Take Me By Surprise (Hors dOeuvres Book 25)

Delicious healthy hors d’oeuvres : Cucumber Roll with creamy avocado

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Always a pleasure to hang out with the ladies of morning talk! Big thanks to Clarkson Potter and Crown Publishing! Just in time for holiday gift giving…. So a HUGE trend is natural wood for furniture and decorative accessories for event design. All of the shown trays, plates and platters are being shipped to the Hamptons this weekend for events, and Maine later in September for a big wedding. I happen to love them so much that I think these will end up in Manhattan too when the parties go indoors in the Fall.

This is what I LOVE to do, take interior design and fashion trends and incorporate them into food service in simple ways. I have been an avid fisherman for my entire life and nothing gives me greater pleasure than to fish with my son and daughter. Both of whom are avid fishermen as well. On the west side of the island of Nantucket, where the Atlantic Ocean is warm in late Summer, the prized fish Bonito come in to feed on Sand Eels.

EATING GREEK

Challenging, no matter how you work it! One of the best places to fish for them in the local waters is on the aptly named Bonito Bar off Madaket a town on Nantucket. Boats come from all over to try their luck and patience is a must! As you can see, we were lucky! Our family favorite method of eating fresh caught Bonito is as sashimi or sushi. Sometimes, we even bring nori lined with cooked rice on board the boat to make our Bonito sushi as soon as the fish are off the hook. However, on this day we waited until we were back home and had the Bonito as both steaks and as sushi.

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As usual, everyone gets to roll their own sushi! Bonito are not available commercially so we look forward to our August fishing expeditions on the island as a special treat. I recently had the pleasure of catering a beautiful garden luncheon and shopping event in the Hamptons. As it was a hot summer day, I designed the menu to be light and refreshing, taking advantage of the vibrant seasonal produce available in late summer months. All of the delicious buffet items were presented in our custom-made wooden bowls, boxes and trays on a large wooden table on the terrace.

Sometimes, you can over think a menu and make the food over complicated. My goal here was to design a menu that reflected the aesthetic of the event and was in tune with the season, so I kept things simple, clean, and organic. We heard nothing but raves from the client, so it worked!

We all love ice cream year-round, but the sunny days of summer just beg for crazy amounts of the creamy stuff. Most of the time, I get inspiration from every day living with my family. These teeny tiny triple-scoop ice cream cones were inspired by Saturday morning cartoons with my daughter. You know the cartoons showing the impossibly tall ice cream cones with half a dozen scoops teetering on top of a miniature cone? This is my simple rendition, with three manageable scoops of classic kid-favorite ice cream flavors like mint chocolate chip, strawberry and chocolate.

This week I headed north for meetings and site walkthroughs for an upcoming wedding in Maine, and lucky me, I got to tie on a bib at one of the most popular lobster shacks in the area! Always good to just dig in…. Of course, lobster is already a HUGE part of my catering menus. People love it, whether served formally composed or playfully reduced down to tiny bites. Just a couple ways to obsess over fresh Maine Lobster….

Designing trays and building one-of-a-kind displays is an important way I honor the spirit of the party as well as highlight the skills my team brings to the table. Every single element to this bar has to be thought out perfectly, no matter how tedious the detail. It all takes time. Clear shelves, buckets, pedestals and trays all combine with a large sturdy glass table top for a magnificent light-as-air bar presentation that works beautifully in any party. But, it works best and was designed specifically for high rise, all glass buildings and urban bright lofts.

The view from the penthouse is extraordinary. Designing the style of the bar so that it matches the basic bar service needs with a cool presentation is the goal. Our biggest issue is making the chill tubs for the bar top itself, as well as the stand for the chill tubs. Everything behind the bar has to be transparent, clean and precise. Mock-ups from sketch to wooden mock-up then to acrylic fabrication. So, once we have the clear bar design on paper, we move to creating a wooden mock-up of each piece of the design.

In fact, by the time this bar is fully built and installed at the event there will have been at least 10 different artists who have worked on its design and fabrication. Clear Bar shelves, buckets, chill tubs all acrylic to blend into the glass windows. Back Bar Design simple acrylic bases that hide water drainage, yet hold bottled beverages and ice.

When in Greece, eat like a Greek

Of course, finding fun new ways to freshen up these classic beverages is something I love to play with, what a tough job that is! Where professional mixologists might add three or four different ingredients to change up an old stand by beverage, most of the time I find it takes just a tiny tweak to jazz up the recipe.

