Peach Season!!!

The end of summer always brings an incredible bounty of fresh produce in the Northwest!  This is the best time of the year for local tomatoes off the vine … melons of all varieties… corn…

My favorite however is always the fresh peaches that fill the stores and produce stands in the area!  This is stone fruit time of year when plums, nectarines, apricots and of course peaches are at their  peak!  I love the smell of peaches on a warm summer day and can’t wait till they arrive at the local stands.

Growing up I remember my Grandma in the Midwest making the most incredible peach pies… add a scoop of homemade ice cream and this kid was in heaven.  These days I find myself craving Fresh Peach Cobblers…Shortcakes… or freshly baked pound cake with sliced Peaches and fresh whipped cream.  Such a simple honest dessert this makes and the flavors are incredible.  Try adding some fresh basils (also at their peak) to your sliced peaches and you can instantly elevate this humble fruit.

Another great way to use peaches is to make a chutney or  salsa.  This takes it from dessert and allows you to use it to complement an entrée like roast chicken or grilled halibut.  Add a dollop of chutney  to bruschetta with fresh ricotta or a wonderful farmstead soft cheese and you have wonderful appetizer.  The options are endless for using this amazing fruit…so experiment and have fun.  Above all….in these waning days of summer weather…just make sure that if nothing else…you stop and smell the peaches….although I recommend eating them too!  Yummm…

The Challenge

I don’t know about you…but I love a good Challenge!  The Catering and Events Industry offers no shortage of these it seems!  A few weeks ago we participated in a venue showcase event for the Center for Urban Horticulture here in  Seattle.  The Center is located on the University of Washington Campus and offers a wonderful facility and beautiful gardens for corporate and social events.  The challenge this day was to design a conceptual table top to seat 8 guests under a canopy in the lower meadow.  Since the table is not to be a functional seating for the event but rather a “concept or idea” table we get to have fun with it!

I have an idea of what I want in my head…a table that’s clean, modern and reflects horticulture in an urban environment.  Fifteen years ago I would have been all about clay pots, moss, sod, herbs, wood chairs, etc….  While I still enjoy these elements I think garden design has  evolved to a more sophisticated aesthetic so I kind of use that cue in my thoughts.  My first stop in creating the table is a great rental company  .. Pedersens Rentals.  I go in thinking  I want to use this new clear acrylic chair they have and quickly find out that  none are available for the day I need them.  Figures!  Instead I go with a modern metal and white plastic chair which I hope will work.  A large square table instead of a round and a beautiful celery colored linen.  Glassware, silver, simple white china…I love the options rental companies offer these days!

Next stop for me is a floral wholesaler to see what I can  find to create a table centerpiece and additional table interest.  I am  not a florist by any means so I typically group floral of one type in a single vase and then group them for some impact.  Today I was thinking I wanted grasses or bamboo … but instead went with some amazing hydrangeas, an incredible bare branch, flats of succulents and clear glass cylinder vases.  All seemed to be coming together but I keep going back to these weird mats of green plastic grass of all things.  I think they are humorous in a way that makes you  want to touch them.  Might be big mistake but I buy some just in  case!

As we assemble the table, things seem to be coming together but  it needs a punch I think, so out come those darn mats!  Time crunch doesn’t allow me to change my mind so we have to move forward and just go with it!  As guests arrive and people view the table there are lots of wonderful comments but my favorites were definitely those of “Wow…love the mats!” “How clever…are they real?”  I will probably never set a table like this…. But my mind is already working on ways to use those fake grass mats again.  I think my next use might be a checkerboard buffet top using them with simple white linen under.  Skewered crudites coming out of  them….table runner…. Hmmmmm.  I welcome any suggestions!

Oh…btw…here is the table!

Summer!!!

What a wonderful time of year summer is!  I am struck by that fact as I watch people flock  outdoors to enjoy any brief spell of weather that we receive here in Seattle.  While it seems to be a rare occurrence this year, when the sun does come out…kites are flying, cars are getting their baths, lawnmowers  running, walkers…joggers…bike riders..oh my!  It feels like the entire population gets pushed outdoors to enjoy once the sun arrives again.

The exuberance, energy and joy of days like this is palpable and makes me reflect as a caterer that this is truly what we strive for in the  events industry.  It reminds me of the  perfect party as people join together in celebration.  The kites in the air are like incredible chandeliers floating in a room or under a canopy…budding trees are like beautiful floral arrangements on a table…the laughter and voices of a summer day the perfect music…and the sun the perfect lighting and temperature for the event… the freshly mowed grass or sand on the beach the ever important flooring/carpeting..tile etc…

We work hard to put in place the setting for a great party….now time to get to work….we need to feed these people!!!! Hmmmmmm…..

Dinner on Sunday

“Dinner on Sunday”

The call comes in…”hey would you like to come over for dinner Sunday?”  Casual…small…great friends…sounds like fun!!!  What can I bring I ask?  How about a simple dessert…we have everything else covered.

Now this may sound like a simple task…I am a caterer after all…and yet I am struck by the same pressures, time constraints and lack of creativity we all feel at times.  With no time to make something at home…my mission is set, my challenge ahead and the store awaits!  I have no clear idea of what I would like to bring so I give myself a little time to wander the aisles for inspiration.

As I look through produce…the raspberries look beautiful … strawberries nice but a little early for them to have the great flavor I like.  Chocolate cake …love it!!!  Too heavy though?  I see a simple lemon tart and have to have it!  Next I walk the cheese aisle and spot some cultured crème fraiche…perfection!  I love my market!

I leave buying too much I think … chocolate fig ice cream too…really?

After a wonderful dinner and great conversation the dessert comes together on a simple white plate.  A slice of Lemon tart..Brilliant yellow color…a dollop of slightly tart Crème Fraiche…and beautiful red raspberries.. yumm!!

Oh no…the ice cream…why did I get that?  A quick quenelle of ice cream on the plate and the dessert is complete.  Delicious…light…visual.. a sweet ending to a great meal.

I think the best things often come with an open mind…an eye for what’s fresh and a goal for simplicity.  I would probably leave the ice cream off if I could do again…but it sure was delicious.  Now I just need to find a way to incorporate it in a different way.  Maybe the chocolate fig ice cream…a balsamic syrup…a dense chocolate cake…hmmmmmm