Big Adventures with Little Foods

Bite Catering Couture catered the Grand Opening event for the new Judith Leiber store in Los Angeles (in Beverly Hills, off of Rodeo Dr).  As you may expect, its a beautiful store, befitting a classic brand, with a very nice and competent team.  Its also so new that the address hasn’t yet been posted on the website (its 220 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills).

The designs were Fabrege-esque and many nestled into deep plum packaging.  Even the bathroom was spectacular, with delicate crystal detail.

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Creole Crabcake, Bite Catering Couture, Los Angeles

Our creole crabcakes are a favorite at any event!  Our crabcake recipe serves about 25.

Ingredients

• 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
• 4 cloves garlic, minced and roasted in olive oil
• 4 ounces mayonnaise
• Pinch chopped fresh tarragon leaves
• Pinch fresh chopped thyme leaves
• Dash seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Breading (all-purpose flour, 3 eggs, lightly beaten with a little water, and panko bread crumbs)
• Olive oil
• Chipotle-Honey Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Corn, recipe follows
• Remoulade, recipe follows
• Thyme sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Mix crabmeat, garlic, mayonnaise, herbs and seafood seasoning. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using the #3 circle pastry cutter, pack with 2 tablespoons of the crab mixture. Form into cakes and freeze until ready to fry. To fry, place the flour in a shallow dish or bowl. Place the eggs in a separate bowl and the panko in another bowl. Dredge each crab cake in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs, shaking off any excess. Fry quickly in olive oil. To assemble, place disk of mashed potatoes on top of crab cakes and heat together in a preheated 400 degree F oven until the top is crisp. Finish with a dollop of remoulade and a sprig of thyme.

Chipotle-Honey Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Corn:

• 5 Idaho potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup hot cream
• 4 ounces melted butter
• 1 to 2 ears corn, shucked and kernels removed from cob
• 2 tablespoons oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chipotle-Honey Puree, to desired spiciness, recipe follows

Cook potatoes until soft and drain. While potatoes are cooking, combine the cream and butter in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until the butter melts. Remove the corn from the cob and roast or saute corn in oil until tender and slightly browned. Season with salt and pepper. Rice or smash the potatoes, add cream mixture, sauteed corn and chipotle puree, to taste. Shape into small disks.

Chipotle-Honey Puree:

• 1 (4 oz) can chipotle in adobo
• 1/4 bunch cilantro leaves
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic
• Honey, to taste

Puree all ingredients in a blender.

Remoulade:

• 2 to 3 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped cornichons
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth. Transfer to squeeze bottle.

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Caprese Skewers, Bite Catering, Los Angeles

Our Caprese Skewers are a big hit at parties.  Elegant and easy to eat, they put a fun twist on a caprese salad starter.

The following recipe makes 20 servings.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 20 baby tomatoes, sliced in 1/2
• 1 fresh buffalo mozzarella sliced into 40 cubes
• Fresh basil, larger leaves torn in 1/2
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
  
• Good aged balsamic vinegar

Directions
Using a skewer, put 1/2 tomato, cut side up, followed by a piece of mozzarella, basil, second piece of mozzarella and finish with another tomato half. Season skewers with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar.

Patriotic drinks for 4th of July

What better way to get patriotic and get your drink on than sipping on this red, white and blue cocktail – and it even come with its own brand of fireworks from a jalapeno kick!

July 4^th Cocktail

Ingredients

1 ounce watermelon schnapps

1 big splash cranberry juice or pomegranate juice

1 very thin slice jalapeno

1 slice lemon

1 slice lime

1 1/2 ounces tequila

1/4 ounce blue curacao

1/2 ounce simple syrup

Watermelon wedge, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Mix the schnapps and cranberry juice in a shaker; pour into an ice-filled glass.

Muddle the jalapeno pepper, lemon and lime slices, tequila, blue curacao and simple syrup (to make a batch, dissolve sugar in equal parts hot water and chill) in the shaker. Slowly strain into the glass over the red layer.

Check your local party supply store for fun red, white and blue garnishes – or just decorate with a wedge of watermelon!

Happy 4th!!!

We’ve been hearing from a lot of people recently that compare our Bites menus to other types of catering. People love the smaller look and the greater variety that comes with these types of menus. Since these are less familiar than more traditional options, we’ve decided to do a Q&A with our own Chef Elizabeth to outline how the Bites option is different from other types of catering (incl. Bite Catering Couture’s own line of sit down and buffet menus):

Q: Why do people tend to choose Bite menus?
CE: My customers really love the look of the individual Bites, the diversity of a Bites menu, and the flavors that you can pack into a small Bite to really make each one pop. People get excited about what’s coming out next…there’s fun new food every few minutes over 3 hours. Also, customers tend to really enjoy the ability to mingle freely with their guests, as they aren’t tied to their table.

