Not all couples dream of a large-scale wedding with many guests; some prefer a quiet and cozy celebration with their closest people. But even a wedding menu for 20 people needs to be carefully designed and composed so that everyone is well-fed and happy.
There are several tricks that will help you choose the right dishes in the right quantities so that there is a minimum of excess left, and at the same time not a single guest feels hungry.
Reader
As for alcohol, it is usually advised to stock up on it at the rate of 1 bottle for 1-2 people. Svetlana Reznik
On average, a wedding feast lasts 6-8 hours, and during this time one guest usually eats about 1-1.2 kg of food. This amount is divided into all stages of the banquet, that is, on average 100 g for each salad, 200 g for each cold and hot appetizer, about 350 g for the main course and 150-200 g for dessert.
Particular attention is paid to desserts. The highlight of the evening will be the wedding cake, but in addition to it, you can treat your friends and family to other sweets or fruits. They are either placed on a separate table (candy bar), or laid out in portions after the main course. This move is relevant if the rest of the menu is not too high in calories.
Interesting! About
Dessert
The sweetest part of the holiday table is desserts. They become the kings of the festive evening.
"Pleasure"
We will need:
- Egg whites – 9 pcs.
- Granulated sugar – 400g.
- Peanuts – 300g.
- Flour – 3 tablespoons.
- Water – 100ml.
- Condensed milk - 3 tablespoons.
- Butter – 3 tablespoons.
- Apple jam – 4 tablespoons.
- Vanillin to taste.
- Cocoa powder – 2 teaspoons.
Cooking:
- Heat a frying pan, peel the peanuts and fry well. Then grind in a mixer.
- We make three cakes. For each you need to beat three egg whites with added sugar. The foam should be thick and homogeneous.
- Mix four tablespoons of grated nuts with a spoonful of flour, then add to the whites, mix well.
- We form the cakes (round or square), the thickness should not exceed 1 cm.
- Preheat the oven and place the cakes there. Bake at 160C for two hours. Check regularly to ensure that the cakes do not dry out.
- Take it out and leave it for several hours until it cools completely.
- Preparing the cream. First you need to cook the syrup - bring 100 ml of water to a boil, add 100 grams of sugar, mix well. As soon as it boils again, add condensed milk and wait until it boils again. We lower the temperature so that the bottom does not burn, close the lid, and cook for 10-115 minutes. Remove from the stove and cool.
- Beat the butter adding vanilla, then add syrup in small portions. This will make it easier to bring to a homogeneous mass. The cream should turn out light and airy, if the consistency is different, then beat again.
- Divide the cream into three parts. Add cocoa powder to one part and mix well.
- Assembling the cake. Grease the bottom cake with white cream, place the second cake on top, and repeat the procedure. Grease the third layer on top with brown cream.
- Coat the sides with the same cream and sprinkle grated nuts on top.
- Let it brew for a few hours and the cake is ready.
Meal options
When the final list of guests for the wedding is compiled, you need to determine how many of them are men, women and children. This is important because the number and size of dishes will vary in these cases. Men's portions are usually slightly larger than women's, but children's portions, on the contrary, are smaller.
In addition, it is recommended to make a separate table for children so that they do not get bored surrounded by adults.
The children's menu usually includes fewer dishes, for example, the same salads are served, but appetizers and cold cuts are abandoned. The main course is made less caloric, for example, not fried, as in adults, but boiled, while the number of desserts increases.
There are several dozen options for the holiday menu, so at first you can get lost in all this diversity. It’s easier to entrust this to wedding planners, but not every couple hires professionals to prepare the celebration, especially if it is designed for 20 people.
In order not to rack your brains for a long time, sorting through different options, you can choose something from popular dishes. An approximate wedding menu for 20 people consisting of cuts may be as follows.
- Vegetable. It includes fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, bell peppers of several colors, and radishes. If you wish, you can order vegetable carving from a professional, then real masterpieces will be cut from ordinary fruits.
- Meat. 2-3 types of meat delicacies are used, for example, smoked neck, carbonade, brisket, pastrami, roll, jamon, boiled pork, etc.
- Sausage and cheese. 2-3 types of sausage and 1-2 types of hard cheese are cut; if desired, you can supplement the plate with Feta or Brynza cheese, cut into cubes.
