Friday, September 27, 2013

so much to eat

ok, i have a lot of food. over the summer i let inventory wane while i focused on catering. now that fall is here i've been busy, busy, busy replenishing stock. this week i added two new main courses & a soup to the menu.

the moroccan meatballs have become one of my bestsellers. the meatballs are seasoned with garlic, ginger, coriander, sumac, chillies & parsley. they're nestled in a tomato sauce with fennel seed, olives, dates, roasted red peppers, zucchini & kale from my garden. the side dish is harissa quinoa with toasted almonds, citrus & green onions. it's a super tangy, flavourful dish & it's gluten-free to boot.


small $10 large $20

the second main course is something brand new - vegan thai green curry. the sauce is chock full of all my favourite flavours: garlic, ginger, coriander, chillies & coconut. the veggies are zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onions, tomatoes & green beans with some tofu for protein. it comes with a side of jasmine rice seasoned with cardamom & star anise.


small $9 large $18

the new batch of soup is actually an old favourite - carrot, apple, ginger. it's vegan & gluten-free. i start off with the aromatics (onion, garlic, ginger, celery, spices), fire in the carrots & apples, add a touch of tomato paste, let it simmer for a couple hours and then finish it off with some coconut milk. oh & then puree it & pass it through a strainer so it's super smooth.


$7/500ml serving

other soups in the freezer are:
curried butternut squash
black bean & corn chili
tomato vegetable stew
white bean, lemon & kale
baked beans
roasted red pepper & chipotle
chicken stew
beef stew
seafood chowder

there are also four salads to choose from.
broccoli - same as always
beet - fennel, pears, garden greens, pickled onions, goat cheese
sweet potato/corn - it's a hybrid with peppers, avocados, lime, tomatillos, chipotle, cilantro
quinoa - my favourite version with a curried hummus-y dressing, cukes, carrots, celery, snow peas, basil, cilantro, peanuts

then, as usual, there are a ton of sweets. no spicy brownies this week but everything else will be there.

i'm surprised i'm even finished prepping at this hour. i spent the entire morning putting together an order for wedding cupcakes & a small wedding cake. i complain a lot about making cakes but it is pretty satisfying when it's all said & done. i was quite pleased with today's effort.



oh & check ca!


got a new mixer today. i stripped the gears on one of mine a few months ago & have been doing everything in just my artisan (?!?!?) this should make prep a little smoother.

k time for sleeping, hope to see you all over the weekend.





Friday, September 20, 2013

#whataweek

so it's a little late. apologies but i took the night off. i just got home from a jaunt to the valley. had a quick pit stop in windsor to ride the zipper at the fair & then spent the evening at luckett vineyard for some bbq, corn boil & bluegrass action. all in all, a pretty 'country' kind of night & lots of fun!

now, it took some serious preparation through the week to secure a friday night away from the kitchen. this week i cooked like crazy & the freezers are brimming. i'm still working on replenishing my selection of small entrees but it's getting there.

i made giant batches of beef stew, seafood chowder & chicken stew. the chicken stew is the best batch i've ever made. the stock made all the difference. i roasted the bones until my whole house smelled like fried chicken & then put the stock on to simmer for 24 hours. the stew itself is packed with loads of hearty vegetables & herbs from my garden.


all soups, stews & chowders are $7 for a 500ml serving.

i also used that epic stock to make a new batch of chicken, leek, broccoli & bacon pies. the filling starts out with double smoked bacon; then i add loads of leeks, celery & garlic; then i make a quick roux & lots of stock to make a rich sauce. i add the broccoli at the very end so it doesn't overcook & season it up with fresh herbs. 


this mixture gets topped with puff pastry & they're ready to go.
small $10 large $20

there's also a new batch of jerk chicken on the menu. the last batch sold out faster than any other dish to date. the chicken marinated for two days in homemade jerk seasoning with citrus, warm spices & 5 habaneros. it's bbq'd & served up with grilled pineapple salsa, black beans & rice. it's slightly spicier than the last batch but i think i can still up the ante. feedback is always appreciated.


small $10 large $20

there are four salads on the menu:
broccoli - bacon, red onion, red peppers, almonds, sunflower seeds
quinoa - grapefruit, fennel, kalamata olive, kale
corn - tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, chillies, lime, cilantro
beet - fennel, asian pear, pickled red onion, kale, wheatberries
$5 each for 375ml

& of course there will be the usual assortment of sweets. oh yeah, i bought a new food processor this week so banana chocolate chip cupcakes with peanut butter frosting with be back in the mix.

ok see you over the week!







Friday, September 13, 2013

happy friday the 13th

it's early evening & i'm almost completely finished my prep! this is a great friday the 13th indeed.

apologies for the absent blog update last week, but i was completely swamped getting ready for the halifax crafters pop up & finishing up some special orders. last saturday was one for the record books - finish set up at the seaport by 6:45, rush to dartmouth to set up from 7-8, work 8-5, pack up, go back to the seaport to pick stuff up, drive home, unpack, crash. pretty hectic & exhausting but i got it all done & had a great day on the 'darkside.'


tibs was a great venue for the pop up & pretty convenient given how much caffeine i needed that day. it seems that there's a really great community vibe over there & i definitely need to make the trip across the bridge more often.

there were also special orders to be taken care of - two cakes & an extra 100 cupcakes between three orders.


this was an underwater themed birthday cake & matching giant cupcake 'smash cake.' i think the ombre is becoming a bit of a signature style. i was on a bit of a streak there with cakes to make every friday night. it practically feels like i have the night off without one on order for tomorrow & my kitchen doesn't look like this!


i still have 50 wedding cupcakes to decorate for tomorrow but that's sort of become second nature.

a buddy from the market is getting married tomorrow so i was enlisted to make cupcakes & pulled pork... 50 pounds of pulled pork!!! i did two flavours: sesame ginger & blackberry chipotle. the blackberry chipotle is loosely based on a recipe we did on road grill - the bbq show i was on on the food network.


it turned out really well. i smoked the shoulder with applewood & mesquite for about six hours, then braised it for another seven, then shredded it & mixed in loads of the tangy sauce. this one might make its way on to the blackboard soon.

since i was making sesame ginger pork for the wedding, i decided to double it up & make a bunch for asian-inspired pulled pork dinners. this one has been absent from the menu for awhile but has always been one of the best sellers. it's getaway farm pork with lots of ginger, garlic, sesame, soy, sambal, lime & 5-spice. it's paired with jasmine rice, roasted broccoli, peppers, sprouts & bok choy.


small $10 large $20

this week i also mixed up the salad selection a little bit. there are NO beet or sweet potato salads, but there are:
broccoli - almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, bacon
potato - cucumbers, celery, green beans, radishes, dijon dressing, dill
vegan & gluten-free


quinoa - curry, ginger, lime, peanuts, peas, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, celery, tomatoes
vegan & gluten-free


fresh corn - tomatoes, peppers, green chillies, tomatillos, lime
vegan & gluten-free


& of course there are loads of sweets.

goat milk fudge
breakfast cookies
snickers brownies
maple walnut bars
 lemon shortbreads
hello dollies
cupcakes!

hope to see you all over the weekend & that your friday the 13th has gone as smoothly as mine :)