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We get this question a lot. There are some very simple formulas that work well most of the time.

They are:

  1)  1 drink per person per hour

  2)  4-5 glasses in a standard 25.4 oz bottle

  8/10 times it’s right on. Sometimes when there are a lot of speeches and people can’t “refill” this might decrease the number of glasses people will consume. Other times, you might just have a crowd of really heavy drinkers. Know your guests and the event agenda and you should be able to come to a number that is pretty accurate using these two formulas.

  Now let’s all do an example together, if you have 50 people over and they will be staying for 4 hrs with little interruption you will need 200 servings of wine, 40 bottles in total, 20 white and 20 red.

The colour of the wine can depend on many factors but going 50/50 is a safe choice.

If there will be other cocktails this may make things a little more complicated. Guests will still be consuming approximately 1 drink per person per hour but there is just no right way to figuring out how much to scale back on the wine.  Many factors can contribute from the gender of your guests, to their  age,  the temperature of the room and even the season. It depends on your crowd which only you will have the expert knowledge of.

Lastly and most importantly, when in doubt buy more because you can always drink it later and few people like a “dry” party.

Another great help is going to this site: http://www.winelog.net/googlegadget/DrinkCalculator

Their estimates are a little generous if you are serving 6oz portions but its fairly close and it helps with mixed drinks too!

Happy Hosting!

La Petite Chef

Hiring servers or bar tenders are worth the extra cost. Many people shy away from hiring on wait staff as it increases the cost of a party but from our experience they are an essential element to throwing a great party no matter what the size is. Having an experienced server or bartender really allows you to enjoy your own event. They take care of set up, cleanup and everything in between so consider these few guidelines when hiring that much needed hand.

Bartenders: 1 bartender is the minimum for every 50 or so guests. If there are extras like martinis or speciality cocktails you will likely need more. In addition, if the party is on more than one floor you may need more.

Servers: 1 to 2 servers for every 50 or so guests. Again, the layout of the event may require more servers as well as the manner of dinner. Formal sit downs usually require more so that food can be served to everyone at the same time.

Chefs: 1 to 2 for approximately 50 guests. The complexity of a menu can require more kitchen staff.

Some extra things to consider…

-Servers and bartenders should always be Smart Serve certified
- Smart Serve is a training program that teaches people how to ensure that no one abuses alcohol in a way that will be harmful
- Having someone else “cut off” a friend that is clearly intoxicated saves you that awkward conversation!!
- Serving alcohol at a party can bring on liability issues, be aware of your responsibilities
- Always have a plan to prevent drinking and driving and hire some professionals to help you monitor your guests, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Let La Petite Chef help you with staffing your next event. E-mail us for a quote today.

Happy Hosting!

A common question and concern we have come across when planning parties, especially cocktail parties is how many hors d’oeuvres are needed. Well there are a few rules of thumb that we live by.
1) If the hors d’oeuvres will be followed by a full course dinner, either sit down or buffet at the same venue then 3 hors d’oeuvres per person is sufficient
2) If there is a dinner option but some guests may not be staying over then 6-8 per person
3) If it is only cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and the event runs over the course of “dinner time” then 8-10 pieces is required.

These numbers refer to the total amounts required. You can have as many as 7 or 10 different kinds of hors d’oeuvres but as long as the totals fall into these categories. For example, if you are having a cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres only and you have 20 people coming you will require a total number of 160 hors d’oeuvres, 8 per person. If you have 8 different kinds than you need 20 of each. You get it? Great! Now go forth and plan that cocktail party, but don’t forget to call us!!

Happy Hosting!

We at LPC are pros at planning parties. We have a wealth of knowledge that has come from many years of experience. It is time we shared some of this knowledge so that you too can plan the perfect party! Check our blog often as we will be adding tips and party guidelines every few weeks. Happy Hosting!!

Alsatian Tarte Flambée

Comfort food refined. This recipe was chosen for March since we find it is the perfect pick me up during the depressing month of March. By now we’ve just about had enough of winter and are in need of something to look forward to. This classic French/German dish is fun to make and its rustic appearance is very now.   Crispy smoked bacon lardons, cooked onions, crème fraiche on warm flat bread is simple sophistication at its best. Pair with a mixed green salad and a glass of Riesling and you have an elegant but comforting dinner. Enjoy!

Normally we make our own dough but I have found that fresh pizza dough works just as well and is a great time saver. You can find fresh, uncooked pizza dough in most of your local food supermarkets. The amount found in one bag of pizza dough is around the same as this recipe.  The recipe for the dough we use as well as the tarte falmbée follows.

Ingredients

Starter for the Dough

• ¼ cup flour
• ¼ cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 package yeast

Dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup beer
• 6 tablespoons (¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons) milk

Topping

• 2  onions thinly sliced
• 1 cup crème fraiche (A combo of half sour cream and half  cream cheese can be substituted for crème fraiche)
• pinch of salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ tsp grates nutmeg
• 3 ounces bacon, cut into small rectangles

Procedure

1. Mix the starter ingredients together in a medium sized bowl, cover tightly, and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
2. When the starter is light and bubbly, mix the beer and milk into the mixture.
3. Put the flour and salt into a food processor, then, with the motor running, add the yeast mixture through the feeding tube. Process the dough until it forms a ball. Add very small amounts of additional flour or milk if necessary.
4. Process the ball until it is smooth, elastic, and warm, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
5. Butter a large  bowl, roll the ball around in the butter,  cover with a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down and let rise a second time.
6. While the dough is rising, Fill a small sauce pot halfway with water and add bacon. Once it has come to a boil. Strain the bacon and pat dry.
7. Heat a skillet to medium heat and a teaspoon of oil and then add bacon. Fry until slightly caramelized but not crispy. Remove bacon, leaving the fat.
8.  Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Try not to brown the onion too much. Let cool.
9. Combine the crème fraiche, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Add the cooled onion.
10. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
11. Oil a  14 x 16 inch baking sheets.  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until slightly smaller than the baking sheet, 1-2 cm thick. Place it on the sheet.
12. Spread the onion mixture over the dough, leaving a very small raised rim all the way around, then dot with the bacon.
13. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tart begins to darken and some of the onions start to crisp. Tarte flambée are traditionally cooked until the crust is almost burnt so don’t shy away from getting some good colour on the tart.Â
14. Garnish with fresh herbs if you desire.