The Cookie Table - Page 2

Gusteau · #1 12-17-2009, 12:34 AM

I'm a little bit surprised by all the wedding cake defenders...

Maybe its a regional thing, but at all of the wedding I've been to (mostly on Long Island) the rest of the food has been so out-of-this-world-gluttonously-incredible that the cake always seems to be lackluster and boring. All looks and no flavor. No one in my family likes wedding cake.

AGDee · #2 12-17-2009, 12:44 AM

I swear I posted about this before, but apparently it wasn't in this thread. Back in the early days of my cousins' weddings, everybody had cookie tables. They were all traditional Italian cookies (and our family did go right from Ellis Island to south of Pittsburgh) and I always thought this was an Italian tradition. Over the years, as the cousins had to "top" each other, the desserts on the cookie table became more and more elaborate, to include canoli and other pastries that I can't spell (spidini? pinolata?), and then on to more American desserts like cheesecakes, eclairs and cream puffs.

A wedding I went to recently had a beautiful candy table with the Chinese take out boxes and a spread of red candies and chocolate candies (Hershey's kisses, red licorice, chocolate covered cherries, etc.) The set up was breathtaking with candles and red ribbons and roses, with the candy in crystal brandy snifters, vases, etc. Absolutely stunning and fun too!

That was the same wedding that had a mashed potato bar near the end.. some carbs to soak up the alcohol. You got a wine glass with a scoop of mashed potatoes and they had all kinds of toppings you could put on them like bacon bits, cheese, broccoli, etc. Things you would put on baked potatoes. It was great. Best wedding ever, I'd say!

As for cakes, I've had plenty of delicious wedding cakes. My own wedding cake (first wedding) was wonderful. The actual cake on display was primarily styrofoam and the cake the guests got was packaged in a box, 1/2 lb per guest, with three flavors of my choice. Basically, a 3 layer piece of cake. I chose chocolate, cherry chip and yellow. It was the same bakery that all of my cousins had used so I knew the cake was great. It was moist, not soggy.. flavorful.. so yummy. It was all gone, partly, I think, because it was so easy to take home for later if you weren't hungry when they served the cake. There was one section of the display cake that was real so we had to cut from that section when we did the ceremonial cutting of the cake.

I love weddings, cookie tables, wedding cake and candy tables.. and mostly, I love mashed potato bars!

ForeverRoses · #3 12-17-2009, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AGDee

That was the same wedding that had a mashed potato bar near the end.. some carbs to soak up the alcohol. You got a wine glass with a scoop of mashed potatoes and they had all kinds of toppings you could put on them like bacon bits, cheese, broccoli, etc. Things you would put on baked potatoes. It was great. Best wedding ever, I'd say!

I love that idea! Maybe I'll steal that for the New Years Eve party.

My wedding had a dessert table that my caterer provided as a wedding gift (she was a professional caterer, but also my husband's Aunt's best friend). My Mom added a bunch or merange and linzer cookies that she baked at home. That table was a bigger hit than the cake (especially with the kids). So I guess I had an inadvertant cookie table...

come to think of it, I don't even remember the cake...

KSUViolet06 · #4 12-17-2009, 11:59 AM

We have a thread about cake too for those interested!

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...=wedding+cakes

Munchkin03 · #5 12-17-2009, 04:17 PM

Is this similar to a Viennese table? Because I've been to weddings that have the Viennese tables and I LOVE it. I'm not all about wedding cake so sometimes I'll skip that and do the Viennese table. NOM NOM NOM

ASTalumna06 · #6 12-17-2009, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

NOM NOM NOM

ree-Xi · #7 12-20-2009, 05:48 PM

This was the venetian table at our wedding. Is this similar to a "cookie table"? I think it had chocolate dip-to-order, cookies/pastries/canolis, fruit and other stuff. It's been a while so I don't quite remember, and this is a side shot. My hubby and I were in the pic to the right but I cut us out lol.

