|
I love love, and weddings are a beautiful time to witness this expression - the union of two people, surrounded by their loved ones, and joined into holy matrimony. Weddings just give me the feels! Although I was not able to participate or attend the Till's wedding, being able to cater their special day, catering the rehearsal dinner and day-after brunch was equally just as special. The fun couple wanted to keep the vibe low-key and host the meals in their home. We decided on a Chipotle-inspired Cantina Taco Bar for the rehearsal dinner and an American Country cuisine with French notes for brunch. See below for both menus. The dishes were created to align with gluten-free and dairy free dietary choices. (No life-threatening conditions; mild reactions to the specific proteins and thus abstinence from their ingestion.) The kitchen was beautiful and enjoyable to work in; boasting a gorgeous grey-veined white marble island and herringbone tiled backsplash. The amount of counter space tickled me pink (so much room for activities), and the double ovens were dreamy. But the best part was the people. A wonderful bunch that were so welcoming, I began to feel like family. Such a love-filled occasion and it was an absolute joy to have shared a part in it. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Till! <3  Chipotle-inspired Cantina Bar
 American Country with a Touch of French
0 Comments
 It was a delight to cater to Adora POS at Folsom Lake Picnic area on Sunday, September 15th. Even Mother Nature was excited for the occasion and we were *ahem* blessed with a generous amount of wind. The overcast morning skies helped with UV protection but also made for quite a chilly day, given the time of year. The blustery conditions were not anticipated so quick-thinking and resourceful reroutes were in full-swing. Thanks to a handy propane torch and a dedicated crew, we were able to keep the charcoal burning and churning out delish grilled goodies including tender, marinaded chicken drumsticks. The company's founders have an affinity for Persian cuisine so we opted for a BBQ fusion approach to the menu, which included:
Anticipating 75 people, this was the biggest group I'd catered to yet. And along with it came a bounty of lessons. I had many key take-aways that will last through my culinary lifetime - menu editing, acknowledging personal bandwidth and production capacities, and event site assessment. I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to learn these things still early on in my food-preneurship. Another one for the books! It is so beautiful to hear people's stories, and to witness their growth and evolution. I enjoy the opportunity to help support people nutritionally while they undergo powerful moments in their healing journeys. Food is medicine, a medium I use to carry out my energy work. Each ingredient is a vessel for magic, healing through nourishment. It is fun to witness a menu come together, especially when energy work is involved. Ingredients and dishes will call to me. Often times I'll pack an ingredient last minute because something tells me I'm going to need it. Only to hear people admit that a dish brings back fond memories, or is their favorite thing to eat. And I just have to smile because "I know". I mean I don't know-know, but I knew and I know - something communicated to me that it was of importance and needed to be. It's a fun and rewarding challenge to curate these menus. This group adheres to a special dietary protocol referred to as a 'dieta'. The mindfulness of certain ingredients is to best support the healing work they do during the retreat. With a foundation of vegetarian fare, little to no oil is used, no nightshades. low to no sugar (natural or otherwise) / minimal glycemic load, no beans. no tomatoes/acidic, no peppers/spicy, no overripe avocado, no processed foods (including tofu). Think: easy to digest, close to natural form as possible, Whole 30-ish approach. The butternut squash I had chosen for the Curried Butternut Squash Soup was on the large size. I wanted to make sure I had enough for what the recipe called for - ¾ lb, or 12 oz. I ended up having extra so I decided to roast it with some basic olive oil, salt and pepper, and I am glad I did! Despite following the ingredient quantities of the recipe, the resulting pureed soup was much thinner than desired and needed additional squash puree to thicken it up. The roasted flavor of the extra squash that I made added a nice depth to the final product and helped balance the pungent fresh ginger and garlic spicey-ness. The result was a perfectly thickened pureed soup full of flavor. The garnishes of greek yogurt, paprika, olive oil, and green onion really tied all the flavors together. The crunch of the green onion gave a nice texture component to the creaminess of the soup. The only possible ingredient that could have been allergy-related was the coconut milk which can be easily substituted for another plant milk and maintain the vegan dynamic of this delicious soup.  I didn’t have tahini on-hand so I substituted for cashew butter, which I ended up making myself (it was very easy and came out super creamy and tasty!).
I also had brown lentils on-hand so opted to use those versus purchasing black. Although using seasonal ingredients provides optimal nutrients, it has been quite dreary here in Sacramento and having a dash of color and a “taste of summer” sounded delightful so I chose to create the spring/summer version. I also had about 2 pounds of tomatoes that I needed to utilize so the Tomato & Cucumber salad component ushered the perfect opportunity. Since this delicious dish is comprised of several components, planning your attack will be fruitful! I started with the pickling so the veggies would have sufficient time to marinade and create a really robust, flavorful outcome. Then I made the salads - Quinoa Herb and Tomato & Cucumber - also so the flavors would have time to meld together and thoroughly combine. I then started the lentils and while they simmered I began making my cashew butter which I used as substitute for the tahini. While the cooked lentils were resting/cooling, I finished my cashew butter and was then able to create the Turmeric Tahini Sauce. I wanted to give the sauce time to set and let all flavors incorporate. Researching alternatives and substitutions can prove tasty and economically beneficial! I do not usually have tahini on-hand so I was searching for the best substitute, especially after Chef Guerra mentioned the possibility and noted macadamia nuts. I found that cashew butter is a close runner up and I had sufficient stock of cashews in-house. Additionally, I knew I would use cashew butter much more readily than tahini so it made sense, financially and inventory-wise, to go this route. I located a recipe online to make the butter at home and the process was surprisingly simple, the food processor did all the work! The most tedious part was scrapping all the butter out of the bowl and into an airtight container. What a delicious and creamy product resulted, I don’t know that I will ever buy pre-made nut butters again! I really enjoyed the ingredient control versus buying store-made, and the recipe I found gave ideas to add different spices and inclusions like cinnamon, maple syrup, or a flavorful extract like vanilla. |
AuthorFood is medicine, in it's raw form. What we eat, becomes us, on a cellular level. The building blocks of nutrients we consume today will generate the cells in which nourish us tomorrow. Don't just taste the rainbow, EAT the rainbow. Archives
October 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed