What To Do in Armonk, Bedford & Chappaqua

I was asked in the bleak days of January to come up with some menus for a Memorial Day Celebration for the What To Do guide that just came out and is distributed in Bedford, Armonk & Chappaqua, so I surrounded myself with flags, sang I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy and got typing. I know May is still a bit away but there really is no time like the present to begin planning a party! Look for the guide in your mailbox, it is packed with useful information. In the days ahead I will post the decor ideas they requested as well.

The Traditionalist
· Burgers
· Hot Dogs
· Three Bean Salad
· Cole Slaw
· Potato Salad
· Watermelon
· Lemonade
The Traditionalist with a Twist
· Blue Cheese Filled Burgers with a Chipotle Sauce
· Portobello Burgers with Red Pepper Mayonnaise
· Tuna Burgers with Sweet Ginger Sauce
· Turkey Burgers stuffed with Goat Cheese and a Lemon Thyme Mayonnaise
· Grilled Hot Dogs with Red Onion Mango Relish
· Shrimp & Crabmeat Rolls
· Green & Wax Bean Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Mint & Oil Cured Black Olives
· Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Wasabi Dressing
· Red Potato & Fresh Pea Salad
· Watermelon, Lemon & Blueberry Ice Pops
Ginger Splash (a sweet ginger“ade”)

The Sophisticated Gathering
· Grilled Chimichurri marinated Flank Steak
· Rotisserie Roasted Rib Rubbed Boneless Pork Loin
· Grilled Vegetables with Fresh Mozzarella
· Orange, Fennel & Watercress Salad
· Panzenella (an Italian bread salad)
· Red, White & Blueberry Ginger Shortcakes
· Lime Rickey’s

A Girl & Her Pearls

Molecular Gastronomy! I have run from this with all my might and have been converted! Andy Snow, from Feastivities in Philadelphia gave an amazing seminar on food trends at the Catersource conference. When I realized that this new culinary trend is taking natural compounds and applying them to food in a different way, well my eyes flew open and I purchased a starter kit and believe me this is just the beginning.

First we are going to give you girls PEARLS! Yep, little bursts of flavor to top your hors d'oeuvres. One compound that is derived from calcium is added to the sauce, the sauce is strained to become a clear liquid and then put through a device that looks like it belongs in a DNA lab. This then gets put into a solution of mostly water and a compound that is derived from seaweed. The sauce forms a hardened exterior keeping the interior liquid so that it bursts when bitten. No more sloppy dripping sauces and an exciting presentation and eating experience.

The next mad scientist experiment we will conduct is mozzarella balloons, an incredibly fun way to update the Caprese Salad. Oh and did I mention these new treatments will add nothing, not one cent, to the bottom line? Excited guests, you being first on the block AND keeping your money where you need it these days, in your wallet!

Won Ton Cup Recipe

Won Ton Cups

This idea began as a recipe in Gourmet magazine a couple of years ago. We adapted it and have turned this into one of our pantry staples. A “go to” item that we can change around at will.

The following recipe and photos will hopefully get you on your way!

Lobster Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

It is Superbowl weekend and Josh asked me to post the Lobster Macaroni & Cheese recipe. Not your standard Superbowl fare but certainly a dish that will be remembered for years to come! Oh, and don’t forget to check out the Puppy Bowl with Feline Halftime Show on the Animal Channel! : )

This football cake was designed by a bride and groom for a very untraditional twist on the wedding cake. There are no rules!!!

Lobster Macaroni & Cheese - Can feed 6 to 8 people

Ingredients:

· I like a pasta that is tubular for this- cellentini, orrechetti, shells work nicely.
· 6 – 8 ounces o f good white semi soft cheese that is not too strong. Fontina, Fontinella, Bel Paese, Havarti, Port Salute, Muenster- use your own taste buds to guide you

MY TIP: there are always odd ends of cheese that are destined for the trash if I don’t save them from that fate. I trim them and wrap them well and pop them into ziplocks labeled soft, semi soft, hard and then pull them out as a recipe calls for them.
· ¼ + cup White Wine
· ¾ - 1 quart Heavy Cream or Half and Half
· 1 – 2# cooked Lobster Meat (can also use crab meat) cut into large chunks
· About ¼ cup Shallots (or onions, green onions, leeks, if you don’t have shallots)
· Some butter
· Sale & White Pepper
· Chopped Chives (Optional)
· Buttered bread crumbs (Optional)
· Buttered Baking Dish

Cream sauce:
Sauté chopped shallots (or substitute) in small amount of butter till soft and translucent-don’t let them brown. Add most of the heavy cream (or half and half) and reduce by ¼ over medium heat to thicken slightly. Add wine (to your taste), bring back to a simmer and slowly, constantly stirring, add small amounts of the chunked cheese to the sauce, incorporating each addition completely before adding more.

Taste this as you go along. If you think you would like more cheese, add more cheese. Season LIGHTLY with a bit of salt and a bit of white pepper. You can even add the barest touch of cayenne or mustard here.

