European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 16, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Matrimonial menu feast to remember by Jan Norris Cox news service weddings Are big business and a Large part of the business is the wedding feast. Catering the affair after the affair can Cost a few thousand not counting the Money spent on aspirin for All the headaches. The alternative preparing the food yourself is not for those with weak hearts. Culinary perfection on a plate a every couple s dream for their wedding reception a will take some last minute preparation a Factor lacking in most wedding plans. A feast for 50 or even 100 can be pulled off however by doing much of the work in Advance and relying on the last minute help of a few friends who boast both a sense of adventure and some Kitchen Talent. First and Foremost decide whether you really can do this said Jan Conger of great performances catering in Tequesta Fla. In order to make an educated decision about it sit Down and assess the situation from All angles. Quot the most important consideration is the number of guests that will be served. Ask yourself can i logistically do this if i were doing my own wedding i d keep it to no More than 100 people Quot she said. With any More than 100, it would pay to hire a caterer. Figure your location and the number of people willing to help set up and serve during the actual reception. Barbara Ferrell of petals and parties in Lake Worth Fla., advises caterers to keep things simple. Quot it depends on what time of Day where you re doing it All sorts of things but i d go with cold foods if possible cold cuts that sort of thing that you can just pull out and serve. It depends of course on whether you have  food choices Are the other big consideration. A sit Down and plan the menu Down to the details a says Conger. Don t forget to include table settings garnishes service dishes and trash receptacles. Plan a preparation timetable and number of people needed to serve the foods. Line up the servers and Cooks Well in Advance. After you set the menu visualize your reception and the food Layouts. Include plenty of colourful items for tables whether in table linens Flowers or food but keep it simple. Waxy Green leaves set off foods nicely. Baskets of fruits in season add extra color. A there s nothing prettier than just a Basket of fresh strawberries. Done to Wash them a wipe them gently and put them out with bowls of sour Cream Brown sugar and confectioners sugar for dipping. Absolutely Beautiful Quot Conger said. Do As much ahead of time As possible. A week before the wedding is a Good time to wrap up the Advance work and still have an element of freshness to the foods. Quot pick recipes that freeze Well. Most cookbooks indicate whether a dish will freeze. Do the parts of a dish that can be done ahead and put them in the Freezer or in the refrigerator Quot Conger said. Some Quick food ideas stuffed mushroom Caps. Make the filling in Advance and freeze prepare the Caps for stuffing at last minute. Phyllo filled pastries. Fill strudel dough triangles or squares shape and freeze on trays until hard put in Container and have ready to bake at last minute. Stuffed Chicken breasts. Make stuffing in Advance or freeze stuffed raw breasts then bake morning of wedding. Watch storage on these they must be kept either cold or hot a never left out. Meatballs. Quot there a nothing wrong with a Good Meatball Quot Conger says. Use Good Quality meats or have some ground fresh. Mix with herbs and seasonings and Roll out freeze on trays until hard then put in Container to keep Frozen. Make sauce ahead and freeze if possible. Quot bake them off though. Never Fry a Meatball Quot Conger said. Chicken wings. Buffalo style wings May be a poor Choice because of the mess so instead use a pretty hot fruit dipping sauce. Melt commercial Apricot preserves or Orange marmalade add a Pinch of Cayenne for a Quot bite Quot and serve in dipping bowls. Finger sandwiches. The simplest of All foods can be made elegant Congo said by using fancy breads with crusts trimmed Cut into pretty shapes. Cut the bread a Day or two ahead and store with a few Damp paper Towe s in a plastic Container in the refrigerator. Make the Sandwich i flings in Advance. Conger said the Rule of thumb for figuring How much to serve is to figure six pieces of food per person per hour and 8 ounces of beverage per person per hour depending on the weather. If after planning you decide you need help but still can to afford a fully catered reception consider two other options pay a caterer to draw up a menu Conger charges a Flat $100which will spell out How much food to buy or use recipes that make use of some catered or store bought foods. Keep in mind your guests needs. Many Are on restricted diets and it s smart to include sugar and egg free foods for those guests. Make sure other foods Are clearly visible done to hide shellfish liver raw onions or foods that might bother some diners. A Host of Good wedding planning books is available at libraries. Basic cookbooks also have sections on entertaining consult these for additional recipes. Crab phyllo purses note keep phyllo leaves covered with Damp cloths while working to prevent drying. Handle with care % cup 11/2 Sticks unsalted butter 6 Tablespoons minced Green onion 2 Tablespoons dry vermouth 4 Teaspoons Dijon style Mustard 4 Tablespoons minced Parsley 