Expert tips for creating a kosher wedding menu sure to delight your guests.
How can you keep your meal kosher while ensuring your guests are happy with the food? Eddie Levy from Signature Creations Caterers suggests centering the menu around either meat or dairy and brainstorming delicious ideas from there. Here are some great options Levy recommends:
Hors D'oeuvres
Meat Menu: Offer guests a decadent buffet of traditional pigs in a blanket, beef Wellington, or beef satay. You also can't go wrong with fresh fruits and vegetables -- without the dairy dips, of course! Dairy Menu: If you're going the meatless route, think lots of veggies, spring rolls, vegetable dumplings, stuffed mushrooms, and other vegetarian finger foods. And don't forget cheese!
Main Course
Meat Menu: Great carnivorous main course options include chicken breast with potatoes and roasted vegetables. Grilled veal chop, filet mignon, and roasted prime rib of beef are other entree options that are sure to be a hit. When choosing sides to go with your main course, be sure to add color and aesthetic appeal to guests' plates. Dairy Menu: Yes, there are plenty of non-meat main courses that guests can enjoy! Consider eggplant quiche, a vegetable souffle, or the Jewish favorite, kugel.
Dessert
Meat Menu: If you decided on a meat menu, finding fitting sweet things may be difficult. You can always provide fresh fruit cocktail or assorted flavors of sorbet. But Levy's secret is looking for packaged sweets marked with one special key word: "parve." This is a Hebrew term (pareve is the Yiddish term) to describe food without any meat or dairy ingredients. Many parve desserts are available -- just check your local grocery or kosher food store for options. There's even ice cream and toppings, such as chocolate sauce, sprinkles, and chocolate chips, that are available, so yes, you can have a sundae bar. Just remember: parve! Dairy Menu: If you chose dairy, you're in luck. You can serve your favorite cake, cookies, or brownies. Just be careful not to drop any chocolate on your wedding gown!
Wine
Any Kosher Menu: In order to be considered kosher, a wine must meet strict dietary standards. Grapes must be grown according to specific rules and be harvested solely with kosher machinery. Most importantly, no animal products can be used to make this wine, not even fertilizer for the grapes. If you think that finding a kosher wine that tastes great will be a challenge, think again. There are plenty of kosher wines that are robust in flavor, color, and bouquet. Just make sure you're shopping in the right spot. "Any major liquor store should carry kosher wine," says Levy. Large wine stores or online retailers are also good sources for kosher wine by the case. Be sure you're able to bring outside liquor into your site before ordering. Then, on your wedding day, raise a glass and toast yourselves!
-- Allison Paige Roth