# hello - and a question



## blueschef (Jan 18, 2006)

Good evening to everyone here (esp. you shroom girl - some gret post!). I have been in the food business for ...........a long time, LOL and I have been doing catering for about 5 years on the side. 
My question is, I have a client who has refered me to a new "foodie" clientele (sp?), this group does have the bucks to shell out for more parties. The first event for this group is a party for 100, they want to see some unique - upscale food (heavy apps). Something they do not see at other parties. The budget is going to end up at around 2500 to include labor. The party is in May so I am looking for some cool "spring" items. So far I have:

Jerk Lamb Lollypop Chops with Mango Salsa
Grilled Firecracker Shrimp
Stuffed Mushrooms - assorted
Empanadas - either Spinach and Chrizo Filling with Manchengo or Lamb and Chrizo Piccadillo with Cojhito Cheese

Entrees
Chicken Barbados - Saute with Plantans, Red Pepper, Shrimp and Rum Saffaron Sauce
Salmon - either ceader planked with Caridmom and Maple Laquer or Meyer Lemon Gastrique


Any Ideas?

Sorry about the spelling - got a college degree in HRM and love to read, but spelling eluides me, go figure.


----------



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Wow, fun tropical menu. Remember to include plenty of fruit and veg.....

Does that include beverages? or rentals? 
What kind of kitchen are you walking into? As in what kind of equipment does it have.....

Staff runs between $80-100 minimum pp and you have a party that will need 4+ staff.
$25pp so now it's $20ish for food and whatever else......


Heavy apps, does that mean they have plates, forks, knives? or just finger food? Decorations, who's responsible for that?
Heavy aps in my book does not include entrees.....
Watch how many last minute hot dishes you have going out. Catering a party does not have to be horribly taxing, plan the menu so that some shtuff is cold/room temp and coming in ready to go. Right now your grilling, sauting, frying, baking.......um wow....make it easier on you and your staff.
Cocktail parties are usually 2-2.5 hours.....
Think of fun ways to present food. 

Tropical fruit....loads of tropical fruit
shot glasses with an interesting gazpacho and a grilled shrimp or crab on top.
how about spicy black bean & rice in a green leaf....ala dolmades but with a twist.
How about fun guacamole or other interesting dip with plantain chips
Asparagus with tropical aioli
cheesy mangoy melty something.....queso with a twist.
if they are serious then include goat....it's the newest oldest hotest meat on the market.
*thanks for the compliments. and several of us don't spell well nor have prefek gramer....the editors occasionally blast us but hey it's ok cus we're the creative ones.


----------



## blueschef (Jan 18, 2006)

I am making a Mango Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade, They love my Key Lime Pie so I am doing Key Lime Squares. They are paying all rentals (I am bringing 2 people to handle the warewashing. I pay 150.00 per person to work my partys, how ever long it is (i have a great team of pros I work with) the two Warewashers will get a c-note each.
They are doing the decorations, etc (i will give them a guide on the rentals).
I have several cambros I use to transport and try to do some cooking in the home for "show ans Smell"
We will come in and put some pants "in Naw'lans" called dressed (I do love them PO-BOYS). I also do some fun garnishing (grilled fruits and veggies, fresh herbs, etc.).
They want lots of hand passed (so far no stations except the buffet food).
I have some menus I have done on my web site (still working on it - and a shoestring budget) http://www.blueschef.com/
Some other things I am going to propose:
-Oyster Rockfeller Rouliade or Purse
-Tostada with lamb Mole, Asparagus Guacmole and Queso Fresco
-Mini Papadams with Lamb Tangene
-Bruchetta / Crostini:
- Pork tenderloin and Crawfish Salad
- Poached Otsters, Smoked Salmon, Horseradish Cream and Louisania Caviar
- Assiago and Black olice Shortbreads with Artichoke Salad and Goat Cheese

I may just Do a coq au vin or some other extended chicken dish with a twist 
Saffaron Rice
DJ veg (should be some great stuff in spring)

I am trying to get them up to 3 K for the catering, we shal see
Tom


----------



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

wow, they are certainly getting their monies worth....hope you are making a profit.

Are you in New Orleans? I noticed oyster mosca which is about as NO as it gets......

Pix on your site are great.

The menu still looks meat heavy. what's a veghead got to eat?


----------



## blueschef (Jan 18, 2006)

I am not in NO any more, was there for about 4 years, Mr b's, then out in Fat city. Love the cooking though (as a matter of fact I am making Jambalaya and Gumbo as we speak). I am not going to give them all that, and I will throw in a Salad and Fruit Veggie Stuff. Also I always make my DJ veg and Rices / Starches veggie and / or vegan. 
I will make money on the party, always do and all of my clients at this point give me a bonus at the end. I have had quite a few of the same ones for years.
I have some great proveyors and get some awesome prices. 

