What can I successfully freeze?

Ellechim

Hiya.

Am having family gettogether in early May for my daughter's christening and I am hoping to do the catering myself. However I want to do as much as possible in advance and freeze it so it so things won't be so frantic the day before/on the day. There will be about 20 people.

For mains I'm intending to do a big pot of beouf bourgnignon and a large dish of aubergine parmigiana - I have frozen both successfully in the past. I can make a fresh green salad, and maybe another salad, that morning to go with it.

However, as for other sides and desserts - what can I make and freeze? Here's what I was thinking:
- a big dish of dauphinoise potatoes
- bread rolls/garlic bread
- tiramisu
- chocolate torte
- apple tart (freeze before cooking once assembled)

Anyone any other suggestions? They would be gratefully received! Thanks

kerash

I'm sure the potato would freeze grand.
You could freeze the rolls/garlic bread no bother
I'd be worried about the tiramisu - I personally wouldnt freeze that
dont think the chocolate torte would freeze well either - I make them the day before and refridgerate.
Certainly you can freeze the apple tart.

Faith

I doubt the dauphinoise would freeze that well. Do you plan on cooking it first, then freezing it? The texture of the potatoes would become pretty mushy, I'd say. Apart from slicing the potatoes, dauphinoise is very littlr work, so I'd try to make that fresh.

Bread rolls and garlic bread - you can freeze them, but why would you? They require little to no preparation. Buy the rolls, and just put garlic butter in the ones you want to be garlic and heat. What would you be freezing them?

Tiramisu and chocolate torte wouldn't freeze well, I'd say.

Apple tart would be fine.

enda1

Ellechim wrote: »

Hiya.

Am having family gettogether in early May for my daughter's christening and I am hoping to do the catering myself. However I want to do as much as possible in advance and freeze it so it so things won't be so frantic the day before/on the day. There will be about 20 people.

For mains I'm intending to do a big pot of beouf bourgnignon and a large dish of aubergine parmigiana - I have frozen both successfully in the past. I can make a fresh green salad, and maybe another salad, that morning to go with it.

However, as for other sides and desserts - what can I make and freeze? Here's what I was thinking:
- a big dish of dauphinoise potatoes
- bread rolls/garlic bread
- tiramisu
- chocolate torte
- apple tart (freeze before cooking once assembled)

Anyone any other suggestions? They would be gratefully received! Thanks

For the tiramisu anyway, I wouldn't freeze it! It will keep 3 days anyway in the fridge alone so no need for freezing. Also its better resting for at least one day.

I have a great recipe for it if you want, its on bbc website if I remember and can post it when home if yer interested.

It contains raw egg though so its up to you!

antoniosicily

frozen bread is crap, but anyway, it's your choice.
Frozing a tiramisu is a bad thing, why don't you just prepare it the day before and put it in the fridge?

I agree that cooking for 20 people is difficult but it can be done (I've done it :-))

MementoMori

Faith wrote: »

I doubt the dauphinoise would freeze that well. Do you plan on cooking it first, then freezing it? The texture of the potatoes would become pretty mushy, I'd say. Apart from slicing the potatoes, dauphinoise is very littlr work, so I'd try to make that fresh.

I'd agree - I cant imagine a situation where freezing dauphinoise potatoes wouldn't have a very adverse effect on the taste.

Heineken Helen

when my sister was having her son christened and had loads of us over for food... she got a few of us over the day before and had a cooking party it was fantastic... well mainly we did a few different kinds of salad... you can roast veg the day before or even TWO days before (I put lemon juice and mint on my roasted veg and it's fantastic... and keeps it fresh ) or you can make plenty of different types of chicken dishes and freeze them... I've made a yummy coconut and tomato chicken and a basil and lime chicken. You could freeze both (both very simple and quick) and then just serve up a couple of different kinds of rice and let people help themselves. Then defrost them the day before (if you don't have enough things to reheat them in buy some disposable things and put them all in the oven at once so they'll all be done at the same time)

Garlic bread of course freezes (how many of us have bought frozen garlic bread?). Think about any ready made meals you've ever seen or anything freezeable and chances are it works ok. Can't remember seeing dauphinoise potatoes frozen though but I could be wrong).