For instance, adding fresh pressed cherry juice to lemonade is a simple and oh-so-delicious update to the seasonal favorite. If you prefer sipping on a summer margarita instead, why not add a little seasonal juice to basic ingredients? Like watermelon or white peach. In both cases, you add additional mouth-watering flavor as well as vibrant color hues that appeal to every guest. See below for my recipe for White Peach Margaritas.

Super-Easy Appetizers

Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender and pour over ice! For a fully-frozen version, add the ice in the blender. No longer regarded as just a necessity, food service is now widely considered a crucial design element in the success of the whole event. As we all see every day on TV, people are passionate about food and want to experience it in clever ways.

Simple, stylish updates Cheese Carts that roam through the party bring delightful favorites to the guests. Perhaps after 45 minutes to an hour, guests would be invited to sit down for a served multi-course meal where they would remain for hours. Avoid the lines Food stations that hold delicious tasting plates that guests can pick up and walk away with quickly. Today, while many parties still follow this traditional format with beautiful results, appetizers are now being artfully designed into interactive food stations, specialized mini buffets, roaming gourmet displays, and passed tasting plates.

Guests may never be offered a seat at a dinner table. They might even enjoy selecting a mini cheese plate from carts roaming through the party tent.

Traditional flavours and modern Greek cuisine combine to create a unique culinary experience

Guests should be encouraged to munch while moving and mingling at their own pace, even while watching a first dance at a wedding or listening to a keynote presentation. A large coffee table is the ideal location for a micro mini food station. Food is, and should be, a huge part of the entertainment at weddings and parties.

But more importantly, food makes people happy. Giving guests a flexible experience that incorporates their senses and engages their interest puts the spotlight back on the whole purpose of the gathering. Heirloom afficianados know that there are countless different varieties out there, some more readily found in local farmers markets than others.

For our cool country wedding taking place tomorrow, we ordered multiple crates of heirloom tomatoes to be used in the menu in various ways, from our caprese salad to mini gazpacho shooters, etcetera. Fat, round and juicy. Almost a shame to chop these bizarre looking babies up for the event, so I decided to take a few home to enjoy. My plan is to use the narrow, pepper-looking tomatoes as a cocktail glass and fill it with some grain alcohol, maybe vodka, even a little fresh thyme from the garden.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Years ago, my good friend Darcy Miller, the founding editor of Martha Stewart Weddings , asked me to shrink down the hot dog into one of my bite-sized appetizers. As soon as I did that, lots of other caterers did the same, some more successfully than others. When you add sparklers to a dessert, it instantly becomes so much more celebratory! Why over-complicate food design when approachable food always puts guests at ease?

Like my Mini Baked Alaskas. We use sparklers as you would birthday candles, and for all sorts of occasions, from the obvious Fourth of July celebration to weddings, bar or bat mitzvahs, grand openings and product launches. The sparkle they give manage to dress up a simple, classic ice cream dessert like my meringue-covered Mini Baked Alaskas.

But trust me, brownies, slices of cake, even a hot fudge sundae all look festive with sparklers! For bite-sized desserts, I use a 5-inch-tall sparkler with a 3-inch wick. But I have to say, before you use sparklers at your party, indoors or out, make sure to get approval from your venue first. Fabulously fun, sure, but sparklers are still live flame.

Make sure you party responsibly, even with food service. During a recent event we catered in India, we were greeted at our hotel by the iconic doorman…. For the past several years, my catering services have garnered quite of bit of attention from families and businesses out of the United States. Particularly since the success of my bestselling cookbook, Bite by Bite: It seems other cultures around the world are just as fascinated with traditional American foods as we are here in the States.

A different view from New York City, the busy Indian streets around our hotel were intense with energy, architectural wonders and saturated colors. The view from my hotel room showed how much the area is booming, lots and lots of construction. As soon as we could, we dropped out bags and headed out to the local markets for cooking supplies… walking along the busy streets was an adventure! All around the market were trucks and scooters filled with bananas, rice, lentils and other produce. Spices, spices and more spices! The air was fragrant with exotic spices….

