Dessert By Candy

Southern Party For 40

Last Friday I catered my skating club’s end of year party at a friend’s home. I had an idea of the menu weeks in advance but did not flesh out the details until pretty late in the game. Luckily experience with cooking for large group came in handy and I drew on all the lessons I learned in previous years. So what makes for a good menu?

I prefer to have a theme instead of just a mish-mash of dishes. I went with a southern theme including many traditional dishes from American south. So when a plate is piled high with bites of everything, there is some sort of continuity instead of many clashing flavours. Also, employing a variety of cooking methods is key. In a home kitchen, I do not have infinite oven space or stove tops. A menu that uses oven, stove top, slow cooker, and made-head dishes can optimize on cooking time so every dish will be ready at approximately the same time. I reduce any last minute assembly to minimum because the logistics of transferring all the food from my home to the party location is already a big challenge. No need to make things more complicated than it already is. This is the menu I served:

Southern Party For Forty Skaters

Devilled Eggs with Chives & Tarragon

Cream Cheese & Red Pepper Jelly on Melba Toast

Buttermilk Biscuits with Pimento Cheese & Bourbon Pickled Jalapenos

Tangy Apple Cabbage Slaw

Broccoli Slaw in Buttermilk Dressing

Potato Fennel Salad

Macaroni and Cheese

Mini Cornbread

Barbecue Baked Beans

Chicken Drumsticks with Alabama White Barbecue Sauce

Sweet and Smoky Oven Spareribs

Banana Butterscotch Pudding

Apple Slab Pie

Peach Cherry Almond Cobbler

Bourbon Bread Pudding

Slab Pie For Everyone

Slab pie fascinated me. How can it not? It is an oversized pie that embraces the crust-and-filling characteristic of its circular brethren yet has the portable sensibility of fussy pop tarts. It is streamlined to feed a huge crowd without extra work for the baker. Seems to me slab pie is the ultimate dessert for a backyard barbecue bash with 80 of my closest friends. Yes, 80.

My cooking friends and I gave ourselves the moniker Asian Food Mob. Last weekend, we hosted our first pig roast to great success. Roasting a whole pig was quite involved and handling the pig both in its raw and cooked state was inevitable. Kudos to my friends who took the initiative and gifted us with tender juicy roast pork and crispy crackling! Obviously the pig was the star of our party. I gladly played supportive role by providing many vegetarian sides and desserts. I volunteered to bring slab pies.

Martha Stewart’s slab pie is the gold standard and food52 summed up the ingenuity nicely. I examined the recipe closely and concluded that a 10x15” slab pie uses equivalent amount of dough as two 9” round double crust pies. I turned to my favourite Foolproof Pie Dough recipe and made six batches in one night. My plan was to have enough pie dough for three double crust slab pies. Thank goodness pie dough freezes beautifully so I could spread out my work ahead of time. Two nights before baking day, I moved my stack of dough to the fridge to defrost at its own pace.

Croquembouche At Dîner En Blanc

This year’s Dîner En Blanc Toronto was magical. I thoroughly enjoyed the fabulous location at Ontario Place waterfront. The live entertainment of ballet dancers and painting were classy. The DJ and band put the crowd into a festive mood. I was so happy to be a part of this experience, to share a special evening with 1400 revellers in elegant white outfits.

From last year’s experience, my friends and I decided that group of four was the optimal set up. Each of us was in charge of one course of the menu so our preparation was streamlined. Last year I made main course for my group but this year I enthusiastically volunteered to prepare dessert. I had the crazy idea to make a croquembouche from scratch and bring it to the secret event location. I am always up for a good culinary challenge.

Why my fascination with croquembouche? This traditional French dessert is typically served at big celebrations such as weddings or birthdays. The tower of caramel-glazed custard-filled cream puffs is held together solely with caramel and garnished flamboyantly with filigree of spun sugar. So what if it is complicated to make and delicate to transport? Surely I could overcome such, umm trivial, details. I wanted a croquembouche on our table and that was that.

Montreal 24h Relay Catering 2014

I did not plan on taking up the role of team chef again for Montreal 24h Relay in 2014. It is a lot of hard work, sleepless nights, and logistical challenges. Although my experience in 2011, 2012, and 2013 were all positive, turmoil in my personal life sucked all motivation to do anything ambitious like feeding 25 people over the course of 24 hours in a city 5 hours away from home. However, when I found out that my friend would race with our team on condition that I take on the role of team chef once more, I said yes. Thus began three weeks of frantic preparation to feed members of Toronto Inline Skating Club.

