Cake Lollipops…Is the cupcake dead?
A big trend right now are cake “lollipops” or “cake pops”. They are tiny, cute, fun and tasty!
Will the cupcake survive this trend? Will “cake pop” stores start popping up all over the midwest? Will there be lollipop wars? I doubt it, but I think they will be around for a while.
Tamarind Barbeque Chicken with Thai Basil Puree in Savory Cones
While on a trip to New York, we experienced a fantastic little appetizer… Tamarind Barbeque Chicken with Thai Basil Puree in Savory Cones. I immediately began working on replicating the flavors.
I roasted a whole, organic, free-range chicken and pulled all the meat from the bone (I then started to prepared chicken stock with the bones, no canned stock for us, thank you!).
For the tamarind barbeque sauce, I mixed tamarind paste with honey, chile garlic paste, cilantro, garlic, hoisin, ginger and chives. Turned out sweet and tangy all at once.
The thai basil puree is pretty simple, basil, garlic, scallion and parsley pureed with a little canola, lime zest and salt.
An easy way to serve this appetizer, would be to fry wontons, top it with the chicken,drizzle with a little basil puree and top it with either a cilantro sprig or fresh chives.
One of the best things about being a caterer is playing with our food! We are going to be experimenting this week with cake “lollipops”. We are catering an event for Children’s Mercy Hospital, and thought they would be whimsical and cheery. We’ll keep you posted.
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!
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.
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
Summer Wedding Celebration
We created the menu for this wedding reception with a unique Hawaiian flair. The couple had gotten married in Hawaii in the spring, and wanted to bring the taste of Hawaii to their guests. The food was delicious on a hot summer’s night.
Buffet Table with Large Floral Display
Small Imported & Domestic Cheese Display with Assorted Crackers Featuring Triple Creme Brie with Housemade Strawberry Balsamic Jam
Crudites
Sweet & Sticky Chicken Skewers on a bed of Cooling Asian Slaw
Seasonal Spring Hors d’oeuvres
These are some nice seasonal hors d’oeuvres to have at a spring event. We served these last week at a wedding reception, and they were a hit!
Brie with Apricot Jam and Blackberries
Farm Fresh Asparagus with Nicoise Olive Viniagrette and Parmesan Curls
Beef Crostini with White Truffle Oil Drizzle
Signature Colors-How to have fun with your signature color!
We had a busy weekend. We wanted to share some of the pictures that we took of our food. The bride’s signature colors were chocolate brown and tiffany blue. Here are some examples of fun ways to incorporate your colors into your event.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Blue Cream Cheese Frosting and Chocolate Covered Espresso Bean
Bluetinis!