menu included chicken salad, a fresh fruit platter, spinach quiche, a tomato aspic ring mold and cheese straws. Guests were offered white wine, pink lemonade and bottled water. Pastel petit fours from Martha's Pastries in Sharon Heights Shopping Center made a pretty dessert.
In "Menus for Entertaining," Martha Stewart describes a baby shower she gave for her assistant. The menu included cold pink borscht, a chicken and vegetable salad, coconut ice cream and cookies. Since this was Martha Stewart, the cookies were heart-shaped and beautifully decorated with pink and blue icing.
The tables were decorated with bouquets of roses, lavender and caladium leaves arranged in etched mercury glass vases and baby bottles, and pacifiers tied with pastel satin ribbons.
Both bridal and baby showers call for food that is attractively presented. Chicken salad is an all-time favorite, It's light, yet filling, and can be made a day ahead if needed. It's also great as leftovers.
Roberts and Draeger's have delicious quiches, but making your own is easy if you use Nancy's frozen pie shells, available at any market.
A buffet is the easiest way to serve food for more than six guests. The food should look attractive and offer a variety of colors, textures, and flavors. A platter of fresh fruit and the ring of red aspic added "eye appeal" to Mrs. Groscup's buffet.
It's always hard to know how much food to prepare for a shower, but, as your mother said, "It's better to have too much than to send guests home hungry." Author Jennifer Jenkins advises figuring 1-1/3 servings per woman. She also adds, "People , especially women, eat less in public than they might at home, so you can count on that too. Nobody's likely to waddle away from your buffet with two full plates of chow."
Prepare as much of the food ahead as possible and rely on recipes you've used successfully before. Hosting a party for 15 or 20 is nerve-wracking enough without trying something new.
Don't try to do everything yourself. Today markets offer great-looking relish trays, and platters of fresh fruit, meat and cheese. Order them a few days in advance from the deli department.
Unless you're a Martha Stewart, buy dessert from a bakery. A pretty decorated cake in the bride's colors, or in pastel pink or blue for a baby shower, can be the focal point of the buffet table.
Arline Groscup's recipe for chicken salad comes from a 25-year-old cookbook, "AID in the Kitchen," published by the Northern California Chapter of the American Institute of Interior Designers.
Heavenly chicken salad
5 pounds chicken breasts
1 cup white wine
1onion, chopped
3 stalks celery , chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 20-ounce can water chestnuts, sliced
2 pounds seedless grapes
2 cups celery, chopped
3 cups toasted almonds, sliced
3 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained
Poach chicken in salted water to cover to which wine, onion and celery have been added. When tender, remove meat from bones and cube. In a large bowl, combine chicken, water chestnuts, grapes, celery and 2 cups almonds. Combine mayonnaise with lemon juice, soy sauce and curry powder. Pour this dressing over chicken mixture, blend thoroughly and chill. This improves if it sits several hours before serving. Serve on bed of lettuce leaves and garnish with almonds and pineapple. Serves 12.
Tomato aspic with cream cheese
1 tablespoon (l envelope) Knox unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cups tomato juice
1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon salt
1 bay leaf and 1 teaspoon sugar
1 medium onion, sliced
Celery leaves
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
Soften gelatin in large bowl with water and vinegar. Simmer tomato juice with other ingredients for 15 minutes. Strain slowly over gelatin. Stir well to dissolve gelatin. Rinse ring mold with cold water and oil if desired. Fill bottom of ring with 1/3 aspic and refrigerate until set.
Meanwhile, combine cream cheese with pecans and onion salt to form balls about 1-1/2 inch in size. When the bottom layer of aspic is set, place cheese balls on top and pour 1/3 more of the aspic and refrigerate. When firm, add final layer. Unmold on lettuce leaves. Center may be filled with cottage cheese mixed chives.
Serves 4.
Mrs. Groscup tripled the aspic recipe for her luncheon; however, the ingredients for the cheese balls remain the same.
The following are two quiche recipes from the "No Time to Cook Book" by Roslyn Beilly.
Quick Quiche
8-inch frozen pie shell, thawed
1 cup diced cooked ham
1-1/4 cups grated Gruyere cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup light cream
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sprinkle the ham and 1 cup of cheese into pastry shell. In a small bowl, combine eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour over ham and cheese mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 35-45 minutes, or until pastry is brown and filling is set. Serves 4-6.
Note: This quiche can also be made with cheddar or Swiss cheese.
Quick Quiche Provencal
8-inch frozen pastry shell, thawed
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 large tomato, peeled
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese into the bottom of the pastry shell. Sprinkle half the green onions over the cheese. Slice the tomato. Dust slices with flour, then arrange in one layer. Sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese, scallions and sliced olives. Mix eggs with cream, add salt and pepper and pour over tomatoes. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until pastry is brown and filling is set. Serves 4-6.
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