Oh, fancy finger foods, how I love thee… how I arrive at each wedding reception I attend hoping that you shall make an appearance. How I sigh when I see the same old miniature quiches and scallops wrapped in bacon, which I cannot even eat for I am a vegetarian. My own dietary peccadillos aside, what is more satisfying that having just a touch of this and a smattering of that. I find it much more enjoyable than filling up on a platter of three portobello mushroom caps paired with a mountain of sauteed veg. And heck, even with my aversion to flesh, I can’t say that I don’t enjoy admiring meaty delights when they are artfully prepared and presented.
Teeny cheeseburgers are getting kind of played out, but I think they’d make a great addition to a backyard barbecue wedding. These are easy to DIY if you’re planning on having the grill play a central roll in your reception eats, but remember that you’ll have to designate someone to man the fire.
For those brides and grooms with the dough to drop, oysters prepared and served three (or more ways) can hit the spot, especially at a reception taking place on or near the water. One word of caution, however. Make sure your oysters are fresh, lest you send your wedding guests home with more than just a wedding favor… in this case, a nasty case of food poisoning! (via, yummy)
I’ll admit to having no clue what these are, but if I saw them at a wedding reception, I’d be charmed. Provided they were meat free, which I hope they are considering that this appears to be some sort of liquid puree. Meat puree? Cold soup?
For the totally trendy, there is candied bacon. Bacon, in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, is the hottest of cured meats. If candied bacon doesn’t float your boat, there are always bacon cookies or bacon pops. Just add bacon, as in “_____ wrapped in bacon” or “burnt sugar bacon _____,” and you’re all set.
Beef sushi. Say it with me now: Beef sushi. I would have digged on this so hard back when I was a carnivore. That’s a touch of wasabi and mayo, with a couple of chives, on top. (also via)
And then there’s this, which is delightfully simple — a little salmon, some veg, and a bit of roe. It just goes to show that presentation is just so important when it comes to food.
Which leads me to recommend that if beef sushi and mysterious purees served in shot glasses don’t have a place in your wedding budget, that’s no reason to sacrifice gustatory style. You can always choose simple reception starters and main dishes, but request that your caterer jazz up the presentation. This could cost a little more, but you may be surprised to find that your chosen vendor is happy to get a chance to play with your food.
1. Bacon. I cannot wait for the Wisconsin State Fair and the Chocolate-Covered Bacon: http://class-factotum.blogspot.com/2009/06/ummmm-bacon.html
2. Wedding food: My friends Patrick (the Cheese Guy) and Ilene (the Cheese Guy’s Girl) had an entire table of cheese — like 20 feet long — at their reception. He is in the cheese business and vendor friends donated cheese. All kinds of cheese. Hard cheese. Soft cheese. Stinky cheese. Goat cheese. Sheep cheese. Blue cheese. It was cheese heaven. As their friend Sarah said, “What a friend we have in Cheeses.”
At the bottom of this post is a photo of their wedding cake: http://class-factotum.blogspot.com/2009/03/say-it-aint-so.html
class factotum, if I hadn’t fallen so hard for a musician, it would have been my dream to marry a man in the cheese business. Mmmm…cheese. And that ‘cheese’ cake is one of the coolest cakes I’ve ever seen.
Loving attractive finger foods. I know the veggie sushi and build-your-own sandwiches at our wedding were huge hits. Part of me wants to just dive into the picture of those tiny hamburgers and eat them all up. I may need to go get a burger for lunch today, all because of that picture.
we love these little hamburgers!
Boy, I don’t get out much. I’ve never seen those eeny burgers before, and I LOVE them!
How could ANYONE get tired of miniature food?? So perfect for tea parties! Especially with stuffed animals and dolls participating.
I’m a need to hang out with Sarah; she’s my kind of girl.
Bacon. Bacon, bacon baconbaconbaconbacon. I was just pondering the other day what a perfect food bacon is: salty, sweet, meaty…
Yes, I know pigs are Intelligent Animals (probably more intelligent than half the people on my bus in the morning). Unfortunately, they are also Delicious Animals.
Belladonna, for you, I re-post my acrostic ode to bacon:
Pigs, I know, are much maligned
Rarely named as Valentines
And scarcely recognized as fine
In spite of all the smarts of swine.
Swill they do, and snort they must,
Even so, they’ve perks robust.
They live in life with clever quickness
Heads betrayed by portly thickness
Ere they’re ended–porky picnics.
Lo, in death, elevation
Above the mud, now my salvation
Roasted shoulder, sausage, bacon,
Dearest Pig–my tongue’s elation.
That. Was. Awesome.
These are great pics of appetizers. I might also throw in soup shooters to the mix.
Soup shooters? I’m going to guess that those purees with the skewered veggies on top are just that!