Shabbos Sheva Bracho (Friday Night) Help.

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Relationships -> Simcha Section

1 2 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

Mimisinger

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 11:20 am

I'm making a sheva bracho this Friday night. I've been going a little crazy trying to plan a menu, and, as I'm doing it all alone, I don't want to get too crazy.

Then I was thinking, why not do a totally traditional shabbos menu - gefilte fish, chicken soup with matzo balls, roasted chicken, etc.

Or, is that not fancy enough? Do I have to go crazy and plate things, etc. etc.? Maybe I should try a middle ground?

Any advice is welcome. I tried a while ago, and people said they'd send me menus, but they didn't. I just realized now that it's already Monday, so I now have 4 or 5 days to do everything.

Help ASAP! TIA!

pinkbubbles

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 11:29 am

theres are several threads on this, have you looked through them?
traditional doesn't sound bad at all, just set the table nicely. dont forget to make the chassan and kallah chairs special with balloons or whatever Smile

Mimisinger

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 11:30 am

Thanks for the chair tips. Didn't even think about it!

Mimisinger

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 11:31 am

And I have looked through the threads, but Fri night for some reason feels harder/different.

Also, I have to use paper Sad

because I just don't have enough China.

PinkFridge

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 11:35 am

A lot of people like traditional. Sounds great to me. (I can guarantee that no one served gefilte fish at an earlier sheva brachos.) In fact, if you have some by the book people, don't forget to make farfel.

shmaichul

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 12:50 pm

I think traditional is gr8 and main course I would def do family style. I would however have on everyones plate a salad either salmon salad or reg salad because it definately add a lot and looks really nice when everyone walks in.

MuppetLover

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 12:55 pm

Paper is easier and can look just as stunning as china if you get the right stuff. I have 30 people each meal usually, let me tell you PAPER and PLASTIC is a LIFESAVER!
Also
Try and see if you can get a hs girl or a sem girl to help you with set up and clean up...
AND

Dont plate, serve family style and maybe plate the chossen/kallah...Easier is better sometimes.

dlj

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 12:56 pm

I think traditional is totally fine. What makes it nice is the atmosphere in the room.
If it were me, my menu would look like this:

Mushroom vol au vents

Chicken soup w lockshen

Roast Chicken
Roast potatoes/sweet potatoes/parsnips/red onions
Garlic green beans
Carrot kugel
One simple salad to put on the table

Hot chocolate cake
Vanilla ice-cream

All very simple and easy to make yet a nice mix of foods and colours! Happy to provide recipes if you need.

Isramom8

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 12:59 pm

Sure, we did traditional! And we used pretty, color coordinated plastic. It's just nice to get together on Shabbos to celebrate such a joyous occasion. As long as there is plenty of food and it tastes fresh, people will enjoy. Really, people are in a good mood once they get a place to sit, a challah roll, a hunk of kugel and a piece of chicken, and sing a zemer or two.

Mimisinger

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 1:02 pm

dlj wrote:

Sill question - what is mushroom vol au vents?

Thanks - and would LOVE recipes. Smile

Plus, dh wants fish at all shabbos meals, any ideas?

Thanks so much!!!!

dlj

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 1:12 pm

Ok so for the fish idea...you can do salmon en croute (however it's spelt). I don't have recipe as I don't make it, but it's essentially tinned salmon wrapped in puff pastry.

As for the recipes...which did you want?

Also, mushroom vol au vents are individual pastry cups filled with a yummy mushroom sauce

Mimisinger

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 1:17 pm

when you do the roasted veggies, are there different cooking times? Do you have to boil them first?

As for the salmon en croute? Would you do a deli roll type thing, or individual things?

culinaryk

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 1:24 pm

The hard veggies (like carrots, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes) have to go longer than zucchini, mushrooms etc. I like to put them in a pan with olive oil and kosher and put in the oven at 400F for about 45 minutes.
I like pre plating the main, but that means you have to have someone helping in the kitchen. I usually do that and then put the salads (whatever you are making) on the table for everyone to take. Also I think it is great to do traditional. If you want something different than make interesting salads.

Good luck!

imasinger

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 1:28 pm

When I'm planning a sheva brachos, I work backwards (same for sedarim), and plan my time. Given that it's Monday, why don't you start by figuring when you're going to cook the parts of the meal that you are sure about. Then, you can decide how fancy or not fancy to go for the parts that you are considering new recipes. Be sure that you've included time to shop for everything, too.

The other thing to save time for is decoration. You can do a lot with paper and plastic, real or fake flowers, crepe, sparkles, balloons -- depends on your style and that of the couple. If you know who might be good at speaking, let them know in advance that you'd like them to say something.

About fish --I've never made salmon en croute before, but I often will just bake salmon (Costco sells kosher salmon pieces with O-U hechsher in bulk, with each package enough to serve about 15 fish eaters, which is usually not everyone there, and baked salmon takes all of 15 minutes to make) or just do gefilte fish.

The last time I made a Friday night sheva brachos, we had a major snowstorm the night before. The eruv went down, the weather was freezing, the walks were not all shoveled, and just for total fun, our main drain backed up so if anyone flushed, it went into our basement.

Somehow, we had a lovely night anyway, and much to look back and laugh and tell stories about. I'm sure yours will be wonderful, and hopefully, a whole lot less stressful.