Oysters are my all time favorite food, then any other Seafood, then Veal, then LOTS of Veggies and Salads, etc.
I do love just about anything, and Spicy does not hurt either!


----------



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Mon chere! Mr B's was one of my favorite....the gumbo was glorious! Um oysters.....recently I had them fried on a bed of cream spinach with bits of bacon and a dash of hot sauce.....the spinach was just barely wilted and the cream was greatly reduced....it was pretty fun.
So, where did you land after Fat City?

It is mardi gras time isn't it......I think there's some Martin's andouille in the back of my freezer, wonder how their doing after BIG K. Time to make a roux and get serious! dust off the King Cake recipe, dig out a plastic baby, put out some beads....make parlines, red beans and rice, gumbo, celery root remoulade, I too adore po-boys but it's hard to make um without NO bread....
Though muffs are fairly easy, we have the Italian bread, Volpi meats are 2 miles from my home, olive salad like Central Grocery is not impossible to make....still have some in the cabinent that is probably not safe to eat but can be used as a guideline....Boy that store was sure stinky!!! I can remember the first time I walked in and the oders just hit me square in the face....it's a wonder tourists even stepped through the doorframe.

Have you heard anything about what's viable in the Cresent City? Which restaurants are open? Bayonas, August, Peristyle, Mothers?????

One of the things I miss the most from Cajun country is Boudin....gotta figure out Boudin King's recipe....figure it's pork, pork liver, rice, green onions, cayene.....mmmm....now that's Bayou eatin'. I've got whole pig sources so it'll be easy to get any bits and pieces needed and I figure boudin is exactly that, bits and pieces. They don't ship and dangit they are a fair piece from New Orleans....it's a day just to drive over and pick up boudin.

What's on your Fat Tues menu? I love reading all your wonderful ideas, they just read like a good time!!!


----------



## blueschef (Jan 18, 2006)

Mardi gras Menu:

Apps:
Seafood Gumbo
Gumbo yaYa
Oysters en brochette with Creole Meuniere
Oyster minage - Bineville, Rockfeller and Grilled (like Drago's)
Grilled Cajun Wings - Marinated in Hot Pepper Vinegar and Glazed with Pepper Jelly Served with White Bean and Blue Cheese Dip
Stuffed Quail with Veal Derssing on cheese Grits
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Fig and honey Glaze with Parmesian Rissotto Cake, Creole Mustard Sauce and Micro Greens
Fried Crawfish tails with Spinach Salad and Green Onion Dressing

Sandwiches:
Shrimp Po-Boy
Oyster Po-Boy
Debris Po-Boy
Hamburger Po-Boy
Muffaletta

Pasta Jambalaya - Shrimp, Chicken, Duck, Oysters and Andouille on Spinach Fett
NO Barbie Shrimp
Seafood and Eggplant Lasagna
Crawfish Etouffee (with Roux)
Chicken Pontalba
Stuffed Veal Rouilade - with Andouille Dressing and Mushroom Demi
Pan Roasted Strip with Tasso Maechand d Vin and Roasted Garlic Mashed
Pan Roasted Duck Breast with Cane Syrup and Pepper Jelly Glaze, Ham Hock Greens & Cracklin Cornbread

Disserts:
Bananas Fosters
White Chocolate Brownie Served warm with Ice Cream
Creole Bread Pudding Served warm with White Chocolat cream Anglaise
Chocolate Mousse

I am trying to Do this at a friends Resaruraunt / Bar. With the dinner as a 4 course Price Fix. Probably $40.00 per person

I worked at a place called chellies in fat City - for about 2.5 years. Fun place, lots of locals.
I think you can get Lidenhimers bread in the mail Frozen, I am not Sure but when I moved up here I froze some and it did defrost allmost perfect (same with there Muff bread).
I have probly eaten about a half dozen Central grocers muffs and just was never really thrilled with them. I think DiMartinos on Carol Sue oin the west bank makes a FAR BETTER Muff and Olive Salaad, and they run them through an oven (AWESOME on a chilly Mardi Gras day!).
From what I have bveen reading the Quarter is comming back ok, Uptown and Garden District are working on it, I hear Rockey and Carloses in Chalmette (where ys at?) is done (bummer - great mack and cheese and *** salad).
Man do I love Boudin! I have a friend with a friend who has a Cousin (now there is a classic food aquisision combo!) outside of lake Charles and they have a little country grocer that makes there own Boudin, he brought some for me in May for my wedding, OMG truely amazing. I have made it before there are some good recipes out there (I like Prudehommes). I usually either make Fried Boudin Balls or Sauteed Patties, although I have stuffed them in the past. It does Freeze well, I usually roast the links in the oven instead of poaching them. I am not to fond of the "weird" Boudins (crawfish, gator, etc.) but perhaps I have not ha good ones.
Whoo you want something good for breakfast! take a Boudin Patty bread that bad boy in Panko, Sautee in whole Butter, top it with a GOOD Poached Egg and Hollandaise Serve it with some Jalapino Cheese Grits ........a few Bloodys and a good NAP after!