- Fish. Usually salted and smoked types of fish are used, which are complemented by seafood - shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels, etc.
The cuts are what should be on the tables before the guests are seated. In addition, it is necessary to place light snacks on common plates. Most often these are pickles, for example, vegetables and mushrooms, as well as canapés, croutons and sandwiches. Such dishes are laid out in such a way that 1 plate is used for 6-7 people. Thus, for 20 guests, each type of common cuts and appetizers should be presented in 3-4 servings.
As for salads, it is better to make 2-3 different options, which will be served alternately. One of them is made with meat or chicken, the second with fish or seafood, the third with vegetables or mushrooms. If there are many sweet tooth lovers at the wedding, or the celebration is scheduled for the hot season, the vegetable salad can be replaced with fruit salad.
After salads, hot and cold appetizers are served, mainly from meat or fish, but there may be variations with vegetables or mushrooms. This is not a main dish and does not require a side dish, and the portions should be small. You can also organize shared plates, since not every guest will be able to finish the entire menu.
Such snacks can include aspic or jellied meat, a meat or chicken roll with the addition of mushrooms and onions, lula kebab, or individual pieces of game or fish. It is important that the food served at this stage of the banquet is not too high in calories, otherwise there is a chance that there will be leftovers from the main course. Such snacks should only maintain your appetite.
Important! It is recommended to make a reserve of 200-300 g per person. It will be better if there is a little more leftover than if one of the guests is not full by the end of the evening.
The main dish is most often meat or chicken, less often fish and very rarely mushrooms. These can be steaks fried in a frying pan, chops with or without batter, portioned pieces baked in the oven or even kebab. A wedding menu for 20 people in a cafe can also include a whole dish, for example, a small pig, duck or carp. Before serving, it is cut into portioned pieces to make it convenient for guests, but the original shape is preserved for a spectacular appearance. The main dish is served with a side dish, most often potatoes, rice or vegetable stew.
Desserts can also be varied:
- store-bought or hand-made candies;
- cookie;
- marmalade;
- soufflé or mousse;
- cupcakes;
- sweet pancakes and pancakes;
- cakes;
- marshmallows;
- Turkish Delight;
- halva;
- chuck-chuck, etc.
Sweets can be placed on the tables in common plates after the main course has been eaten, or just before the start of the banquet, placed on a separate table with a sign above it. If the desserts are portioned, such as soufflé or ice cream, then they are placed in small bowls for each guest.
Attention should also be paid to drinks. As for non-alcoholic drinks, you need to stock up on juices, carbonated and still water, and optional lemonade at the rate of 1.5 liters per person. When it comes to alcohol, girls usually prefer wine, champagne or liqueur, while men prefer strong drinks, but the situation may change depending on the tastes of the guests.
Advice! Using the drinks calculator, you can estimate how many alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks you need.
Side dishes
Properly selected side dishes can make the main dish taste much better.
Baked potato
The beautiful and original appearance of the side dish can become a real decoration of the festive table.
We will need:
- Potatoes – 15-20 large tubers.
- Hard cheese – 250-300g.
- Raw egg yolk – 6 pcs.
- Medium fat sour cream – 7 tablespoons.
Cooking:
- Wash the potatoes well, place them on a baking sheet and bake until fully cooked. As soon as the tubers can be pierced freely, you can pull them out.
- Cut the potatoes in half and carefully remove the pulp. The main thing is not to damage the skin.
- Mash the potatoes well with the addition of sour cream, yolk, and salt. Mix everything well until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
- Grate the cheese into the resulting mass on a fine grater and mix everything again.
- Place the mixture back into the potato boats. To get a beautiful appearance, use a fork to apply the design.
- Place in an oven preheated to 200 C. Bake until golden brown on top. Take it out and sprinkle with herbs.
- The side dish is ready.
Original rice
An unusual side dish that is suitable for sweet meat. However, it can also be served as a separate dish.
We will need:
- Rice, it’s better to take white – 3 cups.
- White onion - 3 medium onions.
- Garlic - one medium sized head.
- Raisins – 8 tablespoons.
- Walnuts – 300g.
- Butter (butter or vegetable) – 250g.
- Salt pepper.
- Greenery.
Cooking:
- Melt the butter in a frying pan with high sides, you can take a small cauldron.
