Tonight I have been ask to cater an intimate dinner party for 4 to celebrate a 20 year anniversary for two of my best clients. Ron and Jaki have been clients for over 15 years, I have catered many a function for them so when Jaki called and said she wanted to have this special night I offered my service gladly but she has no idea it will be free of charge. I know this is the right thing for me to do. As it will bring me more business in the near future. This is a great way to show my appreciation for their past and future business while costing me little to do it! My mother "Big Ann" was always an entrepreneur, over the years she had many small business ventures. Her motto was always appreciate those who believe in you, and your dreams! Give back when you can, always do your part for charity, and teach your craft to anyone who is interested to learn. I try to follow her ways in my own business, as it is the best advice I have ever been given, and your best advertising! Word of mouth is fantastic when it comes from happy clients!
I know Jaki has a much more worldly palate than Ron, but I want this to be a meal they will both remember. So I consider the menu carefully. I have no idea as t the taste of the other couple but I plan on this to be a special event for Jaki and Ron so they are my priority. My menu is a simple one but with some over the top additions I think will please them both. Jaki is from West Texas and Ron is from Boston Mass. so I will create a menu to satisfy both regions.
Being that it is only 2 couples I head out to make sure the table is set properly and everything will be perfect for tonight! I will bring everything myself as well as prepare the food, and serve the dinner. This will be the added touch to make it all so memorable, each placesetting will be a reminder of the 20+ Years Jaki and Ron have spent together.I have contacted Jack, the 18 year old son of the couple, and he has given me some photos of them from over the years. I have taken these photos to a local photo shop and had them reprinted all over a cotton table cloth and 4 napkins to dress the table. They include times from when the couple dated, their wedding, the birthdays of their kids, vacations, and one I took just a few months ago at a fund raiser we all did for a local organization. A simple bouquet of red roses will adorn the table as well. The pates will be solid white china, the flatware is some beautiful antique silverware I have been collecting, crystal glassware www.waterford.com that is the clients from their wedding gifts and the music will be soft and a mix of love songs from the past 20 years I have had a friend of mine put on a CD for tonight. Well all is done except for the food, so here is the menu…..
- Crab Cakes with a Southwest play on a Rikki Sauce:
- You will need 1 lb of Jumbo Lump Crab meat www.LintonsSeafood.com, be sure when mixing the other ingredients you do it first before adding the crab. The desired result is to not break up the crab into smaller pieces.
- 1/2 of a medium sized Red Bell Pepper diced very small
- 2 Green Onions sliced and minced
- 1/2 Celery rib minced very fine
- 1 Tbs minced Parsley
- 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs www.UpperCrustEnt.com
- 2 Tbs Mayonnaise www.hellmans.com
- 2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning www.oldbay.com
- 1 egg…..whisk the egg into the mayonnaise before you add to mixture.
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, add crab meat last. Lightly form 4 cakes and dust in some extra bread crumbs. Fry in a skillet with as little oil as possible till golden brown on both sides. Serve over a small amount of Baby Field Greens topped with the sauce. My wine choice for this appetizer is a Simi, Chardonnay www.simiwinery.com
- Rikki Sauce:
- 2 Tbs Mayonnaise
- 1 Tbs Edmond Fallot Tarragon Mustard www.ranchmarketsnapavalley.com
- 1 tsp Chile Powder www.tuldys.com
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin www.spiceislands.com www.spiceadvice.com
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1/2 bunch Cilantro Minced
- 2 Sundried Tomatoes diced small
- 3 drops Balsamic Vinegar www.sadaf.com
Mix well and chill before serving, for up to 3 hours.
Next we will have a Salad of Mixed Field Greens tossed in an Creamy Avocado Dressing, with halved Grape Tomatoes, and topped with crisp fried bacon strips. Just make the dressing toss in the greens and tomatoes mix well and plate. Top with 2 slices of Bacon and serve!
- Avocado Dressing:
- 1 ripe Avocado mashed
- 2 Tbs Sour Cream www.daisybrand.com
- 1 Tbs Mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt www.mccormick.com
- 2 Tbs Lime Juice
Mix well and chill before tossing in the Greens Mixture. This Salad is great any time! My wine choice is Chablis by Olivier Savary www.corked.com
Next the Entree is a Simple Mix of Grilled Ribeye with Grilled Shrimp served with Roasted New Potatoes and Sauteed Spinach. New potatoes take awhile to roast so I take 2 per serving about 3 oz each wipe them with olive oil roll in a mixture of sea salt and minced fresh Rosemary. I cook them for 40 minutes on a baking sheet in the oven at 375 degrees. When ready to serve I will crack them open and add some butter with some chopped parsley, toss and plate. The Spinach is just as simple in a skillet put 1 Tbs of Olive Oil and 1 tsp minced Garlic, heat and add 1 lb of spinach just wilt about 1 minute it will take only a few seconds to get just wilted and plate! Salt and Pepper to taste.
The 12 oz Steaks are Prime Ribeye, marinated in Allegro Hickory Flavored Marinade www.allegromarinade.com for 30 minutes and grilled on the outdoor grill for 5 minutes per side. They will be between Medium and Medium Rare, a perfect temp. for ribeyes. The shrimp 3 large per serving are peeled and cleaned they are grilled for 2 minutes each side. When plated add the shrimp on top of the Steak and top with Maitre d’ Butter. Recipe follows:
My wine choice for the steaks is a Merlot by Pine Ridge www.pineridgewinery.com
- Maitre d’ Butter:
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened, add 1 tsp each minced shallot, minced parsley, minced garlic, minced fresh tarragon, dried dill, and 1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest. Mix well and reform into a stick again and chill till firm. www.challengedairy.com
Dessert is a smaller version of the wedding cake they had at their wedding 20 years ago. I had it made local by a professional cake maker www.frostedart.com. I just thought this would be a great treat for Jaki and Ron. Now for the big surprise I head to the kitchen and make a call…. outside are 20 of their closest friends and family with a bucket of champagne to share with our happy couple! There is cake and champagne for everyone! www.moet.com