Pull this off the heat and strain into a clean container. SAUCE CAN BE MADE AHEAD at this point. If making ahead, cover the sauce with plastic wrap and cool down as quickly as possible.

To assemble:

Cook your pasta, I like to cook mine REALLY, REALLY al dente in liberally salted water. To where there is a real crack when you bite into it for these baked dishes. The pasta holds its integrity and does not become mush.

Combine sauce and pasta, mix well. Mix in your lobster meat, the optional chives and turn into your buttered baking dish. THIS CAN BE MADE AHEAD AT THIS POINT.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Top with optional buttered bread crumbs (or not). Bake till bubbly. This can be anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on how big the baking dish is, how deep the mixture is loaded, how accurate your oven is.

A word about the lobster meat. Most of us in my area are lucky enough to have outstanding markets all over that always seem to have freshly cooked lobster meat available on a regular basis. If you are not that lucky, grab some tails and poach them off in a court bouillon. Chill them, and pull the meat out. The shells can be saved to make lobster bisque out of but that is another recipe for another day. Frozen lobster meat is available and can be used and the last choice is canned.

Court bouillon: peeled onion, leeks, a carrot, fresh fennel, bay leaf, peppercorns, white wine, lemon juice and water brought to boil to extract the flavor and strained. Keep the liquid from having too much green color to preserve the color of the seafood.

A word about buttered bread crumbs: I love the bit of crunch on top of a classic mac & cheese but this dish deserves a little more. Use hand grated larger crumbs from a terrific loaf of bread. Again, rescue that bit of bread you were going to feed to the birds (give them the crusts-what do they know) and store those crumbs in the freezer, tightly wrapped.

A Swellegant Birthday

As with everything in life it takes all kinds, this past week end I had the best of that. The call for this event came in just prior to Christmas about the clients 40th birthday. Something elegant, soignée, I labeled it swellegant and we went on to the planning. Miss M, the birthday girl, choose a substantial menu of passed hors d’oeuvres and wanted a trio of cakes to end with a celebratory note. I called upon one of the bakers we use regularly because of her very fresh ways of decorating and her very tasty cakes.

Erin McGinn (www.cakeflourllc.com) made the delivery at the appointed hour and they were above and beyond all expectations. Seems our budding entrepreneur had time on her hands and her creative juices were flowing, not willing to let an opportunity go by, Miss McGinn went to town on our order turning the request for simple layer cakes into something truly memorable. Upon seeing the cakes the design idea for the stationary display completely changed. We took Lucite boxes, filled them with new pairs of the hostesses own shoes, small light packs and roses, taking a minimalist (for us anyway!) approach to make the cakes the feature throughout the night rather than bring them out just for dessert.

Our hostess/birthday girl has a Parson’s design background which was evident throughout her newly renovated home. Miss M choose warm toned roses, vases of flowering quince and many many candles to create an ambiance that spoke of the January evening. Her husband, extremely knowledgeable in wines and spirits, added to the evening with signature cocktails prepared by a master mixologist and rare cordials to complement the cakes. A truly unforgettable evening.

Here is Miss M’s menu:

Stationary Display

Baked Brie with Dried Fruits and Nuts
Crudites with Orange Feta Dip, Smoked Cheddar Bacon Dip & Fresh Herb Dip
International Cheeses with Seasonal Fruits, Dried Fruits, Breads & Crackers featuring Stilton and Parmesan

Passed Hors D'ouerves

Baby Lamb Chops with a Spicey Mint marinade and served with Dried Cherry Chili Chutney Dipping Sauce
Bacon Grissini
Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade
Goat Cheese "Quenelles", Figs & Honey Glazed Pecans on Endive Petals
Shrimp & Sesame Sticks with a Sweet Dipping Sauce
Smoked Salmon on Black Bread
Sweet Potato Fritters with Pear Chutney
Zucchini Pancakes with Basil Chive Cream
Sliced Beef Tenderloin with Arugula Horseradish Cream

Desserts

A Lemon Cake, A Mocha Cake & a Coconut Cake.

My Top Ten Ways of Stretching Your Food Dollars

My Top Ten



Everyone knows, times are hard and your wedding is stressful enough without worrying if your guests are thoroughly pampered within your budget. When we are in times of plenty we can let our imaginations stagnate and go for the tried and true, the obvious luxury and the no holds barred approach. As we all feel the economy tighten, a bit of a panic sets in, we want to spoil our guests AND not break the bank! Here are ten of my money saving tips for your food dollar:

1. Take those high end items and stretch them out! Items like shrimp can become an ingredient and still play that lux card without breaking the bank. Shrimp, for instance can become a filling in a cocktail hour quesadilla. Lobster can be turned into a decadent and very au courant Lobster Macaroni Cheese first course or small plate.