I also just remembered we had a Belgian waffle setup (the guy in the chef hat is doing that) and bunch of coffees.

ETA: I found several sites that said that the cookie table is the American version of the Venetian table. Here's a site that explains it: http://www.cakespy.com/2009/11/sweet...ng-art-of.html

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Benzgirl · #8 12-20-2009, 06:27 PM

I think a lot of cookie tables are based somewhat on ethnicity. Where I grew up (Ohio), I never went to a wedding that didn't have a cookie table. Most of these weddings had family backgrounds that were either Eastern European (Bulgaria, Macedonian, Greek) or Italian. My brother's wedding was no different. Even though his cake was fabulous, everyone migrated to the cookie table.

AZTheta · #9 12-21-2009, 09:50 AM

This thread has been great! I'm baking all day today, thanks to the incredible recipes and links that have been provided. The thought crossed my mind: Greek Chat cookbook (I have too much time on my hands right now)... I might just cut and paste and make my own.

The Cookie Table is (sadly) not a western US custom, but maybe it will migrate to the Southwest and the next wedding reception I attend will be as memorable as some that have been described in this thread.

Aside: my wedding cake was incredible; there was nothing left to freeze. In my experience, freezers "destroy" most foods after a few months anyway, no matter how carefully items are wrapped and packaged. My freezer is just for ice cubes and ice cream!

ree-Xi · #10 12-21-2009, 10:02 AM

From what I am reading, some "cookie tables" are present during the entire reception? Our Venetian hour was at the end of the reception, and people chowed. And we did have cake, but the reception was 5 hours, so people found room for more food. Family didn't make the cookies, though, the reception hall place did, as it was an option for the reception.

This was 12 years ago, and I'm Italian and Catholic, and that's "what's done" in my family.

As for saving and eating our wedding cake, we saved a piece, but it was nasty when we took it out on our anniversary. I wouldn't recommend it.

Benzgirl · #11 12-21-2009, 09:27 PM

ETA...my dad still waits on the plates of cookies when my mother goes to events.

IrishLake · #12 05-29-2010, 02:39 PM

I have to bump this, because i did a "recipe" search (and am thinking of just doing a basic recipe thread).

But I had to comment. I HATE wedding cake. I even hated mine. The only time I loved a wedding cake, was when it was a wedding cheesecake. But we also had a cookie table, and there wasn't a crumb of cookie left at the end of the night! There were over 50 dozen cookies on the cookie table (for nearly 300 guests), so I guess I wasn't too surprised that they all disappeared! Funny to read about this being a big Ohio/Western PA thing, too.

honeychile · #13 05-30-2010, 03:12 AM

Funny that you bring back the Cookie Table! Someone was telling me that they went to a wedding in Phoenix, of all places, and they had one! Of course, the bride's family wrote a very nice description of the What, Who, Why, and How of the Cookie Table at her showers. At the bottom, they had, "If you'd like to contribute to your approval of Mauri & Dave's wedding, and wouldn't mind making some cookies to show that approval, please contact (Cookie Table Person)". I thought that was a great way to introduce it to the new initiates. And, they ended up with something like 200 dozen cookies! But, alas, no pizelles or mini-lady locks.

honeychile · #14 12-02-2013, 02:52 PM

Found this latest explanation of The Cookie Table on Facebook, and thought I'd share:

In Pittsburgh, the wedding cookie table is a peculiar and wonderful local tradition.

I hear a cookie (or four!) calling my name...

clemsongirl · #15 12-02-2013, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeychile

Found this latest explanation of The Cookie Table on Facebook, and thought I'd share:

In Pittsburgh, the wedding cookie table is a peculiar and wonderful local tradition.

I hear a cookie (or four!) calling my name...

Oh my goodness. That is a stunning display of confectionery. I'll have to ask my mom if any weddings she went to as a kid had these. She grew up in a suburb of Cleveland until high school.