Planning is key to success but staring down my spreadsheet to lock down the menu, compile the shopping list, and inventory my supplies are not glamorous work. I decided to go easy on myself and stuck to my greatest hits. I chose dishes that I served in previous years and were well-received. That took care of the hot main courses as well as numerous salads and breakfast items on the menu. Lunch and dessert selection was weak last year so I was determined to improve in 2014.

Saturday Lunch

Roast Chicken Wrap with Pesto, Spinach, Green Peppers, Swiss Cheese
Kinako Chocolate Chip Cookies

Snack

Fresh Fruit: Bananas, Pears, Nectarines
Trail Mix Bar: Dried Apricots, Dried Figs, Prunes, Dried Cranberries, Peanut M&Ms, Yogurt Raisins, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Roasted Almonds
Hummus
Smoky Eggplant Dip
Pretzels
Lavash
Pita Chips

Saturday Supper

Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Pickles
Vegan Tempeh Chilli
Northern Cornbread
Lentil Chickpea Salad with Tahini
Green Papaya Salad
Dried Fruit Almond Quinoa Salad
Sweet Summer Corn, Edamame, Smoked Tofu Salad with Walnut Miso Dressing
Japchae: Korean Stir Fried Noodles
Herb & Ginger Sweet Potato Salad
Peach Cherry Crumble 
Vegan Rice Pudding

Beverage

Instant Coffee
Tea
Almond Milk
Hot Chocolate

Sunday Breakfast

Spiced Steel-Cut Oats with Dried Fruit
Olive Oil and Maple Granola
Yogurt
Bread
Homemade Mirabelle Plum Almond Conserve, Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Nutella

Sunday Lunch

Beef Empanada
Coconut Chickpea Stuffed Naan

Post-Race Celebration Dessert

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Date Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Ganache

Finger Licking Good Slow Cooker Asian Glazed Wings

I seriously love using slow cooker in summer. After the success of healthy beef stew, my love for slow cooker was renewed and I went through Slow Cooker Revolution Volume 2 searching for recipes to try. As luck would have it, my cravings for chicken wings coincided with the weekly sale at grocery store next door. I bought 4lb of wings with no hesitation.

Unlike the original Slow Cooker Revolution, America’s Test Kitchen placed a strong emphasis on easy prep in volume 2. A majority of recipes get a bit of help from premade sauces and ready-to-use ingredients. Normally I am not a big fan of such shortcuts but I make exceptions. Sriracha and hoisin sauce are two Asian cooking pantry staples that I happily buy from stores. Coincidentally, they are key to success of slow cooker Asian-Glazed Wings (recipe is available on Eatocracy).

Cheering Party For Our Skaters

Like many people, my attention has been completely occupied by the Winter Olympics spectacle since February 6. I carefully check the racing schedule before bed every night and wake up at ungodly hours to watch the live broadcast. This year there are many speed skaters competing who come from inline speed skating background. They are skaters that we met at races, some we even know personally. Last Saturday I invited my inline skating friends over for a cheering party for long track and short track speed skating races.

Obviously I did not want a fussy menu. I didn’t want to be kept in the kitchen while everyone was watching the races! I wanted nibbles that can be kept at room temperature all evening long. I wanted snacks that are easy to eat without the challenges of balancing plates, forks, and knives on the lap.  Oh and boys like meat. This is my menu of dips, sticks, and bite size sweets.

Olympics Cheering Party For 10

Antipasto Skewers

Garlicky Cashew Pork and Pineapple Skewers with Cashew Satay Sauce

Lemongrass Chicken Skewers

Beer and Sriracha Marinated Beef Skewers with Green Chile Sauce

Miso Tahini Eggplant Dip

Mushroom Pâté

Ethereally Smooth Hummus

Moroccan-Style Spicy Carrot Dip

Two Tone Tortilla Chips, Salt & Pepper Potato Chips, Pita Chips

Blood Orange Chocolate Chips Olive Oil Cake

Blood Orange Ricotta Bar

Apricot Cheesecake Bar

A Party For Thirty

I had the option to sit back and enjoy a party but I chose not to. When my skating club’s end of season party was announced, I toyed with the idea of catering the event. Before I even came up with a solid plan, I bounced my proposal to the club president and was enthusiastically accepted. “Proposal” is probably more formal than what I actually said. The conversation went something like this:

Candy: Hey are we serving dinner at the party?

Prez: Yeah.

Candy: Want me to cook? What’s your budget? How many people?

Prez: Sure! About 30 people. What number do you have in mind?

Candy: How does $10 per person sound?

Prez: Deal.

That was back in early September and I had been dragging my feet with planning of any sort since. It was only a week before the party when I finally got my act together and came up with a rough draft of the menu. Why so much procrastination?