2. EVERYONE loves cheese. Shredded, melted, crumbled and put out in large pieces, cheese makes a big hit. On your grazing table for the cocktail hour, ask the caterer to use larger pieces of cheese, understanding the caterer will be taking them back at the end of the event, ask for a price break. Adding cheese like crumbled feta to a roasted pepper croustade elevates the item, gives a deeper satisfaction for the guest in terms of richness and is a less expensive alternative to a protein.

3. While we are talking hors d’oeurves. Vegetable based hors d’oeurves will get you more bang for your buck. Be judicious when selecting the proteins and let the caterer lead you in tasty, satisfying vegetable based choices. A sweet potato fritter is one of the big hits here, a quesadilla filled with pear and brie is luxuriously sensual and satisfying, small wonton cups filled with caponata or avocado. Want to ramp that one up? Top it with a little crab meat! Want to splurge? Give the guests some filet on a croustade with some Dijon sauce, need to cut back a bit, a Chimichurri beef satay will give the same beef satisfaction with a less direct hit on the budget.

4. Think outside the box on your middle of the plate protein! Instead of thinking only filet mignon or prime rib of beef for your dinner, think about the wonderful bistro type cuts. These cuts are delicious, add a touch of the gourmet to your menu and save you money (for the dress?). Tri Tip, flat iron steak, and my favorite, hanger steaks are a few that can be sauced and treated just like their expensive cousins but keep that bottom line from getting out of hand.

5. While we are on the main course, the fish….does it have to be salmon? Have you ever left a wedding of a friend and said to your fiancée “That would have been a terrific evening IF ONLY they had served salmon.” No you have not and neither will your guests! Try a Basa or the new “it” fish Tra, with a vegetable and herb stuffing on top and a sauce beneath. Gives color to the plate, is very delicious and no guest will think anything but what an imaginative couple you both are!

6. First courses can really run up the bill in a couple of ways. First the obvious, the food. Then there is another plate to rent if you are going off premise and then there is the time factor. Why not extend the cocktail hour? Send the soup out in shooter glasses, pasta on small plates or even Asian soup spoons. Keeps the party lively and moving, guests get their first course without even realizing it!

7. The cake. I love a wedding cake. The bigger the better BUT that can run into some major dollars, especially for a delicious cake, and would you want to serve your guests anything else? Get a smaller wedding cake, something that reflects both of your styles and have a larger sheet cake in the back to serve everyone. This works for the caterer as well as the sheet cake can be pre sliced when the time comes; your guests are served cake in a very timely manner.

8. Adding things to dessert seems to be an area where budgets can get blown apart. Cookies on the table, bowls of fruit, mountains of miniature pastry. Have the caterer place one cookie, like a biscotti or a pirouline, next to the coffee cup when coffee is served, there are your cookies. Place a few seasonal berries on the cake plate with a drizzle of raspberry sauce. Do you see how you are controlling the portion size per guest? If I hadn’t mentioned that yet, that is key to saving the dollars. The guest still gets the item and you get to keep your costs in line.

9. The Chocolate Fountain. Seems like everyone wants one of these now and let me give you a heads up on this one. First, renting the fountain is expensive; a few hundred dollars just for the equipment and these fountains are notorious for not working. Second, the worst chocolate is used because the lowest quality chocolate has a high oil content and that melts the best for these things. UGH! Why not have a little chocolate fondue for each table? A small silver bowl with a blend of high quality dark and milk chocolates (my choice!), heated just so and placed on a charger with some berries (instead of on the cake plate), some biscotti (instead of on the coffee saucer) and some skewers or small forks. No stampede to the fountain and a truly memorable chocolate experience.

10. Stations. You need to be a little careful when doing stations, action stations require more personnel which turns into a higher labor cost BUT these stations can be set up to be nearly self serviced and just maintained by already existing waitstaff. For instance, an Asian Station can have all the items in tiny take out containers complete with chopsticks. No chef at the station, no plates to rent, no person in the back to handle those plates coming and going and your guests are still enjoying their Beef & Broccoli, Pad Thai, Lemon Chicken and Fortune Cookies! Win-win.

MY BONUS TIP!
11. Finally, a word about how unseen costs are passed on to you. Tastings have become de rigueur in the last decade but please keep in mind that these cost money and time for your caterer. While you may not realize it, that cost is being passed on to you somehow. The same goes for the client who needs to call and email every thought. This takes the caterer’s time and the possibility exists that cost is going to be passed on to you too. Be considerate of your vendors time and that these tough economic times are hitting them hard too. If you work with the vendor, believe me, they will work with you!


Really talk honestly to your vendors. Determine your budget; share that with your vendor up front so your time and their time is not wasted on the initial pie in the sky proposal. If the proposal comes in too high after that, ask where costs can be trimmed. Most catering professionals, vendors with a proven track record, really want to work with you to give you the event of your dreams within your budget BUT they cannot read your mind or see into your checkbook, you must tell them your parameters.

Finally, remember this day is about something larger than what your guests will eat. Keep your fiancée as the focus and this will be an event all guests will talk about for years to come.