PS. The Gumbo and Jambylaya came out awesome, sent some to work with the wife and to my mamas place.


----------



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

ok...where are you? Can't be THAT far......

I lived in DeRidder, La for 3 years.....boudin was somewhere in between Lake Chuck and NO....Raine? maybe......I like it steamed, just push it out of the casing YUMMMMMMMY.


----------



## blueschef (Jan 18, 2006)

LOL, try Schwenksvill Pennsylvania! Say that 3 times fast!


----------



## nentony (May 7, 2005)

Blueschef, I read your intro in the welcome forum. I'm a South Florida guy myself(Hollywood) and I live in Satellite Beach now, right next to Melbourne. Let me tell you brother, by the sound of that menu, I wish you were still cooking here. **** Hurricanes!

Tony


----------



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

All this talk about oyster po'boys got to me last night. A couple of friends and I dined at a local restaurant that had "oyster po'boys" on their ap menu.....
$8, um ok....figured it'd not be the true NO version because of the locale but when 4 vey small fried oysters showed up on 2"x1" brioche toasts with an arugula leaf, peeled tomato wedge and condensed green oil/basalmic drips I wanted to cry......what a friggin' tease.


----------



## blueschef (Jan 18, 2006)

If you served that to a yat they would take you outside and shoot you, and the parish Sherif woud burry your dumb $^#$%$.
LOL


----------



## blueschef (Jan 18, 2006)

Het Tony! I grew up in hollywood too (HHHS class of 80)! Where you cookin in the space coast?

I been through a bunch of em, they are a pain!

Tom


----------



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Ok now I'm totally jonesing for a oyster po'boy may actually have to buy some veg oil and fry one (or more) up myself......or take a flt to NO....which actually sounds better.

I used to use corn flour and alittle corn meal on oysters, heavy blk pepper, salt. Now to find a french loaf rather than a crusty bagette.....southwest still flies to NO right?


----------



## nentony (May 7, 2005)

Hollywood Hills!! Loser!!! Just kidding. I'm South Broward, Class of '77 , my sister was class of '80. Not cooking now. Was last at Radison Resort, Indialantic. It's a love/hate thing with me. It's all I think about when I'm not, though. When I go back, it's gonna be mine this time. You wouldn't believe downtown melbourne now, it happening. Downtown Eau Galle is starting to come back too. I dream Tapas bar. Anyway, Howsa FLA boy cope with Philly? NO I could understand, but Philly?? JK

Tony


----------



## aprilb (Feb 4, 2006)

I know cuz I've done it and screwed myself up because I love the food aspect of it and just wanted to present my food. BUT now that I've grown up a little (it took 50 years to figure it out?) you do need to make sure you can offer your cuisine AND make a profit on it.

Personally I would stay away from a 'sweet' salmon. I don't personally like it and seriously don't think it works... well...any variation of it I've had in the past. It seems to overpower the salmon. It's like making salmon ice cream...LOL.

I like to see fresh salmon grilled with pepper/lemon, butter and fresh dill. A Lousianna hot sauce based sauce. Slightly smoked. Believe me, it's magic.

Maybe for the smoked part you could use adobo, but just a tad. 

I have a fantastic stuffed mushroom recipe that I learned when I was 20.

You can tweek it depending on taste but...

Mushrooms
clean and remove stems. Place caps in baking dish. 
finely dice stems and saute in butter with garlic (I tend to use lots of garlic), add chopped cashews, chopped scallions, s & p to taste. Add enough bread crumbs to make a dressing type consistency. 

OK, here's the good part: pack the mushrooms with the stuffing (I like to use an appropriate ice cream scoop), drizzle fresh cream on top then criss-cross bacon strips across the top. Pour more cream on top (about halfway up the musher caps) and bake at 350 until bacon is done. I've used proscutto and pancini with great results.

My daughters tomatos:
Hollow out cherry tomatos. Finely chop mushrooms and mix with olive oil, feta cheese and basil. Fresh course ground pepper. Stuff tomatos and run under the salamander until slightly browned on top. Has to be hot and close so that the tomato's don't over cook. Simple and brilliant and if they're a hit, my 14 yo daughter came up with that recipe years ago. 

I just love food
:bounce:


----------



## blueschef (Jan 18, 2006)

Actually, to eat Salmon is far from my favorite fish, I do not mind it and I will eat it, but is is a strong fish. for restaraunts and catering it is great, people love it and it is cheap (5.25 a pound skinned and pinned up here). And it still has that "upscale" appeal. If I do a sweet sauce it will temper it with something bitter like the gastrique. thanks for the recipes they look cool!
tom


----------



## blueschef (Jan 18, 2006)

Hey tony,
I have a friend Frank Malfoatta who owns Bellas down there, the area is hoppin now! I have some famoly up here and decided to give the area a try. What the heck!
Tom


----------