Perfectly arranged fresh fruit, likes oranges, apples, grapes, pomegranates… my chefs had no trouble finding exactly what we needed… and more… lots more! Basket after basket of intriguing produce could be found, from curry leaves to peppers, egglant and potatoes. Guess who we bought our mangoes from? And, he taught us a thing or two about negotiating price. Ready to get to the cooking, thankfully, all 38 boxes of our catering supplies, food and presentation materials made it through customs without delay! Sharing the kitchen with the local chefs was a dream, they approached the art of catering with as much passion as we did… no matter the late hours and fine detail required.

My little Gruyere filled mini grilled cheeses are just as popular 24 hours away. This was one of the highlights of my trip to India, this old fashion cotton candy machine, heated with a kerosene flame and powered by a hand-cranked wheel. We used it for my cotton candy lollipops. I left the party at 5: The Luxury Wedding Summit.

After hours of travel, crossing several time zones, I ended up walking right off my flight and right into the Opening Party at Engage! It has certainly become one of my favorite places to party. My daughter and I are both big cereal eaters, and she sometimes has hers with berries and yogurt instead of milk. Her simple, straightforward morning routine inspired me to come up with this mini cereal bowl canape filled with organic Greek yogurt, topped with fresh whole blueberries from Maine, when in season and drizzled with local honey.

Always a pleasure to work with the iconic party designer, Preston Bailey. On every morning on Sirius XM Channel from 7: For discussion, I brought along some of my summer-inspired foods like Summer Corn Soup; Caprese Salad with heirloom tomatoes, creamy mozzarella cheese and fresh basil; and a grilled lemon chicken served with roasted garden vegetables. Big flavor, tiny taste. Easy to eat crowd pleasers that have a BIG impact visually as well. And as we all know, we eat with our eyes as well as our stomachs. Two other floors are in contract, sources said. Sony took over Jive in and inherited the story, 72,square-foot building at W.

To read more about the purchase, check out the full article in the real estate section in the NY Post. Whether a simple shot of vodka to accompany caviar or a mini Patron Margarita next to a Mexican Fish Taco , my clients continue to love this idea of pairing food and beverage. Not only does the presentation add an element of surprise, it also gives wedding guests something to chat about at the party. If my fish tacos prove too challenging, these two classic pairings below are easily achievable in your own homes.

A thin wedge of pear is the foundation for a perfect sliver of Camembert cheese that gets topped with a few edible flower petals and fresh Thyme leaves from the garden. Generally, I prefer to pour a crisp, cold Chardonnay in tiny cordial glasses to partner with the richness of the cheese. What better way to highlight your food and drink creations than to create food and cocktail pairings. Serving intentional pairings puts your food and drink center stage — and definitely makes your event something to talk about.

Personally, I like to use candy in fun, unexpected ways. Just mix some fresh orange juice with banana and melon liqueurs to give the martini the true fruity flavor of bubblegum. In a large pitcher, whisk together the orange juice, vodka and both liqueurs. Fill twelve of your favorite glasses with ice and place a slice of orange in each. Then simply pour the Bubblegum-Tini mixture in each glass and serve!

For an extra fun serving presentation, we use our signature lucite trays filled with gumballs as a playful nod to the candy. What was my hosting secret? For any kind of event with any level of formality, this sweet little dessert is approachable and nostalgic. Something that catches well-heeled guests by surprise at a formal black-tie dinner! I plate them vertically, lined up on a plate with delicious dippers, such as: Baby showers are about celebrating new beginnings, so, in my opinion, like real life, these events should be lighthearted and whimsical. For presentation, I like to stagger rubber duckies my favorites are from BUD in Australia between silver demitasse spoonfuls of Mac and Cheese.

Dessert is a whole other story, but at the very least, color-coded cotton candy pink for a girl, blue for a boy is always a hit! But it works for me as I spend my days, living, breathing and dreaming about food and cool ways to style it up. Happy Cinco de Mayo! Who says you have to drink your margaritas to celebrate? Why not enjoy mini or regular-sized Margarita Popsicles?

Believe it or not, these tasty little bites are more popular than ever! Particularly with our clients in India and China.

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Peter Callahan Catering is definitely more than your average food service company. I know that as we do serious art projects for events on a regular, if not daily, basis. Buttery toast made in my own custom-mini loaf pans blend perfectly with gooey aged Gruyere cheese sandwiched between. Whether I add smoked turkey, crispy green apple or a slice of fresh tomato, there really is nothing more delicious than a grilled cheese sandwich. No matter what you pair with the cheese, it brings out the kid in all of us. Almost a year ago, I had the pleasure of catering the 82nd birthday party for internationally-renown architect Frank Gehry.

