smallpleasurescateringblog

Stacked Crepe Cake- Part 2 in a Series

Stacked Crêpe Cake

I first was introduced to this lush and tasty crepe cake over 25 years ago while taking classes at Peter Kump's New York Cooking School. When I was looking for a new dish last fall, to spruce up a client's annual Post-Thanksgving Brunch, I reached back in the annals of my memory for this truly special occasion dish. It's elegant showstopper on a holiday brunch buffet (hint-since we're approaching Spring, it'd be great for an Easter brunch), but you don't have to wait for a party to serve it. It would be great served for an intimate supper, too, with a salad of mixed baby greens alongside.

Crepes- First in a Series-Mushroom Stuffed Crepes with Mexican Sabor

Mushroom Stuffed Crêpes                                                                               BWN4YQJ6V87X

Crêpes feel like a special occasion dish, and often a crêpe bar is requested for weddings or special occasion parties.

They're wonderfully versatile. They can be rolled and stuffed with cheese, seafood, spinach or mushrooms (as in this delicious recipe), or all of the above for that matter. They can be stacked into a fancy crêpe "cake" with luscious fillings spread between the layers, or simply folded on a plate and sauced or served with berries and whipped cream. And, of course, crêpes are the basis for one of my favorite brunch dishes, Blintzes.

They can go sweet or savory, as large as a dinner plate, or cut into minis for cute little tray passed hors d'ouevre.

Over the next few posts, at this blog and my painperdublog, I'll be sharing some favorite crêpe preparations, beginning with these very special Mushroom Crêpes with Mexican Sabor, adapted from Patricia Tausend's great cookbook, Savoring Mexico: Recipes and Reflections on Mexican Cooking, flavored with cilantro and chiles. I know it's not what most of us in So Cal think of as Mexican food, but it's not that odd, really. The French were in Mexico for quite a while, during the colonial era, and being lovers of good food, well, it's no wonder the Mexican people incorporated crêpes into their cuisine.

And while some may try to present crêpes as being intimidating to make, they are really quite simple. I've had my friend Kenneth tape me making them, so you can see for yourself.

By the way, they would make a perfect dish for an intimate little Valentine's dinner. Keep reading below for the recipe and the video...

Appetizers to Pair with an Artisan American Whiskey and Pulled Pork on Sweet Potato Biscuits

Mini Sweet Potato Biscuits with Pulled Pork in Barbecue Sauce

 

Small Pleasures was hired recently to cater the VIP reception of the HP Lovecraft Film Festival. The bar was to be provided by Bowen Spirits, artisan creator of a new American whiskey. My client asked if we could create hors d’oeuvre that would pair well with the whiskey. Well, I don’t really drink whiskey, but a creative challenge always makes my job more interesting. And besides, I am a Southerner at heart, so...

My thoughts pretty quickly went to corn, sweet potatoes, pork, barbecue- you know, things like that. We ended up adding three passed hors d’oeuvre to the fruit, cheese and bruschetta display- a Jerk Chicken served with Tamarind Chutney, small plates of Grilled Corn Salad with Goat Cheese and Avocados, and Mini Sweet Potato Biscuits with Pulled Pork in Barbecue Sauce. Fortunately for me, I had just received a sample of KC Masterpiece’s Southern Style Barbecue Sauce. I mixed it half and half with KC Masterpiece’s Original Barbecue Sauce, to suit my taste-a combination of sweet and hot. And I used the tried and true All-South Barbecue Spice Rub to season the pork shoulder, which I slow cooked on a big barrel grill. The representatives from Bowen’s loved the menu, and I can safely say, it was a hit, greatly enjoyed by all. Recipe follows:

Break Out the Grill-Barbecue Chicken with All South Spice Rub

 The Labor Day weekend is just beginning, and here in L.A., the sun is just breaking through the clouds to brighten up the day. It won't be long before the grills start rolling out here, where outdoor cooking is a way of life.

