The Wedding Frenzy: Recap (plus Golden Produce Moments)

The Wedding Deed is done!





Okay, if I really exert myself, I can make my fingertips move on the keyboard -- every other inch of me is so sore and tired from the weekend's extravaganza. The shopping, the prepping, the cooking, the shopping, the prepping, the cooking, the baking, the cutting, the packing up of just about every cooking tool in our house and the hauling up into the Oakland Hills.

I suppose I also shouldn't have taken ballet class on Saturday morning, then cooked a wedding feast for 60 people on Saturday night, and then gone to rehearsal for another four hours on Sunday.

I think I'm broken now.

But here's the good news: the wedding feast went off without a major hitch (except for the bride and groom getting hitched, that is). So even though Eric and I keep looking back on Saturday and musing to ourselves, "WHAT the HECK were we thinking???" It seemed like everyone had a great time, and I have to say, there's nothing that can make a cook more satisfied than to feel like you have a roomful of happy people eating your food.

Here was the menu, with links to recipes:

Hors d’oeuvres
• Humboldt Fog from Cypress Grove
• Saint Andre Triple Creme
• St. George Cheese from Joe & Mary Matos
• Baguettes from Bay Breads Boulangerie
• Mushrooms stuffed w/Red Bell Pepper & Scallion
• French Lentil Pate
• Spicy Chipotle Hummus
• Sundried Tomato Tapenade
• Dungeness Crab Salad on Endive Petals
• Potato Latkes with Pear Cranberry Chutney and Shaved Vella Dry Jack
• Tuscan Table Olives from Nan McEvoy Ranch

Dinner
• Blowtorch Roast Beef au jus
• Homemade Whisky-cured Gravlax featuring fresh wild-caught salmon from Swan Oyster Depot
• Marinated Portobellos
• Wild Rice, Wheatberry & Barley with mixed Wild Mushrooms and Chanterelles
• Butternut Squash Gratin
• Mixed Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Dessert
• Hazelnut Coriander Wedding Cake with Praline Ganache
• Rich Hot Cocoa made with El Rey Gran Saman (70% cacao) Chocolate

Mr & Mrs Art Attack have travelled and lived all over the world, but they love the idea of featuring foods from the Bay Area as much as possible, so much of the menu was planned around seasonal produce and supplies we could find locally.

I know that the romantic way to go was to head to the farmer's market at the ferry building for all our fruits and vegetables, but to be honest, we prefer to lay our cash down at the unsung star of the San Francisco grocery scene, Golden Produce, (172 Church Street at Market, (415) 431-1536).

This little family-run place simply rocks. You might stroll by thinking, oh, that's your nice average neighborhood greengrocer. But Golden Produce stocks a choice variety of beautiful organic vegetables, gorgeous seasonal fruits, plus all manner of organic and vegetarian foods, a good selection of bulk foods, and the prices are terrific. Sometimes I come out of there with two giant bags of veggies and fruits, having spent maybe $10.

And look out, after two years, they're almost finished with their second location, just up Church street past El Castillito, where they'll be selling fresh meat and deli items. You'll never want to step in Safeway again!!

But I digress. The wedding. So we had a battle plan worthy of General MacArthur, equipment lists, food lists, timetables.

The only thing we forgot to schedule in was food for us. Yes, it's the age old story. We made a mountain of food and what did we eat? Fritos and Juice Squeezes. And cake -- although I didn't taste any, because by that time, I had had it with the cake.

I suppose if it was any consolation, the bride, as per usual for these events, had seven Jordan Almonds and two Tuscan table olives that evening. (We gave her and her groom a pile o' leftovers though!)

We also forgot to shop for ourselves however. So by Sunday morning all we had in the house was a box of Cheerios, some milk, and some Juice Squeezes and Fritos. I don't count the wedding cake, because by that time, I couldn't look at chocolate any more.

Eric, for his part, would have gone on a murderous rampage if he didn't get some coffee-- of which we had none in the house, of course. Luckily, one of Brenda's oldest friends had generously arranged to buy us all brunch on Sunday morning at the Hotel Monaco's Grand Cafe.