Tasting Menu Tips

Hello! Happy holidays! Once again, I apologize for the huge delay in posts, but I'm finally done with the semester, so I will definitely be coming out with fun recipes and great tips for when you're rocking in the kitchen! Recently I've decided I wanted to host a tasting menu dinner for my family for the holidays, so I've been intensely planning that out. After doing lots of research and thorough thinking, I've decided to do 7 courses, seafood-themed, + 1 dessert. It should be a lot of fun, a lot of work, and very rewarding to see the happy, full smiles on my family's faces! So in honor of this, I've decided to share some tips I found important for this whole endeavor:

• choose a theme (this makes planning each course and the balance of flavors easier)
• have five to six courses 
• keep courses small and beautiful
• save difficult, complex recipes for one or two courses towards the end, have the rest be simple recipes with only a few ingredients 
• LOTS OF FLAVOR IN EACH COURSE 
• prepare as much of the courses ahead of time (save sauces, etc. for last so you still have time to chat with your guests rather than spending all of your time in the kitchen
• give guests 20 minutes or so between courses (we don't want them completely overwhelmed with food!)
• keep dish ware simple (solid colors so the food presentation really stands out) 
• clean cutlery for each course 
• drizzle sauces in beautiful, fancy ways 
• have palette cleanser between courses (sorbet, gazpacho, etc.)
• vary textures or serve surprising combinations of ingredients
• use fresh, in-season herbs and fruits
• use table cloth, small cutlery, set the mood 
• dress like a waiter/waitress (just for fun!)
• keep dietary restrictions of guests in mind

These are just some of the things to keep in mind when planning a tasting menu, but when you get through it, it's really rewarding seeing all of your hard work put such happy faces on your guests. Have an amazing holiday!

Sorry for the long delay!

Hello! I sincerely apologize for taking so long to create a post, but unfortunately I got hit with a lot of work since it's almost the end of the semester. In order to stay on top of things, I've decided to not create another post until the semester is over. I promise though that I will post a couple more recipes before Christmas (as well as pictures!) for you to enjoy! I hope you're enjoying your December so far, and make sure you stay warm and happy! ^_^