Cooking for a Crowd: Spring Sampler Strategy...

I've gotten pretty adept as a cook, yet I still find it a challenge to "scale up" my cooking for a crowd. But it is fun trying, and I think I'm starting to develop some good approaches. Last Sunday, we were hosting an informal "Spring Sampler" fundraiser for Social Capital Inc., the organization where I work. I had pitched as a sampling of some of the cooking I'm often talking about, so I felt I needed to put together something tasty and interesting for the 15-20 guests I was expecting.

I've landed on serving multi-course tasting menus, "tapas" style, as a nice option for a crowd of about this size. I try to pick things where I can do most of the prep in advance, though typically I'm still pretty busy in the kitchen doing some of the final preparation, plus serving. While I do as much of the prep in advance as I can, I do like to make sure I'm finishing dishes while people are around so they are fresh tasting (I tend to come up with things that are better plated by the cook, in part to make sure everyone gets a taste!).

For this event, I wanted to maximize items using fresh ingredients that say "spring!", and also was looking to have as much local food as possible--somewhat challening in New England in late May. But asparagus and greens are in locally, so I used them; and I served sea scallops from Maine with local arugala as part of the sauce.

I also like to go with mostly things I've made before, as it makes for easier planning plus ensures the dishes are going to be good. But I often do like to try at least one new item too, for this one I came up with Steak & Mushroom Faro that I posted here yesterday. I'd originally thought about risotto, but that is too time consuming with a crowd. Faro has a similar texture, but can be simply boiled then combined with the steak and mushroom sauce that had been prepared in advance.

If you've read any of my other posts here, you wouldn't be surprised to see I also enjoy trying to find good wine pairings for each dish I'm fixing. We found some good matches at this recent event!

That's a bit of the strategy I use putting an event. I've got my full menu posted over on my Cooking Chat blog, with links to the main recipes. Would be curious to hear your "cooking for a crowd" tips!