Mimisinger

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 1:33 pm

imasinger wrote:

Thanks for everything. And thanks for reminding me of the huge fillet of salmon in my freezer! I'll have to see how many that can serve.

ttbtbm

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 1:46 pm

Traditional is the way to go for Friday night. Most catered Friday night Sheva Brachos are traditional.

Rolls of gefilte fish are the easiest. You can throw as many as you need in a pot or even bake them. (I prefer how they taste from the pot.)

Salads on the table... start with basics- coleslaw, Israeli salad, hearts of palm salad, crunchy cole slaw, corn salad a lettuuce salad or two. You don't need all of those 1 or 2 is fine. The more you have the more it adds.

Soup with lukshen and matza balls - everyone enjoys on a winter Friday night.

Chicken - I always make apricot chicken. Jar of apricot jam, package of nion soup mix, bottle of pfeiffer french dressing. Mix, pour over chicken. Bake 2 hours covered then uncover and raise temp. let cook till tops of chicken are a nice color, basting every few minutes.

potao kugel and carrot muffins

a veggie like string beans or those roasted veggies...

dessert- like everyone said chocolate cake and ice cream. You can always buy those frozen chocolate soufles or runny chip. For really easy: pre scoop sherbert on a cookie sheet and just pop the scoop on a plate with a piece of chocolate cake. warm apple cobbler, defrost some sherbert and spread in a pan then do the same with parve vanilla ice cream, freeze then scoop into balls (you can prepare in advance like the regular sherbert) it's pretty and tastes good too! Dessert ideas are endless!

dlj

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 2:53 pm

Do the salmon en croute in a roll like deli roll. Cut slices and serve plated with a cucumber and dill sauce-it looks very fancy when served like that.

Roast potatoes/sweet potatoes/red onions-these all take a while to roast. I never par boil first as it just means more dishes to wash up. Stick them in a roasting tin with a generous drizzle of oil and some seasoning and roast on 180c for 1 and a half hrs. Parsnips need less-about 45mins. Green beans even less-about 20mins from frozen if going into a hot oven.

I posted my hot chocolate cake recipes earlier today on a thread for a hopeless cook or something like that-will look for them and post here!

dlj

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 3:03 pm

Sorry if there are errors: I tried to cope and paste and edit but v quickly!

Mushroom vol au vents.
You can buy the vol au vents cases in the kosher shop. For the mushroom sauce, I chop a large onion very finely, crush two cloves of garlic and fry in a tablespoon of oil in a deep saucepan for 5-6mins. Chop up the mushrooms - you need a lot more than it looks, prob 1kg mushrooms. Add mushrooms to the onions and garlic. Add water to the pan - just to the level of the top of the mushrooms - they should not be floating. Add a generous couple of tablespoons of onion soup mix. Bring to boil and then let simmer for about 40mins.

Chicken soup

Main Course:
Roast chicken
Roast potatoes, sweet potatos, parsnips, red onions - can't go wrong with these - people will love them.
Roast green beans - I buy frozen green beans and tip them into a roasting tray. I season them with seasoning salt or a mix of onion salt, garlic salt, salt, pepper. I then generously scatter minced garlic all over them. Drizzle oil and roast for 20ish mins until soft.
Carrot kugels
Salad

Dessert:
Hot chocolate cake with vanilla ice-cream.

I have two recipes which a friend gave me that are both so easy and don't go wrong.

Hot chocolate cake
3 eggs
5 oz self raising flour
6 oz sugar
6 oz soft marg
3 oz Cadbury's drinking chocolate
3 tablespoons hot water

Cream sugar and marg. Add eggs, flour etc etc. Mix and put in container (square foil container or thereabouts).

Mix together -
1/2 pint water
4 oz sugar
4 tablespoons drinking chocolate
and boil in the microwave until dissolved (about 3 mins). Pour ontop of the uncooked cake mixture - it might look like you've ruined the cake, but don't worry it will come out the oven absolutely fine.

Bake in the over for 35 - 40 mins on 170 degrees.
Take out, cool and serve warm.

Individual hot chocolate cakes. The recipe makes about 18 individual cakes, but you can halve it if you want to make less.

250g chocolate
250g margarine
300g caster sugar
70g plain flour
6 eggs

Melt chocolate and margarine.
Whisk eggs. Add sugar and flour.
Mix the two mixtures together and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Grease muffin tins (unless using the silicone muffin trays).
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes at 200 degrees. Bake until the tops start to crack open and you can see the goo inside! I normally only ever leave them in for 10 minutes.

Hope that's helpful.

Mimisinger

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 3:17 pm

THank you so much ttbtbm and dlj!!! You guys went above and beyond.

So, I'm def. going traditional - it's so cold here and I want chicken soup now! Smile

Dlj - any chance you have the American measuring equivalents? Thanks so much again!!!

sunny90

Mon, Feb 21 2011, 3:27 pm

Mimisinger wrote:

imasinger wrote:

Thanks for everything. And thanks for reminding me of the huge fillet of salmon in my freezer! I'll have to see how many that can serve.

There's a recipe in Kosher Palette for salmon spinach bonnet--the basic idea is a cube of salmon and a mix of spinach and artichoke (but u can just do a spinach saute) inside puff pastry. If you have salmon you want to use up, you can just do a small marinated cube inside each puff with a spinach saute and then it will stretch to as many people as you have. This is really nice with either a cucumber dill sauce or a dijon sauce.

Page 1 of 2

1 2 Next