Finalizing the food!

Re: Finalizing the food!

• madamerwin member

  

  May 2016

  dreadpiratebride said:

  Hello all! I'm finalizing my wedding menu and could use some input.

  First of all, I know zilch about salad. I have the choice of providing Caesar or house salad. Which one would most people go for? Also, there aren't any add-ons (like dressing and such) provided- what would be some good things to have?

  I have one guest who is very allergic to raw eggs (wedding cake frosting *technically* has raw egg in it). Would it be alright from an etiquette standpoint if I made him something separate, just for him? He likes cheesecake but if that's too fancy (since everyone else will be getting regular 'ole chocolate cake) I could make him some of his favorite cookies?

  Thoughts?

  If you did Caesar salad, technically it should have dressing on it. Are you saying no dressing is included? If you go with Caesar salad, I would keep the dressing on the side anyway, so people can control how much they have. That said, I would probably choose a garden salad with 2 types of dressing to choose from - probably ranch and Italian or some vinaigrette. That way your guests have a little variety to choose from.
  
  For your wedding guest who is allergic to raw eggs - is there any way to make him a cupcake without frosting, but otherwise the same cake? I would avoid making him something else altogether, since other guests may look at what he has and wonder why they were not offered choices.

  

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• dreadpiratebride member

  

  May 2016

  ahh, I'm hitting myself now for not thinking of just. giving. him. plain. cake. So simple! With under 2 weeks to go now my brain is just not firing on all cylinders.

  Yeah, the restaurant delivering the food just made it sounds like there weren't any dressings or anything provided. Maybe if they did provide dressing it'd be in those little plastic packets in which case I'd want to provide something nicer anyway. Thanks for the tips!

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• bohobrideCA member

  

  May 2016

  Caesar salad traditionally has anchovies in the dressing so it isn't a vegan or vegetarian option, if you're only choosing one salad option I would go with the house salad. Like @madamerwin said, if you do the house salad you can also bring more dressing options which would be nice!

  

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• dreadpiratebride member

  

  May 2016

  Looks like house it is! Thanks for the help @bohobrideca and @madamerwin

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• MesmrEwe member

  

  May 2016

  DO NOT do Caesar if you've got someone with an egg allergy!  It's not just the anchovies you've got to worry about for the vegans with the recipe, raw egg is part of fresh Caesar dressing...  Opt instead for Tossed Salad with the Dressing choice(s) on the side (this helps those who have other dietary restrictions you may be unaware of have another option)...

  Not all buttercream is created equal.  While meringue buttercream contains egg whites, American Buttercream often does not have egg in it anymore, HOWEVER, you need to ask your baker as some still use an egg powder (not remotely all though).  I'd recommend checking with the company, but many bakeries use Rich's Bettercreme as their whipped icing option (Sam's used to use this brand then developed their own, I'm pretty sure Super Target uses it in their bakery, many Mom & Pop bakeries use it) - I know Bettercreme used to be made in a dairy, wheat, and gluten free facility but I'd recommend calling and asking for certain as it gives you an option for icing for who to look for (SIL has Celiac's and they had this available at the local cake deco supply store and figured "heck, I'll call the company and ask" - smart move!).  Talk to your baker - egg is a pretty common allergen when it comes to one they're willing to take on (Wheat/Gluten is a harder substitution than egg from recipes).  That way he can have his chocolate cake and eat it too "just like everyone else" - and really no one will know the difference that'd be served from the same cake - the cake just needs to be kept separate so whomever is doing the serving doesn't cross-contaminate...

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• scrunchythief member

  

  May 2016

  Is the guest allergic to all eggs or just raw eggs?  Would pasteurized eggs count as raw or cooked?  If he's not allergic to pasteurized eggs, that might be an option to ask your baker about.  They might be able to just use that and then you don't have to worry about cross contamination on the day of.

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• poodledoodleooo member

  

  May 2016 edited May 2016

  From a food safety standpoint - you shouldn't be serving ANYTHING with raw or unpasteurized eggs without some sort of obvious warning that guests can see. Eggs can be carriers for foodborne illnesses like salmonella if they aren't heated properly or pasteurized. I know plenty of people who refuse to eat raw/unpasteurized eggs due to food safety concerns (pregnant women, parents with small kids, imuno-compromised folks), though they might not list it as an allergy because it isn't one.
  
  I'm normally not that squeamish about eating raw eggs (cookie dough is my favorite!) but since I'm pregnant right now, I'm really not willing to chance it, and I'd like to know when something has raw eggs so I can make the decision to say "no thanks!"
  
  If you go with ceasar salad, I would make sure it is a vegetarian version to appease those that would oppose the anchovies, and that the eggs are pasteurized as well. I would do house salad though. if I were you. French and ranch dressings tend to be the most popular options in my circles.
  

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• spatulahands member

  

  May 2016

  PoodleDoodleOoo said:

  From a food safety standpoint - you shouldn't be serving ANYTHING with raw or unpasteurized eggs without some sort of obvious warning that guests can see. Eggs can be carriers for foodborne illnesses like salmonella if they aren't heated properly or pasteurized. I know plenty of people who refuse to eat raw/unpasteurized eggs due to food safety concerns (pregnant women, parents with small kids, imuno-compromised folks), though they might not list it as an allergy because it isn't one.
  
  

  I believe the buttercream OP is referring to is probably either an Italian or French Meringue Buttercream.  While the egg whites aren't technically "cooked" (you don't put them in a pan directly over heat, they don't have a chance to solidify in the way you think of a cooked egg), they are not also raw.  Depending on the specific type of buttercream, the whites would either be cooked over indirect heat or cooked via the boiling sugar syrup being poured in.  Either way, fine to serve and WAY better than American buttercream

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• poodledoodleooo member

  

  June 2016

  @Spatulahands - I get what you're saying, but the syrup isn't usually hot enough to kill salmonella - if it was, it'd probably cook the egg whites and ruin the meringue. I love meringue and eat it all the time normally! And my not-pregnant self would definitely take the risk and eat the cake. But in my current state, I'd still decline the cake if I new it had raw or unpasteurized egg whites and would appreciate the heads up so I could make that decision, instead of finding out afterwards. Not saying OP shouldn't use this cake, just that a little warning or notice is advised.
  

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