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A birthday party!

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A birthday party!

Postby Pepper Pig » Sun May 02, 2021 10:51 am

So! (Don't you hate things that begin with So!)? On Jul 25th I will be 68. I was planning (a bit) on having a 70th but Covid has taught me to seize the moment in case I don't get that far. It happens to be a Sunday and by all accounts we should be out of restrictions. The last time I mass-catered was for OH's 80th which would be June, 7 years ago and I was a bit knackered to say the least but we had a barbecue, lots of salads and puds and a great deal of cake.

DS1 is hosting. He has one of those egg shaped BBQ's and that part is fine. He is also a good cook but I need to present him with a plan and I need to do a lot of the prep. Since Chris's 80th we suddenly have a lot of vegans on board, several veggies and a couple of fussy eaters.

So! (Again). I'm looking for really good vegan salads and puds. I think there will be around thirty of us. Am hoping we can still eat outdoors if wet as he's just installed a fancing retractable awning. (He also has a hot tub which I am dying to try but he couldn't believe, after a month, how expensive it is to maintain). :lol:
Last edited by Pepper Pig on Sun May 02, 2021 11:42 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby Linnet » Sun May 02, 2021 10:57 am

The cooking supplement in yesterday's Times magazine is for vegetarian and vegan alternatives for barbecues - it hasn't gone in the recycling yet if you want it, or can get a copy?

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby Pepper Pig » Sun May 02, 2021 11:02 am

Oooh. Happy to pay if you can post it!

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby scullion » Sun May 02, 2021 11:45 am

all of the usual types of salads at barbecues - coleslaw, potato salad etc - can be made using vegan mayonnaise. hellman's makes one and i'm sure other's do too.
grilled haloumi is great as are many of the meat substitutes available (the vegan burgers from aldi are good) if the vegans are ok with that sort of substitute.
there are always things like humous and baba ganouch to add as dips - especially if you have a 'themed' barbecue - that are dead easy and can be made a couple of days before and chilled (and humous freezes well).

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby herbidacious » Sun May 02, 2021 11:59 am

Oh I have coveted those egg shaped barbecues since I first saw them in Manufactum when OH was working in Dusseldorf.

Vegan mayo is pretty good. A little vinegary but we always have some in the house now. I like the garlicy ones. Ditto salad cream (perhaps less surprisingly.)

There are, of course, dozens of different meat subs these days, and vegan feta-style cheese is not bad, but this could be an opportunity to do interesting things. I can't add a lot to the lists of suggestions, I'm afraid as we never barbecue. I think I have a vegan barbecue cook book somewhere, as I did intend to barbecue, and bought all the equipment the year before last. I am just too lazy, I suppose, and it doesn't feel worth it for two. I'd end up over-eating to justify it. But this is making me renew my resolve. There are all those things you can cook/smoke then eat the next day.

This recipe has been on my to do list for a while:

https://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/r ... oftas.html

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby liketocook » Sun May 02, 2021 12:02 pm

PP how lovely, Ainsley Harriott's Lentil, red onion and feta salad in the Barbeque Bible worked really well with salted almonds instead of the cheese for a vegan option.
David Lebovitz's Faux Gras is lovely and easily made vegan rather than veggie https://www.davidlebovitz.com/faux-gras ... te-recipe/

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby Linnet » Sun May 02, 2021 12:04 pm

Pepper Pig wrote:Oooh. Happy to pay if you can post it!


Don't want paying, happy if it can be used - just pm me your address!

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby Pepper Pig » Sun May 02, 2021 12:17 pm

Done! Thanks you so much!

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby KeenCook2 » Sun May 02, 2021 12:22 pm

Great, PP, carpe diem and all that indeed :thumbsup Terrific that DS can host.

Can't help at all on the BBQ as OH is allergic to them!

Certainly lots of saladdy things are perfect.
Personally, I absolutely adore kisir - loads of different recipes, this one looks nice: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/kisir

I totally fell in love with it when I had it at EV (the Tas branch under the arches behinnd the Young Vic) years ago. I think it was the fantastic mix of pomegranate and mint, among other things, that I found so addictive!

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby herbidacious » Sun May 02, 2021 12:24 pm

Oh I love kisir too. I first had it in a little Turkish place in Islington, when we lived north of the river...

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby Pepper Pig » Sun May 02, 2021 12:25 pm

Oh wow KC2. That looks great and I love Diana Henry. Thanks.

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby Badger's Mate » Sun May 02, 2021 12:59 pm

There's a nice roasted butternut and red onion salad with tahini dressing, surprisingly simple and (possibly for that reason) the only Ottolenghi recipe I do. Peppers marinated with sweet vinegar and cumin seeds always go well.

Veggie sushi is dead easy and looks good.

On a hot day dessert soups are a surprise hit. Fruit soups are unusual, I've mentioned before that melon-coconut-tapioca one from Ken Hom's Veg and pasta book is lovely. That reminds me, the cold spiced Chinese leaves from his original BBC book are a good side, essentially blanched and marinated with light vinegar, sugar, garlic, ginger, Sichuan pepper & chilli.

It's Mrs B's birthday too. :newhuggy


ETA

Rice salads might be old hat but Mary Berry's red rice one with carrot and coriander is nice and looks a bit different.

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby herbidacious » Sun May 02, 2021 1:25 pm

Gazpacho. I used to do a chilled yoghurt, cucumber, garlic etc soup served in a shot glass. Essentially blitzed tzatziki, I suppose.

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby Seatallan » Sun May 02, 2021 1:31 pm

I like a couscous or bulgar wheat-based salad, with plenty of chopped red onions, tomatos, olives, mint, etc. I second the baba ganoush suggestion. Home-made lemonade and/or elderflower cordial for them what aren't drinking alcohol.

It all sounds splendid PP! :thumbsup
Food, felines and fells (in no particular order)

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby Pepper Pig » Sun May 02, 2021 3:30 pm

Lots here. Thank you everybody. And puds?

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby ZeroCook » Sun May 02, 2021 4:51 pm

.

Happy planning PP!

We're big on large scale family & friends meal events/celebrations! Main thing with big cookouts is logistics, of course. And timings on the day. And fridge capacity. And bbq/grill capacity. And eatware cookware capacity. Feeding thirty people is a production any way you look at it. It's basically a catering job.

You haven't mentioned mains except to say that it's taken care of but actually that's where you'll need the most planning. But guessing that's done.

Are you going all vegan? Do you have a budget?

In addition to fire grilled veg? Three to five sides/salads. Sauces, dressings, condiments.

Desserts. And a birthday cake? Making or ordering in? Someone had a thread a little while back on large birthday cakes . Large slab cake is the way to go. I'd stick with one main dessert - the birthday cake. You'll be glad you did. Serve with ice cream a la mode American style and fruit or big bowl of fruit salad on the side made the day before.

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby WWordsworth » Sun May 02, 2021 4:58 pm

How about a pavlova made with aquafaba?
It will likely look more pearl grey than white but it will taste fine.

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby Pepper Pig » Sun May 02, 2021 5:04 pm

No. We can’t go vegan. It would upset OH who is a dedicated meat eater and I also don’t think my mother would be keen. Yes, I think ice cream is good but vegan ice cream is expensive and my best friend is dairy intolerant.

I am rotten at pavlova . .

The budget is £400 which is what DS2 made from selling my old IPhone and IPad.

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby WWordsworth » Sun May 02, 2021 5:15 pm

I am rotten at pavlova . .

Delegate!

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Re: A birthday party!

Postby scullion » Sun May 02, 2021 5:24 pm

any ideas here?

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