Category Archives: Uncategorized

What’s been on the plate recently

Wedding menu

Appetizers

Charcuterie Cheese Platter

Fruit display

Beef short rib stuffed mushroom topped with blue cheese

Veggies and dip (one spinach dip and the other balsamic peppercorn dip)

Main Meal

Mexican spit roasted pork tossed with dry seasoning for tacos

o Flour tortillas
o Corn tortillas
o Black beans
o Pinto bean salad
o Green hot sauce
o Salsa
o Pico de gallo
o Guacamole
o Chared and fresh limes
o Assorted Mexican cheese

Spanish marinated free range chicken grilled served with a jicama fruit salsa, Chimichurri and roasted tomatillo relish

Spanish rice

Grilled Corn on the cob basted with a citrus chili butter and topped with Cotija cheese

Grilled summer vegetables

Braised greens with aromatics, roasted garlic and herbs

Coffee and tea

Germantown (and other locales) catering option with options

One of my favorite websites is Thumbtack and they just gave me a “cookie” so to speak. I have been named as a top tier caterer in the Germantown area by number of accredited reviews and hires. Check out the “cookie” they gave me at http://thumbtack.com/wi/germantown/catering. Thank you to all of my clients, and to all future foodies clients.

April showers bring. . . wet shoes

Hard core foodies don’t let a little wet weather dampen the spirits of the start of the spring grilling season. Even if your house is like mine and after the day and a half of rain has created a moot around your house and the grill is in a small lake. (I swear I saw a pan fish in one of ours.) There is nothing like the taste of a fresh grilled anything and the smell of the first blossoms of the season, the grass and just the normal smell of spring. Even if you end up with wet sneakers fire up the grill and send the smoke to the heavens and let the outdoor cooking begin.

Mothers day RNC 2014 052

Attention! Salute!

Honor-Flight_0

Growing up with a military dad I don’t think that has affected my belief that we all should stand at attention and salute our military past, present, future and maybe most importantly our lost.  With all of the parties, sales and craziness of the long holiday weekend stop and cook for a vet, or better yet, help at a VA, a neighbor or just stop and pay attention.  As i add years to my resume I grow evermore aware that the life I live and the way I choose to live it was bought and paid for daily by our service men and women.  I also get a better sense of purpose when actually taking the time to sit and listen, ask respectful questions and learn, not from a textbook but from the prideful stories of the few, the brave and the strong.  So over this long holiday weekend invite a vet to your cookout, stop and salute a passing vet, shank their hand or prosthetic and thank them, hell you should hug them, for the ability to have a long weekend filled with all the stuff that does not matter this memorial day weekend. Attention! Salute! At ease men, Thank you!

Symphonic Cuisine

buffet prime rib roulade

I was catering a Mother’s day brunch today and in the midst of the mayhem of pre-showtime rush of last minute prep and heating I had an Ahha moment.

I was jamming out with ear buds in and a shuffle list of music on my mp3. That is when I had my moment, “why is it that chef’s, food, making of food and cuisine in general and music are so integrally intertwined?”  Then I wondered, “what modern musical wonders are going to be able to hold up through the hands of time?”  Can you with all honesty say that any Beaver hit is as timeless as Ray Charles, or as smooth as Roy Orbison? Which is like saying that “wonder bread” is as good, hearty, and healthy as home made bread.  And as food highlights go what is better then steamed asparagus with sauce hollandaise or a perfectly grilled ribeye with bleu cheese.

Long before I became a professional chef kitchens have been “rocking” and I am willing to bet that long after I am gone they will be “rocking”. There is just something about a wonderful combination of music and food that with the two you hit all of your senses and can send you to new places and take you back into time to a perfect place. So next time you direct a mini symphony in your kitchen using a steel as your baton and a chop on a board as the rhythm section create your own magical symphonic cuisine.

Riveredge Nature Center Mother’s Day Brunch Menu

Riveredge Nature Center

Mother’s Day Brunch

8-11-2014

Fruit with toasted coconut yogurt dip

Huevos enchiladas salsa verde

Roasted tomatoes, garlic, peppers and scrambles eggs wrapped in flour tortillas baked with salsa verde and shredded mixed cheese

Parmesan herb potato

Roasted potatoes tossed with fine herbs, sea salt, black pepper and dusted with aged parmesan

Chicken and Mushroom stroganoff

White wine poached chicken simmered with caramelized onions, mushrooms, roasted garlic and finished with sour cream

Chocolate-caramel bread pudding

Chocolate-banana bread swirled with caramel custard and dark chocolate ganache dusted with powdered sugar

Fruit-almond bar

Rolled oat and almond flour bar with fresh fruit topped with streusel

Moms Wows

This weekend we tip our toques to our moms. There are the dads, aunts and grandmas that do that get credit for introducing us chefs and foodies to our passions, but the lion’s share go to Mom.

If your early childhood was anything like mine your mom was your personal dishwasher, prep person, encouraging voice, and guinea pig. And she always had an encouraging word to say no matter what the dish looked like or tasted. So this weekend tip your toque, bake a cake and make your moms say “WOW”, and also clean up. 

Second helping of utopia

Last night I created a dinner party for a few old friends and a few new ones. The wine, as the say was very fine, the food (if I do say so myself) was excellent but what stole the show was the friendship’s renewed, nurtured or started.  Last night was the very definition of why I love my job, my career and the joy I get out of it all.  It is great to get the “5 thumbs up” from a critic in the paper or the proverbial pat on the back of “that was great” but to hear and know that the unleashed laughter and excitement around a dinner table that was brought together by your food, that is a slice of utopia.  My I have a second slice please and thank you and good night Alice. 

A budding relationship

As I walk around our corner of the world nature is alive with energy, life and new growth. All of the apple trees have buds, the flowers are budding, the asparagus is emerging. Ok so not everything buds out, but all of the good things in spring that start to be created bud new flavors, tastes, smells and excitement. The anticipation of what kind of year will it be for the apples? How long with the strawberry season be? When will the morels peak? Can the asparagus grow any slower? So this is starting to sound like twenty questions, but in all reality you are going to be able to find all of your budding friends in do time, then they will be gone, so savor.