Catering Escapades

My client Jan hosted an event for her fellow Red Cross employees yesterday. It was part demonstration/part sit down luncheon. I demonstrated how to assemble and cook stuffed wontons. Assemblers and I stuffed them with wee amounts of cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese and shredded zucchini. I fried them in a pool of hot canola oil until they were chestnut brown and crispy. Class participants dipped them into Hot Apple Jalapeno Spread. I can’t take credit for the spread; it comes from one of my favorite artisanal food companies, La Provencale Cellars, www.laprovencalecellars.com. No matter what I stuff and serve my crispy- fried, chestnut brown wontons with, they’re always very well received! Thank you assemblers, Jan, Pam, Tami and Sharon; you did a great job making wontons.

Once everybody sat down for lunch, bowls of cold Cucumber Bisque were served with Just-Off-The-Cob Corn Fritters. I drizzled the hot fritters with Black Locust Honey, golden colored honey dripped down the puffy, golden fritters. This delicious tasting honey comes from nearby bee farm, McDaniel Apiaries in Manchester, Maryland. Tarragon Basil Chicken Salad was nested on shredded romaine lettuce leaves and accompanied with slices of red and yellow tomatoes where Mozzarella and red (aka purple) onion slices were tucked in between. The colorful disks got a wave of Dijon Vinaigrette.

Cold, creamy, silken smooth Peach Soup spiked with Amaretto (not enough to make anyone feel the slightest bit woozy) and a spearmint garnish was dessert.

It was late in the afternoon when I said goodbye, the day was filled with ample amounts of food, fun and gratitude on one of the last weekends of summer. I’ve met so many wonderful people on my culinary journey, being with Jan and meeting and getting to know her co-workers is another memory of why I love what I do. To top off the event Jan gifted us all pearl necklaces, a typical gesture of Jan’s generosity.