As autumn cool breezes begin to roll around, a lot of us will start thinking in terms of foods that will warm our bodies from the inside out. Few dishes do that as well, or as deliciously, as soup.
I love to entertain, particularly around Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, I like to put a different spin on my luncheons and dinners. One of my favorite tricks for a cool fall day, is to do a soup buffet.
Entertaining a large group of people by yourself can quickly become expensive; not too mention the fact that it is a lot of work. However, a soup buffet can be put together in a short amount of time, doesn’t require a great deal of advanced of preparation, and won’t break most average budgets.
I prefer to make my soup by hand but there are a lot of soup options on the market today that are quite excellent. It isn’t necessary to cook everything from scratch. Your guests will be looking forward to spending time with you. They won’t be worried about whether or not you pulled out the Campbell’s.
I like to include at least four choices in my soup buffet, however, it may depend somewhat upon the number of people attending and the amount of time I have for advanced preparation. In the fall, some of my favorite soup choices include French onion, cream of tomato, pumpkin, squash, potato cream, she-crab, Manhattan clam chowder, and cheese broccoli soup. One or more varieties of chili can be added as another alternative.
Your soup choices may be totally different altogether. However, your choices will be dependent upon the other items you are serving, if any. In the springtime, I sometimes combine soups and salads.
When it is cooler, I prefer to combine soup with sandwiches or soup and chicken wings of various flavors. My daughter likes to mix sushi and soup. However, I have also found that, for many of my guests, just serving various soups with special crackers and dessert is more than sufficient. Be creative and come up with your own combination if you feel that soup alone is not enough.
The one thing that can be tricky about a soup buffet, is keeping them hot until they are ready to be served. The easiest way to do that is with crockpots or by using serving burners. In a pinch, it can be done right on the stove as long as it has at least four burners.
One of my favorite additions to any soup is a delicious cracker. There are lots of different flavors available to choose from today. If you want, you can even make your own. Martha Stewart has a wonderful recipe for parmesan crackers that can be spiced up and decorated in various sizes and shapes.
Sometimes I like to add bread to the meal because not everyone likes crackers. One wonderful trick which is scrumptious with cream of tomato, squash, and French onion soup is toasted Italian bread with individual cups of an olive oil, toasted onion, and an Italian herb mixture. The flavors blend together wonderfully.
A dark honey wheat bread works with pumpkin soup. It shouldn’t be toasted, however, just lightly warmed. There are lots of bread choices today and most certainly one that will suit your soup choices.
Another option is to provide slices of various types of cheeses to go with the soup and crackers. Mozzarella, Swiss, provolone, cheddar, pepper jack, port wine, and others can add another tone and texture to the meal. How many or how much you serve can be easily controlled to stay within your established budget.
Because soup is fairly light, I prefer to make my dessert options a little heavier to balance out the meal. If I’m in a big hurry and don’t have time to make everything from scratch, I’m not above taking a trip to Wal-Mart to purchase one of their cheesecake or regular cake samplers. They are the best!
Sam’s Club, Costco, and BJ’s also offer dessert samplers that offer a variety of choices like cheesecake, ladyfingers, cream puffs, and more. Mrs. Smith pies, which come in a wide number of flavors, are another excellent option. Or, if you have the time, make your own desserts.
If you don’t have a lot of soup cups and/or bowls, soupspoons, or dessert plates consider purchasing ones made from plastic or foam. There are even several reusable varieties available today for those who want to be kind to the environment. I personally prefer the plastic type that can be washed and saved for the next buffet.
Like the buffet, table décor should be kept simple. I like choosing a beautiful pumpkin for the centerpiece, adding real or fake fall leaves around it and around the table. Sometimes I will add a little scarecrow on top of the pumpkin just for fun.
Another option is to pick up a wicker cornucopia from a local craft store, Wal-Mart, or dollar store. Fill it will real or fake fruits and vegetables like oranges, apples, lemons, limes, grapes, squash, and/or gourds and whole nuts in the shell. For a little more “pop,” add a streamer of greenery in fall colors up and down the center of the table.
Soup buffets aren’t mean to be complicated, so feel free to control yours to suit your lifestyle. Have fun with it and enjoy the time with family and friends.
