Buffet service fits perfectly into the relaxed, informal pattern
of busy lives. If you have limited dining space, or if you are a
do-it-yourself hostess, buffet service permits you to entertain
with more ease than any other type of service, and just as
graciously and pleasantly.
Your buffet table may be set against a wall, or in the center of
the room. For only six or eight guests, it is often placed with
the long side against a wall; a larger number may need both long
sides for sufficient elbow room when serving themselves. Because
it presents all the food to the guests at one time and is thus the
center of interest, the table should be arranged with care and
artistry - and of course with common sense too, for the buffet
table is functional, and its arrangement is as important as its
beauty.
The table itself should be dressed as attractively as possible,
in lace, linen or pretty place mats. And this is the time for
bringing out your beautiful serving trays and plates. Flowers have
an important role to play on the buffet table. If the table is
against the wall, the flower arrangement may be a background for
the foods; if in the center of the room, it will probably be a
centerpiece. Since guests will all be standing, there is no need
to keep it low. If candles are used for lighting the table, be
sure to use plenty of them, placed so they are really illuminating.
For the convenience of your guests, plan the arrangement of the
table carefully. Confusing traffic plans should be avoided in
order to help the serving line progress with ease and speed. Place
a stack of large dinner plates at the point where guests are to
start - probably at one end of the table. Napkins and silverware
should be where they will be picked up last, after the plates are
filled. Unless the guests are to eat at small tables, it is
customary to serve only foods that can be eaten with a fork, since
use of a knife is difficult. Rolls are usually buttered before
they are put on the buffet. If you serve a tossed salad, tongs are
far more easily handled than the conventional salad fork and spoon,
when one hand is occupied by a plate. Since seasoning is so
largely a matter of individual preference, individual salt and
pepper shakers should be provided on snack tables or other
convenient surfaces near the guest's chairs rather than on the
buffet. A side table may hold a tray with goblets or glasses and a
pitcher of iced water.
Courses for a buffet meal are usually limited to just tow - a
main course with salad and rolls, and a dessert. Dishes should be
chosen that are easy to serve and that stand up well. Casserole
dishes are better than delicate soufflés which need to be served
immediately. A chafing dish is a great convenience on a buffet
table; heat-retaining casseroles are also an aid in keeping hot
foods hot. Mixtures should not be too thin and runny, salads not
too juicy. Tossed or molded salads are always good; fruit salad
mixtures may be served in lettuce or cabbage cups which can be
transferred to plates.
When guests have served themselves, particularly emptied serving
dishes should be refilled and empty ones removed from the buffet.
Second servings may be passed by the hostess, or she may ask the
guests to return to the buffet to serve themselves. When the first
course is eaten, the buffet table is cleared, and dessert and the
dishes in which it is to be served are then brought out.
The basic pattern of buffet service is varied in many ways. For
the most informal type of service, guests may serve themselves with
everything, even pouring their own coffee. At a semi-formal buffet
party, the hostess or a friend may pour the coffee at one end of
the table; sometimes another friend may be asked to serve the main
hot dish, if it is a casserole. Ornamental trays large enough to
hold the plate and coffee cup, napkin and silverware, and water
glass my be provided for the guests; the trays may be held on the
guests' laps, or they may be mounted on folding legs; if trays are
not provided, snack tables or card tables should be provided to set
things on while guests deal with their plates on their laps.
Plates and silver used in the first course may be returned by the
guests (either to the kitchen, if the party is very informal, or to
a table set up near the kitchen), or cleared away by the hostess or
the host, or a friend. On some occasions, when space allows, a
particular buffet may be preferred. Under this arrangement, guests
select their food and seat themselves at smaller tables, such as
card tables, where a place is set for each one.
Remember to consider eye-appeal of foods as well as their
taste-appeal. The colors of the foods themselves as well as their
arrangement on serving dishes and their garnishing are important,
for a buffet meal provides almost the only opportunity for guests
to see the whole menu at once. In planning for your party, be sure
to estimate quantities generously, for there is something about a
buffet which is irresistible to the appetite!
Larger, heartier buffet meals are sometimes served. For one
such, a roast turkey may be placed at one end, and a handsomely
garnished baked tender ham at the other; both of these may be set
out either hot or cold, and sliced or partly sliced beforehand, or
else sliced and served by the hostess's helpers. To complete this
particular meal, little hot Southern biscuits are delicious, with a
big relish tray of carrot sticks, celery curls, olives, cranberry
jelly to go with the turkey and spiced crab apples or peaches for
the ham, a platter of sliced tomatoes drizzled with French dressing
and lemon meringue tarts. Sumptuous!
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