- Peel the onion and garlic, cut into small cubes, and add to the melted butter. Fry until golden brown.
- Wash the rice, pour it into a frying pan, mix with onion and garlic. Fry for five minutes.
- Add 6.5 cups of water and salt. Reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Leave on the stove until the water is completely absorbed.
- Finely chop the walnuts. Take another frying pan and melt the butter. Add nuts, raisins, and some herbs and fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour the rice into the nuts, mix well, and place on a plate. For beauty, you can form a figure, sprinkle the remaining herbs on top.
- The side dish is ready.
Vegetables with rice
The easiest way to make a side dish with minimal effort.
We will need:
- White rice – 3.5 cups.
- “Frozen vegetables” mixture – 1-2 packages.
- Carrots – 3 medium-sized pieces.
- Tomatoes – 4 medium-sized pieces.
- White onion – 2 pcs.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Cooking:
- Pour the “frozen vegetables” mixture into a frying pan and fry for 5-7 minutes.
- Peel carrots, tomatoes, onions, set to small cubes. Place all the vegetables in a multicooker cup and add the fried mixture there.
- Cover everything with rice and add water. You don't need a lot of water, just enough to cover the rice completely.
- Salt, pepper, add a little vegetable oil. Can be supplemented with spices.
- Turn on the device for 1.5 hours. If there is a window, then you can visually observe how the water is completely absorbed, which means you need to pull it out.
- Mix and carefully place on plates.
- The side dish is ready.
Depends on the season
If the weather on the wedding day is hot, then it is advisable to diversify the menu of the wedding banquet for 20 people with light snacks and cold desserts. For example, the following dishes may be placed on the table for a summer or autumn wedding:
- canapés with oranges, fried chicken and pineapples;
- tartlets with tomatoes, melted cheese, mayonnaise and garlic;
- sandwiches or toast with red caviar;
- vegetable mix;
- cold cuts;
- “Red Sea” salad made of tomatoes, crab sticks, cheese, garlic and mayonnaise;
- “Lady” salad made from Chinese cabbage, ham, corn, croutons and mayonnaise;
- “Mood” salad made of white and red beans, corn, cabbage, tomatoes, herbs and mayonnaise;
- chicken aspic;
- pork fricassee with mushrooms, sour cream and melted cheese, and rice as a side dish;
- portioned ice cream, jelly, soufflé or mousse.
In summer and autumn, nature delights with fresh fruits, so if the banquet is held at home, then be sure to include a large amount of vegetables in the wedding menu for 20 people. In winter, on the contrary, the menu should contain a lot of meat or fish:
- canapés with salmon, curd cheese and quail eggs;
- tartlets with liver pate;
- sandwiches or toast with red caviar;
- cold cuts;
- vegetable mix;
- sausage and cheese slices;
- salad with chicken breast, hard cheese, eggs, mushrooms, onions and mayonnaise;
- “Inspiration” salad with beef, tomatoes, hard cheese, herbs, garlic and mayonnaise;
- “Funchoza” salad with cucumber, pepper, carrots and mushrooms;
- fish in batter;
- beef langet with potatoes;
- chocolate cupcake with hot liquid chocolate inside.
Summary
It is not difficult to choose a wedding menu for 20 people, since most of them are close and dear people, whose tastes are well known to the future newlyweds. You need to try to find universal solutions that will appeal to all friends and relatives, so as not to prepare alternative dishes for vegetarians or allergy sufferers. If this succeeds, then everyone will leave the banquet full and satisfied.
admin 115
Previous article
Fashionable and stylish suit for a wedding 2021
Next article
Minimum calculation per person
A wedding is a long event, and not having enough food will definitely cause dissatisfaction among the guests, so it is important to know how to calculate a wedding menu. At the same time, excess food will disappear, especially in the summer. The secret to a correctly compiled list of dishes for 50 people is the minimum calculation of food per person. It is believed that a good table is at least 1200 grams of food per person. It’s better to play it safe and take 1500 grams as a unit of calculation.
Newlyweds should remember that this is the total weight of all dishes per person. If necessary, you can replace expensive low-weight dishes with cheaper items, but with a sufficient number of grams. For example, in a menu for 50 people you can include ham or chicken fillet instead of ham. A completely acceptable replacement option, and also a budget one, which will benefit newlyweds who want to save money on their wedding.
About