All good grillers, of course, have their own special marinades and rubs. I, for several years, have sworn by a dry rub recipe from John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger’s cookbook The Thrill of the Grill. Dry rubs allows for a crispy crust on the meat-which I love-and doesn’t necessarily require long marinating, although you can leave it on for several hours before cooking if desired. But even rubbed on for just an hour beforehand will do wonders for your grilled chicken or meat (yep- it can be used on poultry, steaks, brisket, ribs, pork butt-just about anything you want to barbecue). And a dry rub won’t leave your meat with the spongy texture that sometimes occurs with long wet marinading. Of course, you can always customize your dry rub, adding more sugar, garlic powder, cumin, or whatever to suit your taste. Beware, though, the sugar tends to burn quickly, so cook your meat over indirect heat, as is proper with barbecuing, anyway.

Ah- and one last thing, I always use a metal chimney, available at most any grocery or drug store this time of year, stuffed with newspapers to start my fire. They’re very inexpensive, last forever, and are so much easier on the environment than lighter fluid. Recipe follows:

 

More Summer Grilling Pan Asian Style-Hoisin Marinated Steak Salad with Asian Vegetables

Hoisin Marinated Steak Salad

As  I mentioned in the last post, I recently put together a Father's Day Party grilled menu for a family who loves to vacation in Hawaii. So when Collective Bias offered the opportunity to join in Smart and Final's  #GrillUpYourSummer event by creating a summer grilling recipe using Cattlemen's Finest Beef, I jumped at the chance. An Asian Steak Salad, would be a perfect counterpoint to the Grilled Rock Cod on the menu, I  thought. And who doesn't love a  Ribeye steak on the grill. It's a sure sign of summer in So Cal.

I have to acknowledge that I was inspired in the creation of this salad by Hugh Carpenter's Pacific Flavors: Thai and Chinese Cooking for an American Kitchen , a cookbook I've turned to many times over the 20+ years since I discovered it. Carpenter taught me that hoisin sauce makes for a wonderful marinade that stands up so well to grilled beef, and that there are many wonderful variations one can make into an Asian style salad. I highly recommend a look at his book.

 BTW, this recipe is submitted in the Smart & Final Grill Up Your Summer contest. You may visit http://www.GrillUpYourSummer.com and vote for this recipe, if you like ;-)  By voting and entering your information, you will be entered to win a $50 Smart & Final gift card AND a Weber 220 grill!

This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #collectivebias.

Recipe follows...

Summer Grilling Pan Asian Style-Grilled Rock Cod with Thai Red Curry Sauce

Grilled Rock Cod with Thai Red Curry Sauce

Last summer I was privileged to cater a wedding party for the daughter of my long time friend and brilliant artist Keith. Keith is of Hawaiian ethnicity, so it was a wonderfully fun challenge to build a menu of Pan Asian foods.  So when a client, who happens to love and spend a lot of time in Hawaii, called to say she wanted to throw an outdoor Father’s Day party recently, I was eager to incorporate some of the dishes (along with a great new one I will share next time) from Aaron and Alison’s wedding.

Keith and I informally collaborated on this dish. We were looking for a reasonably priced  fish to serve, as the ever party ready Salmon has risen so much in price recently. Keith suggested Rock Cod, which I knew by another name- Pacific Red Snapper (don’t ask me why these fishes are marketed under multiple names). Keith also made the marinade, which was delicious, and paired so well with a favorite sauce of mine from a chef I have long admired, Roy Yamaguchi of Hawaii, a pioneering chef in Pan Asian cuisine. By the way, I was a very lucky lady, and got to interview Roy recently when he visited the Palm Desert Food and Wine Festival. You can read what Roy had to say at my LA Food Examiner column by cliking on the link above.

I hope you’ll give this wonderful dish a try soon. You don’t have to wait for Father’s Day, or a wedding party. It’ll make a great addition to any summer outdoor gathering.

 

More Summer Garden Party-Simple Canapés

Jarlsberg Vegetable Canapés

I hope you've been following the summer garden party series created to highlight Jarlsberg- the mild and nutty flavored Norwegian cheese. 

