Fads that need to go away!
We were recently reading a Reader’s Digest article entitled “Make it stop! From E-lationships to television banner ads, these 31 fades have got to go”. We couldn’t help but poke fun of ourselves with this funny article written by Katie Workman, editor in chief of Cookstr.com.
“Food and Drink. Service with a Dollop of Air.”
Why are restaurant menus enumerating the pedigree of every ingredient in a dish, as well as its preperation method, infused with a few ultra-foodie terms just in case you weren’t confused enough? You won’t see Broiled Pork Chops on a menu. Instead, it’s Organic Heritage Pennslyvania Center-Cut Pork Loin Chop Broiled a la Plancha with Soubise of Toy Box Tomatoes, Hydroponic Watercress, Micro Arugula , accompanied by a Nougatine of Spring Onions, garnished with a Daikon Escabeche, topped with Prune Essence and Juniper Foam. Want fries with that?
Blue Cheese Walnut Cranberry Crostini Recipe
We have a recipe for a great holiday hors d’oeuvres that is both delicious and un-complicated! Your family and friends will be pleasantly surprised when they are served this impressive appetizer. The recipe can be manipulated in many different ways to make it your own, we have included a few of our ideas at the end of the recipe.
Bleu Cheese, Sundried Cranberry & Walnut Crostini
Directions
1 French baguette
½ Cup butter melted
Salt & Pepper
1 Cup Bleu cheese crumbles
1 Cup Sundried cranberries
1 Cup Toasted Walnuts
- 1. Slice French bread into ½ centimeter thick slices, (about 24). Freeze any unused baguette for future use i.e. breadcrumbs) brush with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake on sheet pans @ 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. May be stored in air tight bags 1 day ahead.
- 2. Gently mix bleu cheese crumbles, dried cranberries and walnuts in a bowl. Top each crostini with heaping teaspoon, full of mix.
- 3. Serve at room temperature.
Variations…
Drizzle with Balsamic reduction, just before serving.
Soak Cranberries overnight in Port.
Sub dried cherries for cranberries
Top with caramelized onions.
Place bleu cheese, cranberries & walnuts in your mixer, and add 8 oz. cream cheese. Mix until well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape into a bowl, surrounded by crostini and serve as a nice spread or addition to a cheese display
Fall Weddings!
I think fall weddings are my favorite. I love the warm colors, rustic flowers and décor. This past weekend, we catered a wedding at Lake of the Forest. This venue is rustic, with dark wood finish, huge windows overlooking the lake, and beautiful, old trees that were turning bright orange, brown and yellow.
We worked with the bride to keep the theme of her wedding flowing… autumn, elegant, warm and of course, beautiful. We used copper, wrought iron and chunky wood platters, chocolate brown, ivory and burnt orange linen. Gorgeous pumpkins of all sizes and colors (the groom’s family grew all of the pumpkins) were abound. The larger pumpkins were filled with flowers.
The bride and groom thought candied apples, wrapped in cellophane and ribbon, would be a fun surprise for the guests. We agreed! So, we melted dark chocolate, white chocolate, caramels and washed and dried our Granny Smith, Jonathon and Gala apples. We dipped, swirled, drizzled, rolled and sprinkled. They turned out beautifully! It was so much fun, I volunteered to dip apples with Brady and Wyatt’s (my 4 and 5 year old boys) preschool. This will either be a lot of fun, or some serious hair pulling. I will help them dip the apples in chocolate, and sprinkle with tiny marshmallow, rainbow sprinkles or cookie crumbs. I bet they go for all three!
Thanksgiving 2009
While thinking about what to blog for Thanksgiving, I had planned to write about my menu, my favorite traditions and maybe even some of my horror stories (even the best chef’s have them). But as I was thinking further, I realized what I was even more inclined to share was my profound gratitude for this past year.
As most of you know, we just passed our 1 year mark in business as Olive Events and Catering. While I have been in business for the last 9 years, Olive Events was at its inception. We sailed through a tough year! I am proud to be surrounded by such a loyal, positive, professional staff. They have carried on a level of professionalism and quality that I have always prided myself in. Their loyalty with me is priceless and appreciated more today than ever. They have remained positive throughout our transition. My staff makes coming to work an added plus to a job that I am already passionate about. I am thankful to our clients (both new and old) for making us an integral part of the success of their parties and events. I have enjoyed the continued relationship of my regular clients. And I have been thrilled with the new relationships that I have forged with my new clients. Finally, I am grateful for the relationships that I have with other industry vendors. It is a small community here in Kansas City and it is in these relationships that I am often in awe of the generous nature of the people in our city. My deepest gratitude to those who have continued to support me!
Now let me tell you what I am making for Thanksgiving! I am a chef after all…I have to boast…at least a little!