Q: How are Bites parties different from sit-down parties?
CE: Bites menu allows for a stand-up party where guests can mingle freely and eat interesting items over time. This leads to a more social feel for larger groups, where more dynamic conversations can take place. This can also really save money on rentals like tables, plates, and silverware. In addition, its much more natural for people to eat gradually. We’ve found that people enjoy their food more and listen more to their bodies on quantity when they can eat over the course of an evening.

Q: What goes into making small pieces?
CE: Each Bite is a little hand-crafted work of art made by a skilled chef. We actually put much more time and flavor into each one, as each Bite has to stand on its own. I don’t think most people understand how much goes into making each one…we can’t make large batches the same way other caterers can with trays of meats or dishes.

Q: That sounds like a lot of work. Are Bites a lot more expensive than other types of catering?
CE: It is a lot of work. Fortunately, our format allows for a lot of savings on other things, so the overall cost is about the same as any premium caterer. Rentals is the big one…since people are standing up and aren’t using plates, you can save a lot of money on tables, chairs, plates, silverware, and all of that. You can often use fewer staff as well, as the food doesn’t all need to come out at the same time…it comes out over the course of 3 hours. We can arrange some of our room temperature Bites in gorgeous displays that can substitute for decorations.

Q: Are there ways to save money using Bites options?
CE: We know many people are on a budget these days. We do offer drop-off and limited service menus for those who love our food, but don’t want to pay for chefs on site. The menus are either room temperature or Bites our clients can heat and serve themselves. We send them out well packaged and with instructions on what preparation is required. Drop-off allows for fun food at your party while being our most economical option.

Q: What size parties work well with Bites?
CE: Our Bites are a good fit for parties generally between 20 and 200 people. Smaller than that hits our minimums and larger tends to need more of a buffet format.

Q: What kind of budgets work with a Bites menu?
CE: Our lighter menus start at about $20/person in food cost and our more filling and elaborate menus range from $35 to $100+/person in food cost. Since we make our Bites from scratch, we can customize menus to meet a variety of dietary preferences.

Interested in seeing more? Check out our Bites menus to get some inspiration for your next party!

Ever had to get the shells off of lots of hard boiled eggs? Here’s a tip:

• Cook eggs in boiling water
• When done, drain out most of water, leaving eggs in the pot
• Cover the pot tightly and give it a few good shakes (make sure its covered tightly and you don’t shake it in a way that hot water can splash you)
• The eggshells crack and the eggs will pop out of their shells

We’ll look forward to sharing an evening on Thursday with the folks from the HOPE campaign and Fred Segal, at a poker invitational called “Vice for Nice”. Hope to see some of you all there…if you’re interested in donating to the cause for a seat at the table, please call the number on the flyer above.

Interesting question posed on the Cinderella Project blog:

If weddings are an extension of a couple’s personality, wouldn’t it be lovely to see their favorite eats on the menu rather than the standard salad appetizer and steak or chicken entree being served?

We agree! If you’ve invited your favorite people and are dancing to your favorite songs, shouldn’t you also be dining on your favorite food while mingling with those people throughout the night?

The Bites format allows for a very different type of culinary and social experience at your wedding or event. And the format allows you to pay less for rentals (as people don’t all need to be seated and you don’t need all the plates and flatware) and focus on the food and conversation!

Check out these very delicious and seriously styled mini treats from Bite Catering Couture. Menus range from Asian Tapas to California Casual, Comfort food to Elegant Wedding so you’ll be sure to have a distinctive cuisine for your occasion. And as added bonus? Your guest will be delighted to sample all sorts of foods so rest assured that this savory reception will never have a bland moment. Also, passed trays of food throughout the night means your guests will be able to mingle with everyone unlike a traditional sit down dinner.

Thanks to the folks at the Cinderella Project for the kind words! And check out all their stylish wedding suggestions.

There are a lot of great places to go out for Sushi in West LA, yet getting reasonably priced delivery can be tough in this town.

Last night, we wanted a quiet night in, and so Sushi Sho hit the spot. While the restaurant itself is somewhat small and casual, the delivery is cool. A sushi chef comes to your door and drops it off.

The sushi is melt-in-your-mouth fresh and prices are reasonable.

Give them a try and let us know what you think.

Jennifer Wilson captured some amazing photos from Lily’s 4th birthday party, which Bite catered. Donna Collins from Party Wishes did a great job in setting up the Mary Poppins theme event.

Check out the pictures!