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Children's Birthday Party

Serves
12
Dishes
5

Food for twelve children and the adults who bring them: sticky wings, homemade pizzas the children can top themselves, crisp sweet-potato wedges, a chocolate layer cake and homemade vanilla ice cream. The cake, ice cream and pizza dough are all made in the days before.

On the menu

  1. Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings: Shatter-crisp oven wings in a buttery hot sauce, with blue cheese dipFinger foodCrispy Baked Buffalo WingsMake ×1.5

    Use half the buffalo sauce, or skip it and toss the wings in a little honey and soy sauce for younger children; serve the blue cheese dip to adults.

  2. Pizza Margherita: A slow cold-fermented dough and a blazing-hot home ovenMainPizza MargheritaMake ×2

    Eight pizzas, baked one after another and shared in slices; set out bowls of toppings (ham, sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes) for children to choose.

  3. SideSpiced Sweet Potato WedgesMake ×2

    Leave out the cayenne.

  4. Chocolate Layer Cake: Dark, moist sponge with a glossy whipped ganache frostingBirthday cakeChocolate Layer Cake

    Add candles.

  5. Vanilla Ice Cream: A rich custard base, with or without an ice-cream machineWith the cakeVanilla Ice Cream

    About 1 liter; buy an extra tub if you have more than 12 children.

To drink

For adults, a light lager. Non-alcoholic for everyone: pink lemonade (lemonade with a splash of raspberry purée).

The day before

  • Two or three days ahead: make the ice-cream custard, chill, churn (or still-freeze) and keep frozen.
  • One to two days ahead: make a double batch of pizza dough and refrigerate it.
  • Day before: bake the cake layers and make the ganache; frost the cake and keep it under a cake dome in a cool spot.
  • Day before: toss the wings with baking powder and salt and leave them uncovered on racks in the fridge.
  • Day before: make the yogurt dip and the blue cheese dip.

Game plan

Counted back from the moment you serve.

  1. 4 h before serving

    Divide the dough into 8 balls; leave them covered at room temperature.

  2. 2 h 15 min before serving

    Heat the oven to 120°C (250°F).

  3. 2 h 5 min before serving

    Wings in on their racks for 30 minutes.

  4. 1 h 35 min before serving

    Turn the oven to 220°C (425°F); move the wings up and roast 40–50 minutes, turning once, until crisp and at least 74°C (165°F). Cut the sweet potato wedges, crush the tomatoes for the pizza sauce and set out the toppings.

  5. 50 min before serving

    Wings out; toss in the sauce and serve. Put the pizza steel (or a heavy upturned sheet pan) on the top rack and turn the oven to 230°C (450°F) with two sheet pans below.

  6. 42 min before serving

    Toss the wedges with cornstarch, oil and spices and spread them on the hot pans: 15 minutes, flip, 12–15 minutes more.

  7. 12 min before serving

    Wedges out; serve them. Turn the oven to maximum; the steel has been heating for 40 minutes and needs these last 10 at full heat.

  8. 8 min before serving

    First pizza in (6–8 minutes) as the children finish topping it.

  9. Serve

    Cut the first pizza into slices to share. Keep baking one at a time, letting the steel reheat 5 minutes between pizzas; eight pizzas take about 1½ hours, so serve slices as they come.

  10. 1 h 30 min after serving

    Move the ice cream to the fridge to soften for 10–15 minutes.

  11. 1 h 45 min after serving

    Candles, song, cake and ice cream.

Shopping list

Produce

  • 6 celery stalks
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 kg sweet potatoes
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 limes
  • 1 small bunch cilantro
  • 2 bunches basil (about 60 g)
  • 250 g cherry tomatoes, for pizza toppings

Meat & fish

  • 2.25 kg chicken wings
  • 200 g sliced ham, for pizza toppings

Dairy & eggs

  • 8 large eggs (6 of them for yolks only)
  • 90 g unsalted butter
  • 250 ml whole milk
  • 950 ml heavy (whipping) cream
  • 250 ml buttermilk
  • 150 g sour cream
  • 300 g Greek or skyr-style yogurt
  • 150 g blue cheese
  • 500 g fresh mozzarella
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano (or a vegetarian hard cheese)

Pantry

  • 2 cans (400 g) whole peeled tomatoes
  • 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 kg '00' flour or bread flour
  • cornstarch (2 tbsp)
  • 450 g sugar
  • honey (1½ tsp)
  • 30 g golden or dark syrup
  • 300 g dark chocolate (65–70%)
  • 80 g cocoa powder
  • vanilla extract (2 tsp)
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 2 g instant yeast
  • baking powder (2 tbsp)
  • baking soda (2 tsp)
  • 70 g mayonnaise (or Mayonnaise)
  • 200 ml Louisiana-style hot sauce
  • 250 ml strong brewed coffee
  • 1 can (300 g) sweetcorn, for pizza toppings
  • candles
  • Pantry check: neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed), olive oil, extra-virgin olive oil, fine sea salt, black pepper

Spices

  • ground cumin (2 tsp)
  • smoked paprika (2 tsp)
  • garlic powder (1 tsp)