Month of May Dinner Party

Saturday nights dinner party for 26 people in a home in Maroubra was a great success with positive feedback from fans on our Facebook page.

A dinner party for a newly married couple that we had catered their wedding. They had some left over wine from their wedding and wanted to catch up with friends in a relaxed environment.The evening started with 2 Complimentry Canape's



Freshly baked bread rolls



The Menu

Wild Mushroom Risotto with crisp pancetta and  truffle oil

The entree that followed was a wild mushroom risotto with crisp pancetta and truffle oil.We were very generous with the mushrooms I would say it was half risotto half wild mushroom.The pancetta was crisp and salty the way it should be and garnished with shavings of parmesan.

Herb Crusted Lamb Rack on Caponata w/ Rosemary jus.

The main course to follow was Herb crusted lamb rack on caponata with a rosemary jus.The herb crust was made with baked olive bread crumbs , bread made by sassy chef , it was blended with flat leaf parsley.It was held in place on the lamb rack with a mix of honey and Dijon.
The caponata was made in true Italian style. A mix of confit garlic dice of capsicum , red onion , eggplant and tomato sautéed with capers anchovies and olive oil. Just before serving we shredded basil leaf and tossed it through.As for the rosemary jus I can not give all the secrets away except to say it started with a fine veal/beef stock and reduced away with some hidden ingredients along the way.


Panfried Halloumi Cheese w/ stuffed zucchini flowers

 The vegetarian option of panfried Haloumi cheese that is garnished with stuffedzucchini flowers and sits on a bed of spinach with olive tapenade.

Finally the dessert a steamed chocolate pudding with chocolate ganache encasing its light texture. It was placed on top of a warm white chocolate anglaise and finished with a biscotti and dressed with pistachio nut fairy floss.
The dessert was a hit and definitely a sugar hit that swung the dinner party into motion.with the help of the lovely Danielle we had no trouble in delivering the meals as requested. A great way to catch up with friends in a relaxed environment.Make sure you visit our website to see the next special for 3 course dinners coming to warm your belly in June .

Steamed Chocolate pudding w/ chocolate ganash , White Chocolate anglaise and pistacio nut fairy floss

Tonight's Cocktail Party

2 days of preparation for this Cocktail party of 50 people.Set in a beautiful home in Kensington the house was decorated so beautifully with , candles and flowers everywhere.I knew the food would compliment such an elegant night.

What's on the menu?

Vegetarian rice paper rolls - these are hand rolled and filled with silken tofu and mint. A yummy sweet soy dipping sauce to compliment these delicate canapé.

Chinese five spice pancake with Peking duck hoisin cucumber and green shallots , served on a ceramic spoon with an orange and star anise glaze.





The tomato and baby boconcini filo tartlets will be finished with a beetroot chutney , these are served slightly warm and have some amazing flavours that make this vegetarian option.


Tomato and baby bocconcini tartlets with beetroot and lime relish





Our 5 pepper squid is cooked to perfection and we have so much positive feedback from the guests with people asking how we get the squid so tender.The dipping sauce we use for the squid is a lime aioli we make from scratch , it has tablespoons of lime zest through the aioli.

Our hit tonight was undoubtably the lamb shank pies w / creamy mashed potato , a perfect winter warmer. Such positive feedback about this new cocktail item , there a stayer.




Also up there with the pies was our true favourite and every parties favourite , the Beef burger the onion jam and soft rolls.

All in all the night was a sucess with alot of happy guests asking for business cards and raving about the food and the lovely service from our gorgeous waitress Emily. 

Loving my Cheeses !

As I sit here tonight I am thinking about all the cheeses I ordered and received today they are sitting in the fridge. They are the Yummiest and I have to show some restraint.
Tarago Shadows of blue - a blue cheese for Brie lovers ! This cheese has me heading for an early heart attack. It's amazing , so creamy and such a good price at $29.50 a kilo from Two Providores in Marrickvile- http://www.jamesfood.com.au/
Also I have a lovely Swiss Emental , that will be used on our anti pasta platters along with a mild coopa , shaved proscuito and seedless kalamata olives again all from Two Providores.
Is your mouth watering yet ?
The Wattle Valley double Brie cheese is no second to the South Cape double Brie cheese . I like the Wattle Valley much more.Its a surface ripen white mould cheese has such a creamy texture.Sassy Chef Catering marries this up with the Shadows of Blue and our very own lavish bread to produce a moorish cheese platter seen here in this picture.We up grade to a VIP cheese platter by adding the Fromage d'affinois it's 60% more fat but 60% more heavenly.
Our love for cheese is shown through out our Cocktail menu and next on our prep list tomorrow is the Cherry tomato and Boconcini tarts . Recipe to follow !!
check out he Cocktail menu at http://www.sassychecatering.vpweb.com.au/