Last, but not least, are these lovely little vegetable canapés to offer guests, as they arrive, to nibble on, with a glass of bubbly or a cup of punch, and while the rest of the meal is getting its last minute touches. As with all the other summer garden party recipes we've, these simple, yet elegant canapés travel easily from brunch straight into the cocktail hour (and, of course, they're great for a tea party, too). Here I've chosen Roma tomatoes, steamed asparagus tips, and thinly sliced grilled zucchini as the toppings, but like the frittatas, the toppings are limited only by your imagination. A trip through your local farmer's market will offer produce like French breakfast radishes, watercress and cucumbers to star on these little bites. You can also use smoked salmon, bay shrimp, prosciutto, a bit of tapenade-whatever you like-and garnish with a sprig of fresh herbs.  Recipe and directions follow:

Summer Garden Parties- Two Vegetable Frittatas Using Summer's Bounty

Southwestern Shiitake and Corn Frittata

Frittatas, which are essentially an open faced omelette, are an extremely versatile and inexpensive dish for entertaining. Frittatas can be made with all sorts of fillings. Throw in your favorite vegetables, perhaps a bit of bacon, ham or sausage, a great cheese or two-and voilá. I even had someone tell me recently he had made a corned beef and cabbage frittata. I don’t know how I feel about that one, but you get my point. The only limit is your imagination.

They can be baked and served hot out of the oven, or made ahead of time and reheated. They’re even good at room temperature. And like the other items in our summer garden party menu, they move well from brunch to lunch, and even into a light supper menu. They can be baked in a pie dish and cut into wedges, or in a rectangular baking dish and cut into individual bites of any shape you like with a knife or cookie cutter.

For our summer garden party, I’ve cooked up a couple frittatas with some of my favorite summer vegetables- a Southwestern Shiitake Mushroom and Corn, and a Ratatouille, both of which showcase summer’s bountiful crop. You'll find the recipes on the following page:

Shiitake and Corn Frittata Bites with Tomatillo Avocado Salsa

Recipes follow:

More Summer Garden Party Bites-Jarlsberg and Hazelnut Biscuits with Black Forest Ham

Jarlsberg and Hazelnut Biscuits with Black Forest Ham

 

I'm a Southerner, originally, so have always loved buttermilk biscuits. I'm pretty sure, however, that you don't have to have Southern roots to love biscuits. I worked in a catering kitchen in New York, many years back-with a chef from San Francisco, where we regularly made little biscuits as a base for canapé type sandwiches, which travel well from brunch all the way through cocktail parties. I learned there that an array of herbs, nuts and cheeses can be added to biscuits to create a wonderful variety of flavors.

Jarlsberg is a sweetly nutty cheese, so when thinking about flavors that would complement it, I hit upon the idea of hazelnuts, also nutty in a sweet kind of way ;-) I happen to think they are a great match. And sandwiching them with thin slices of Black Forest Ham and Honey Mustard (you may also add another slice of Jarlsberg to the sandwich, if you like) well that's a no brainer. Recipe follows...

And please visit the other Jarlsberg Summer Garden Party posts:

 Summer Garden Party- and a Recipe for Salmon Cakes

Something Old, Something New-Jarlsberg Stuffed Shrimp Cakes

Summer Garden Parties- and a Recipe for Salmon Cakes

Fresh Salmon Cakes with Gribiche

Summer is almost here, and it’s the time we love to take our dining outdoors. I was recently asked by Jarlsberg USA to create a menu for an outdoor garden party, an opportunity which I, of course, jumped at.

Outdoor garden parties are great for many occasions- an at home wedding, a graduation or anniversary party, bridal or baby showers. They’re versatile.

This menu is versatile, too. My client and I started out thinking brunch, but really, it can travel into lunch, and even an early dinner meal with a bit of adapting.

I created a menu opening with canapés spread with a base of Snofrisk, a lovely cream cheese like product of Jarlsberg’s made with goat’s milk cheese and cow’s milk cream, covered with a thin slice of Jarlsberg and topped with various vegetables. The main event- a couple of tasty frittatas, Jarlsberg and Hazelnut Buttermilk Biscuits sandwiched with thinly sliced Black Forest Ham and Honey Mustard. And the star of the show- these wonderful Fresh Salmon Cakes. If you’re serving it for brunch, add the great Shiitake and Jarlsberg Stuffed French Toast from our last post. For lunch or dinner- add a wonderful salad or two. And for tea time or happy hour, make the biscuits minis and cut the frittatas into individual bites- circles, squares, diamonds- it’s your choice.

I’ll be sharing some of the other recipes over the next few weeks, so please come back and take a look. For now, I’ll start with these yummy (if I do say so myself) Fresh Salmon Cakes. Serve them with one of my favorites, Gribiche- a wonderful alternative to Tartar Sauce. Recipe follows...