2 Tablespoons minced fresh Dill or 2 Teaspoons dried 4 drops Tabasco or other hot Pepper sauce a Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 Pound fresh crab meat picked Over to remove Shell bit Slegal hurdles in Europe by Pam Runquist staff writer a european wedding sounds romantic but american couples face a Heap of Legal and administrative technicalities when it comes to tying the knot abroad. Most european countries require civil ceremonies before couples can say their i does in Church. This Means wading through stacks of Legal and administrative paperwork often in a foreign language scrounging up birth certificates and divorce decrees fulfilling residency requirements and paying translation fees. But the obstacles Aren t insurmountable. Many couples in the american military Community succeed in getting hitched in Europe each year. Chaplain cmdr Samuel Ganaway of Naples Italy estimates that close to 100 couples were married by the six Navy chaplains in the Naples military Community this past year. This figure does no to include All couples who were married in the Community Ganaway reports. Many couples choose to hold off on a religious ceremony until they return to the states or if they Are marrying an italian girl they use a local italian Chapel. Chaplain David White the Community chaplain in Baum older West Germany approximates that 40 couples were married in his Community in the past year. Quot a popular place to get married in our area is at the nearby Lichtenberg Castle Quot says White. Quot its a very romantic setting. But most couples Are married at one of the Community  at Rhein main a in West Germany the chaplain Tom Bush says that approximately 15 weddings have taken place at the Basel Chapel in the past year. A most of these have been traditional weddings ranging from very formal with military mess dress to smaller More casual  1/4 cup Creme Fraiche or sour Cream i Salt i freshly ground Pepper i 6 sheets 12-by 16-inches each i phyllo pastry dough i a cup dry bread crumbs i 1 Tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese i melt 1/2 cup of the butter in Small Saucepan Over Verv i Low heat set aside. I melt remaining 4 Tablespoons butter in medium Skillet i add Green onions and Cook Over medium Low heat until i softened about 3 minutes. Stir in vermouth and Mustard i and Cook stirring about 2 minutes. Add Parsley Dill i Tabasco Worcestershire sauce crab and Creme Fraiche i season with Salt and Pepper and stir to blend thoroughly i remove from heat and let Cool to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375 f if baking immediately. Spread phyllo sheets out on Flat surface Between two slightly Damp Kitchen towels. In a Small bowl Combine bread crumbs and cheese. Carefully remove one Sheet of phyllo and place on another Damp Towel on a Flat surface recovering remaining phyllo Rush it with melted butter then Sprinkle lightly with some bread Crumb mixture. Fold phyllo in half to form an 8-by-12 Inch rectangle. Brush again with butter. Using a Sharp knife Cut phyllo into six 4-Inch squares. Mound about 1v2 Teaspoons crab mixture in Center of each Square. Carefully gather up edges of squares with fingers and Pinch together in centers to form plump  Brush centers and edges with butter to prevent cracking. Place on lightly greased baking Sheet repeat with remaining ingredients. Freeze on baking sheets if desired until hard then carefully remove to a tall Container so As not to break phyllo. Note they must be sealed in airtight Container to prevent drying. When ready to bake remove from oven thaw slightly bake at 375 f for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned and Crisp. Transfer to wire rack to Cool slightly. Makes 36. Sesame cheese wafers a cup sesame seeds 1 cup All purpose flour Viz Teaspoon baking powder a Teaspoon Salt 4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter Cut into Small pieces % cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese spread sesame seeds in Skillet and Toast Over medium High heat shaking pan until seeds Are Golden. Remove to Cool. Combine flour baking powder and Salt in food processor and pulse to blend. Or mix by hand using pastry blender or two knives add butter and cheese and process until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add 2 Tablespoons cold water and process until mixture forms a Ball adding Viz Tablespoons More water if needed to make dough adhere. Shape dough into log about 1 Viz inches in diameter. Spread toasted sesame seeds on a Sheet of waxed paper and Roll log in seeds until surface is covered. Wrap log in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. Place remaining seeds in a Small dish or Jar. To bake preheat oven to 425 f. Slice dough into is Inch slices using Sharp knife. Dip one Side of each wafer in remaining seeds to cover and place seed Side up on a greased baking Sheet. Bake wafers for 7 to 10 minutes or until Golden. Let Cool. These will store nicely in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks beyond that freeze for Best results. Makes about 48 wafers. Champagne Kir 2 bottles Champagne chilled Viz cup Cassis or Black currant syrup 12 to 14 thin curls of Lemon Peel pour 2 Teaspoons Cassis into each Champagne flute. Fill glasses full with Champagne. Drop curl of Lemon Peel into each Glass. Makes 14 drinks. Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes saturday june 16,1990