Salad Fatigue? Let’s re-invent the preliminary course!

Craveable deliciousness, of color, texture and and great flavor,  first course through late night snacks, is our goal in developing a client wedding menu. We’re hoping that the first impression of the first course will be crave-able on all levels. Sometimes a green salad can just leave us a bit underwhelmed!

To mix it up and increase the “ surprise and delight”, one EC solution is to open the seated plated portion of the wedding meal with a surprising first course and offer the “green salad” as a miniaturized waiter passed hors d’oeuvres.

Our miniaturized bite-size Caesar Salad passed hors d’oeuvre is a guest favorite. One-biter Tuna Nicoise Salad with oven dried tomato and provincial aioli is a flavorful mouthful.  A wrapped seasonal microgreen salad with cucumber, red pepper and pesto works both for tray passed hors d’oeuvres or as a great cocktail placed finger food. Instead of a large buffet salad at a wedding shower, we love this reception style elegant “Pop it in Your Mouth” Individual Salad presentation as an alternative when seating space is limited.

With the salad taken care of during the cocktail hour, the first impression of the seated dinner can include a lovely exciting first course of, for instance, Lump Crabmeat Terrine with Shaved Fennel, Sundried Pesto and Yellow Tomato Coulis. Color and texture is supplied here by cucumber coins, grape tomatoes and purple Peruvian Potatoes. Taste is enhanced with a dash of red chili oil and balsamic syrup. A first course featuring Charred Corn Salad is a seasonal favorite. Our warming first course seafood broth with heady cilantro and jumbo shrimp is wonderful for cold weather festivities.

In these small ways, first course salad boredom can be alleviated and we’re still getting the pop of color, texture and great flavor all around. We do love a mouthful of greens when the season is just right and the farm is nearby!