From the fragrant spices and zesty flavours of the east to the nostalgic flavours and hearty belly-fillers of the west, global cuisine offers a rich and diverse source of inspiration for your wedding feast.
The scope is huge. Consider bringing a personalised flavour to your menu by opting for dishes inspired by your family roots, travels or food memories. So your fiance's family are proud of their Irish roots? Then bring a hearty - and slightly boozy - twist to your menu with colcannon canapes and a dessert soaked in Bailey's. So you spent a chunk of your twenties backpacking across South East Asia? Sprinkle your menu with the exotic flavours of Thai cuisine, the scents and flavours stirring memories of your travels, albeit in a distinctive and moreishly memorable way. Or did your grandmother used to cook up a storm in the kitchen with her distinctly British repertoire of meat-filled pies and trifles oozing with fruit and cream? Brilliant - look at reinventing these dishes for your wedding menu.
You might even incorporate foodie traditions from other cultures. For example, the duck is a symbol of fidelity and happiness in China, hence its presence in many a Chinese wedding menu. French couples often forgo a traditional wedding cake in favour of a croquembouche - a teetering tower of cream puffs woven together with sugar; according to an age-old French superstition, it was thought that a wedded couple who locked lips over the top of a croquembouche without knocking it over would have a prosperous marriage. And in Brazil, guests are served sweet cookies oozing with marmalade, honey, jam or cream and wrapped in sugar, symbolising the sweet union of the bride and groom.
As with every other element of a wedding, the key to making your wedding breakfast memorable is to make it personal - and, of course, delicious.
The team at The Round Kitchen has hand-picked some traditional dishes from various corners of the world, and given them a fresh, creative and oh-so delicious flavour. They endorse looking at opportunities to enhance your guests' dining experience, whether it's via the flavours or the way the food is served. "We are now curing our own pork and salmon, which is a great way of bringing our individual take to our pies, enhancing the flavours and also ensuring they look fantastic on the plate," says Lucy Turner of The Round Kitchen. "The Chinese style sharing platter works well if you have a designated duck shredder per table," she adds. Prepare for your taste buds to sing!
RUSSIA
Home-cured salmon and potato drop pancake
Served with crème fraîche, pea shoots and a spring onion, radish and lemon dressing
CHINA
Chinese style sharing platter starter
Crispy style duck and pancakes, cucumber, spring onions, celery and hoisin sauce
Slow-roasted five-spice belly pork slices
Tempura vegetables with a sweet chilli, ginger and coriander dipping sauce
Deep-fried marinated chicken wings
BRITAIN
The great British pie
Steak, blue cheese and mushroom
Served with boulangère potatoes and glazed baby carrots
Slow-cooked venison cottage style
Topped with root vegetable mash, served with mixed roasted beets and a rich red currant and port sauce
Chicken, leek and bacon
Served with buttered new potatoes and buttered green beans
FRANCE
Tournedos Rossini
Pan-seared fillet steak, wrapped in streaky bacon, sat on a sauteed scalloped potato, topped with a smooth brandied chicken liver and garlic parfait, finished with a rich Madeira sauce
IRELAND
Boiled bacon and mash
Home-cured pork, sat on a bed of creamy leek and savoy cabbage mash, finished with a cider, Dijon and parsley sauce, finished with crispy bacon bits and sauteed apricot
DESSERTS
Boozy Buddies
Banoffee pie
Finished with a Bailey's liqueur cream
Brandy-soaked raisin, vanilla and orange bread and butter pudding
Served with a bitter dark chocolate, orange and brandy sauce
Individual Cornish Blush Cider and mixed berry jelly trifles
The Round Kitchen
www.theroundkitchen.com
words Rebecca Matthews
Copyright WED Magazine 2013
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