[Sca-cooks] Intro and Newbie question - estimating meat portions

euriol euriol at ptd.net
Wed Mar 12 06:36:24 PDT 2008


I've done all day feasts where courses were planned 2-3 hours apart, but
plenty of entertainment & activities between courses. These events were
well known for the feast being done this way and were always well attended.
So, I guess your mileage may vary upon the expectations of the group you're
working with. I've also done feasts were there was almost no lag time
between courses. I also find that more protein is needed if the events have
a high focus on martial activities. I believe all these conditions play a
factor on determining the amount of protein that is optimal to serve during
the feast.

Euriol


On Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:11:34 -0500, "Terry Decker"
<t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> The feasts I prepare take roughly two hours or less, served in three
> courses
> with two brief periods of entertainment (hopefully) while setting up for
> the
> next course.  If I planned for a longer feast, I would consider more
> dishes
> of smaller portions served two or three at a time at roughly 20 minute
> intervals with continuous entertainment.  Interminable, boring waits for
> the
> next course do not enhance the cook's or the group's reputation.
> 
> The quantity of meat at a feast is often dictated by the dietary habits
of
> the people at the board.  In my case, I live in a region of carnivores
> with
> a high incidence of heart disease in the general population.
> 
> Bear
> 
> 
>>I would also add that the portion sizes are dependent on the time frame
> in
>> which the feast will be consumed. If the courses are spread out over
>> several hours you might have the 8-12 oz. of protein per person, if it
> is
>> going to be served as a dinner (most food served in 90 minutes) you
> might
>> opt for 6-8 oz per person.
>>
>> Euriol
>>
>> On Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:58:49 -0500, "Terry Decker"
>> <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>>> While it may be wasteful, as long as you broke even or made a profit on
>> the
>>>
>>> feast, the leftovers are immaterial.  Cutting waste, however, can keep
> a
>>> feast in the black and is a worthy goal of itself.
>>>
>>> When I plan a feast, I usually plan for 10 to 12 dishes (including
> bread)
>>
>>> with a portion size of 3 to 4 ounces.  I calculate meat portions at
>>> roughly
>>> one pound for four people.  I will normally serve 3 different meats for
> a
>>
>>> total of 12 ounces per person.  For fewer meat dishes, I might serve
> one
>>> or
>>> two ounces more in the meat portions, particularly if I were limiting
> the
>>
>>> number of dishes overall.  Portion size of mixed dishes needs to be
> based
>>> on
>>> the total weight of the ingredients.  You could probably trim my
>> estimates
>>>
>>> by 1/3 and still have a good feast with even fewer leftovers.
>>>
>>> For tarts and things of that ilk, I usually ignore weight and serve as
>>> quarters or eighths.
>>>
>>> Bear




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