Flatbread with Artichokes, Roasted Red Peppers, and Parmesan
Cheese Display with Cured Meats
Roasted Turkey with Pancetta Sage Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Oven Roasted Baby Carrots and Turnips with White Balsamic Reduction
Cranberries with Citrus and Ginger
Mixed Green Salad with Drunken Cranberries, Bleu Cheese Crumbles and Candied Walnuts
Cornbread Pudding with Scallions
Homemade Rolls with Whipped Butter
Then I am sending everyone home with a Kentucky Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Tart with Caramel Sauce
Cheers Everyone…Happy Holidays!
Mexican-Spiced Almonds, Peanuts, and Pumpkin Seeds
Mexican-Spiced Almonds, Peanuts, and Pumpkin Seeds
4 1/2 ounces sliced almonds
3 ounces roasted unsalted shelled peanuts
1 ounce raw pumpkin seeds
Spice Mix:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Glaze:
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. LIne rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread almonds in even layer. Toast 4 minutes, rotate pan; add peanuts and pumpkin seeds, spreading in even layer. Continue to roast until fragrant and color deepens slightly, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer cookie sheet with nuts to wire rack.
2. For the spice mix: While nuts and seeds are toasting, stir together sugar, salt, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and garlic powder in medium bowl; set aside.
3. For the glaze: Bring water, brown sugar, and butter to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Stir in toasted nuts and seeds and cook, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until nuts are shiny and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 1 1/2 minutes.
4. Transfer glazed nuts to bowl with spice mix; toss well to coat. Return glazed and spiced nuts to parchment-lined cookie sheet to cool (can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days).
Fall in Kansas City!!
Don’t you just love fall in Kansas City? You know it is here that morning you wake up and the sound of the breeze through the trees is crisp and almost musical. There is that subtle excitement of pulling out the boots and sweaters and putting away the shorts and flip flops. We also feel the excitement here in the kitchen. We can put away the summer menus until next year and pull out our fall menus. Gazpacho soup shooters are replaced with Roasted Butternut Squash soup shooters.
This last weekend we had a wedding reception at the Arts Incubator and our Bride and Groom were not only excited about working closely with us to customize their menu to reflect their personalities, but were eager to challenge us to prepare their menu with only local product. We love a challenge!
We set out to find a farmer who could supply us with the meat we needed. We needed duck for their Sweet Potato Crisp with Local Maple Glazed Duck and Pomegranate Syrup. We needed pork for their Pulled Pork Sandwiches (the pork was braised in Apple Cider scented with cinnamon and caramelized onions). And we needed beef for their Gnocchi with Braised Short Rib Ragout with Organic Tomatoes, Pancetta, and Caramelized Onions.
So we packed the crew up for a field trip and headed out to the Bryant Family Farms in Leavenworth County. What a treat for everyone. There are goats and chickens everywhere. They pride themselves on raising their cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys free of hormones and antibiotics. They are grass fed and pasture raised. You can also purchase goat’s milk on the farm. We encourage everyone to check out Bryant Family Farms!
The party was fantastic. We were stopped frequently to hear how fabulous the food was. This is the kind of event that makes us shine. We shared in the same “buy local” philosophy that our client believed. They challenged us with the menu and we believe we were able to customize a one of a kind food experience that played a major part in a very successful party.
Bryant Family Farm pulled pork sandwiches with a fig compote.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarlets with Port Soaked Figs
Warm Spicy Tomato dip Topped with Goat Cheese and served with Garlic Crostini
Chicken coop at Bryant Family Farm
Roberts' family at the farm.
Corporate Catering, Palm Pre Launch Party
We created the menu for the Palm Pre Launch Party that was held in 10 cities nationwide. In Kansas City, the party was held at Sprint Studio. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse was on site giving interviews to local media, and talking to customers who preregistered to buy the newest phone. Cheifs players Dwayne Bowe and Matt Cassel were at the event signing autographs for the guests. What a nice way to treat your account holders.
Caprese Skewers Drizzled with Orange Olive Oil
Sun-Dried Tomato Palmiers
Smokey Tomato & Corn Bruschetta with Bacon
Petite Black Bean Tacos with Mango Creme Fraiche and Pico de Gallo
Wedding Reception, Summer Dinner Menu
We recently catered a wedding reception at The Sawyer Room, with a twist on the traditional summer wedding menu. The bride and groom wanted a southwest flair, that would appeal to all of their guests. The bride chose a fun way to incorporate her color’s into the event menu.
Event Menu
Guests were greeted with a Shrimp Tostada with Guacamole & Pico de Gallo
Summer Buffet Style Dinner
Corporate Anniversary Party
We helped to coordinate this corporate anniversary party, with the corporate event planner. We can handle all of the details from the floral design to ice sculptures. We had four different stations of food, to keep the guests entertained during the evening. We had a Bruschetta Station, Carving Station, Pasta Station and a Petite Dessert Station. It was a fun way to celebrate 20 years of success for Touchnet!
Ice Display created by Cool Carvings
Bruschetta Station with Large Floral Display coordinated with Company Colors
House Made Strawberry Shortcakes in Mini Martini Glasses