In this day and age of hyper awareness about food allergies, intolerances, and preferences, a menu with something for everyone in such a diverse group is not trivial. Let’s start with main course. Vegetarian option is a must. Although budget friendly, pork is not a good choice for religious reasons. Same can be said for beef although this did not apply to my target. That left me with inoffensive poultry. Dark meat such as boneless chicken thigh is my first choice since it doesn’t dry out easily and can withstand the rigors of reheating. Next challenge is dishes with low or no gluten. I respect the dietary preferences for many of my friends. Although my kitchen cannot accommodate those with gluten allergies (risk of cross contamination), I don’t want those on low gluten diet to feel deprived of choices. It was a juggling act to balance my budget without resorting to too many carb-laden recipes. Oh and did I mention the large contingency of teenagers? That means the menu ought to be nothing too exotic.

From Insurmountable To Reality

Last weekend, I drove 5 hours from Toronto to Montreal on 2 hours of sleep to feed 30 hungry skaters over a period of 24 hours. Why? Once again, I proclaimed myself Head Of Catering Department during the 24h Roller Montreal inline skating relay event for my team Skater’s Quest. If you remember my effort from 2011 and 2012, you may recall that I only previously fed 20 skaters. This year, I expanded my offer to skaters of other teams as well and the final tally was 30. It was a little overwhelming. Just a little.

Lessons and feedback from previous years were put to good use. This year, I spent much more time planning and less running around in circles. It was good that my old spreadsheets provided a solid template for my game plan. I got to spend time on fun stuff such as putting together the menu and seeking out great recipes. Running two slow cookers side by side was so successful that I had to do it again. But why limit myself to hot main courses for dinner? I upped the ante this year by adding hot breakfast items as well. Once again, I kept the menu mostly vegan to provide a  good variety of dishes to both vegans and omnivores alike. But of course, my decision was made predominately for food safety reasons since vegan ingredients are less prone to food-born disease. As unglamorous as it sounds, taste was obviously important but not at the cost of upset stomachs. I placed a high priority on low risk yet nourishing food that appeal to different palates when the athletes are exhausted.

Without further ado, this is what we ate last weekend.

On Schedule And Under Budget

Those are the magic words that make a project manager’s heart sing. Coincidentally, those words accurately describe my current status for my attempt to feed 28 skaters for 24 hours. The last couple of days were filled with prep work, more shopping, and half-finished recipes that I’ll assemble on Friday. Not exactly exciting blogging material, you know?

In typical fashion, doubts are creeping in and I wonder if I plan for enough food. To quiet those doubts, I am preparing bonus dishes and starting to feel like an Italian grandmother before Sunday family dinner. This can quickly get out of hand. No interesting photos to show either other than some progress shots. Recounting the last two days:

• I shopped at two Chinese grocery stores, one Korean grocery store, bulk store, two mainstream grocery stores, and farmer’s market.
• I scaled and packaged ingredients for malted waffles and spiced porridge. They will be made on site.
• I soaked and cooked chickpeas and lupini beans.
• I chopped dried fruit for quinoa salad.
• I made 5 cups worth of Paula Wolfert’s hummus. Best. Hummus. Ever.
• I baked a Caribbean rum cake. It is a bonus post-race treat for the grown ups.
• I baked a Persimmon Bundt cake. It is another bonus dish to help me free up space in the freezer. Those frozen persimmon puree were taking up room.
• I cooked brown basmati rice and black rice. They will be used for grape leaf pilaf.

As you can see, things are moving along nicely. I’m not sure if I’ll stick with my regular posting schedule this Friday since I’ll be very busy with all the cooking. Keep an eye out on my Facebook page though. I’ll be posting photos all day long as I complete each recipe!

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Planning Is Half The Battle

Planning Is Half The Battle

My Montreal 24 hour Relay menu is finally fleshed out last weekend. Even though the beautiful weather was calling my name, I diligently sat in front of my computer and went through the very unglamorous task of tabulating shopping list, packing list, and cooking schedule. It isn’t quite military level precision but the plan ought to keep me on track when I get flustered. On Sunday, I took advantage of a no-tax sale event and did a lion’s share of my shopping before my MRI appointment in the evening.

Most of the cooking will be done on Friday but the more labour/time intensive and frozen items are already under way. Last night, I made a batch of these Spiced Lentils, Kale, and Sweet Potato Pockets. They are inspired by a recipe I bookmarked long ago from The Kitchn. I had every intention to follow the recipe. But then, I wanted to use my favourite overnight whole wheat pizza dough. Next, I realized I couldn’t bring myself to boil kale with the lentils (the flavour! All gone!). So I improvised and made the filling using the same flavour profile. I sautéed onion, garlic, cooked black beluga lentils, kale, and spices all together in the pan.