Freshly baked bread rolls




Is there anything better than fresh bread with lashings of butter ?
This bread recipe is so versatile you can add your favorite flavours to the dough and produce the most amazing breads.
You don't need a machine for mixing but if you do have one you will get a more consistent product.
500gm plain flour
375ml warm water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
10 gm dried yeast
5 gm Bread improver

Sieve flour , salt , sugar and bread improver.Place dried yeast into the Luke warm water.When it ferments It is ready.
In a mixing bowl or machine, use a dough hook to incorporate the wet ingredients and leave to mix for 5 minutes.This will create a warm dough and start the proving process.
Remove the dough from the machine and place in a warm area of your kitchen. Normally near the oven( be careful it is not too hot as it will kill the yeast)place a damp cloth over the dough to protect it.
After 1 1/2 hours check to see if the dough has proven.
Place on a bench with some flour and knock the air out of the dough.at this stage you can add the different flavors
- olives and onions
- parmesan and garlic
- tomato
- pumpkin

Roll your dough into the desired shapes and place on a greased baking tray or a bakers mat.Brush the buns or loaf with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppyseed.
Leave for 45 mins and let them prove in there shapes.
Place in a preheated oven at 210c and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or longer for a loaf.
When they come out of the oven let them stand for 10 minutes while you get your butter ready. Now enjoy

Heaven in a Bottle

When we took a short break to Orange NSW for this years food festival I picked up a jar of mustard , but not just any mustard
Heaven in a bottle-Chilli and Lime seeded mustard made by Lime Grove , Narromine http://www.limegrove.net.au/
I picked it up in a shop called- totally local and it was a great find.I have been using it like crazy in nearly everything I have been cooking.I have made a yummy vinegrette for a spinach proscuitto and advocado salad.I am using it to marinade my lamb shanks for our lamb shank pie.It goes great on a sour dough with shaved leg ham and my favourite oven dried tomatoes.
Lets just say I am an addict and because it is a 4 hour drive back to Orange or 5 hours if I am driving.I had decided to see if I can reproduce it.
So luckily for my dry goods supplier I over ordered on the mustard seeds last month.Limes are quite cheap at the moment and I always seem to have an endless supply of chilli.I have just spent the day trying to replicate it and put a Sassy chef spin on it by upping the anti with the chilli and using not only lime pulp but also the zest.
Delish in a bottle it could be known as because it is spectacular.
So now I have my own piece of delish in a bottle here is how I will be using it
Mustoli -place a tablespoon of it into 500ml of freshly made mayonnaise and drizzle it all over your fish and chips.
Next week I will serve it at a cocktail party.At the end of the night to soak up the Alcohol they are having a glazed ham.
So I will use it in the glaze-
750ml Orange Juice
5 Star Anise
3 Cinammon Quill
3 tblsp of Delish in a bottle
3 Lime leaves
200gm fresh pineapple diced
Reduce the ingredients in a pan by 1/2.
Score a deboned Ham and place in a oven on 180C.Continue to baste and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.
The Flavours will amaze you.
Enjoy

Our newest addition to our canapé menu

This is a new addition to our cocktail menu and it is proving to be a hit
Chilled Sesame Prawns in betel leaf - a refreshing flavor that goes great with a nice champagne
Definitely a hit as we see they have been the number one choice in the parties we have been doing lately

Not so Secret recipe

Here is a delicious recipe from Sundays mothers day lunch.It is easy and can be prepared in advance.A great recipe for a dinner party it can be prepared earlier so you have more time with your guests.

Coconut Creme Brulee - Serves 6

125gm caster sugar

6 large egg yolks

200ml coconut cream

400ml pouring or thickened cream

6 teaspoons caster sugar for glazing

Method 

Preheat oven to 140c.

Whisk 125gm sugar, egg yolks in large bowl until combined.

In a sauce pan combine cream and coconut cream. Bring to boil. Whisk into yolk mixture. Pour custard into cups, dividing equally.

Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake until custards are just set in center. This can take 25 -30 minutes. Remove from water. Cool

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar evenly over each. Place under a grill or use a torch until sugar browns, rotating for even browning and watching closely, about 2 minutes.