One of his favorite woods to work with is Douglas Fir and Gehry had tables made that are only sold for use in the 8 Spruce Street. The planning team loved the idea and you can see what we came up with below.

In the center of the table we used a reclaimed Douglas Fir beam that held the meats. Additional trays and boxes made from Douglas Fir held condiments and sides. All manufactured in-house in our workshop. Yes, we have a workshop in our studio to create all these amazing things! With such an incredible inspiration like Gehry to design a party for, you need a big finish. Particularly for a huge birthday celebration! Only one person came to mind when the idea of a birthday cake came up.

Who else but our clever friend, Ron Ben-Israel could rise to the challenge? So we gave him a call and look what he whipped up? A sweet genius, indeed. Have to say, what an honor it was to cater this incredible birthday gig for the maestro of design, Frank Gehry. At PCC, we like to whisk large batches in an iced copper bowl right in front of party guests at our Sgroppino Bar — the action and ultimate payoff always draws a crowd. Briskly whisk the sorbet and vodka together until the mixture is smoothie smooth, and then whisk in the chilled Prosecco. She loved my margaritas in mini Patron Tequila bottles!

Debuting on April 14th, Ali will travel to different locations throughout the U. This is a school like no other. The band will be supported by the entire Rolling Stones Horn section. Located in a beautiful building that has undergone an elaborate renovation, The Hispanic Society is one of the hidden gems in Manhattan. Something which almost never is permitted around priceless artwork!

The next room, which is more of a round-shaped space, has beautifully-restored murals that encircle the entire space. We will hold dinner in this room. After shrinking down my favorite foods, it was only natural that I would turn my attention to my favorite cocktails. One of my all-time favorite beverages is a margarita. Love that this style blogger found plenty of stylish food in my cookbook, Bite by Bite. I recently had the pleasure to work with the uber-talented Buddy Valastro of the wildly-popular television show, Cake Boss.

I have to say, Buddy truly outdid himself with the Winter-themed cake and accompanying sweet treats he created for a recent Winter Wonderland party. My cookbook, Bite by Bite , is officially sold out and heading back into re-print! Nothing like sharing Sundays with friends and colleagues in the event industry! Taking advantage of seasonal produce always yields fabulous tasting fruit pies like strawberry-rhubarb, cherry and brambleberry.

If done just right, the sweet, tangy apples will be wrapped in a flaky, buttery blanket that will take the edge off the chilliest of Winter days. Why not celebrate with some of my signature Peter Callahan Catering mini bites? Special offer only available through Tuesday, January 31, , email info callahancatering. Happy Friday the 13th! The first of three taking place in the year , each spaced 13 weeks apart. I might be in the minority with that view, but looking back into history, you have to wonder at the origin of the symbolism.

If the number 13 is truly bad luck, then why does it appear throughout history in such interesting, and seemingly mystical, ways? I prefer to regard the superstitions surrounding the number 13 as powerful, mystical and enlightening rather than fearful and evil in nature. And, if our event calendar filled with spectacular bar and bat mitzvahs tells us anything, the positive perception is working.

Rumor has it, today is none other than National Spaghetti Day! Works for me, as anything Italian is the ultimate in comfort food. Particularly in the cold dead of Winter! From its inception, it was one of those fun foods you just knew was going to please every crowd for its design and taste. Rather than skewer it on a fork or dish it up in a spoon as other catering companies have done since, my meatballs just pop in your mouth in one simple delicious bite!

Nothing like having a house filled with the exuberant voices of children to remind you of the joy of Christmas! This casual, after-school get-together was just too much fun to watch unfold! As you can see, each child decorated their gingerbread house in their own style using jelly beans, red hots, gum drops, peppermints and marzipan. What each child focused on was actually, really fascinating to me, as were their design concepts: Although I arrived after another busy day at the office, this little group of clever designers wiped the stress right away with their laughter and festive spirit.

Allison Beck, the editor of the most popular foodie blog on the planet, The Daily Meal , was guest blogging on another cool lifestyle blog, The Daily Basics. Thanks again to both blogs for including me in their lineup! Big thanks to Kate Todd and her chic blog, Party Resources , for taking the time to interview me!

Think some of the answers to her questions might surprise you… to read the interview in full just click here. Cold weather is here and nothing warms up a holiday party faster than a cup of Hot Mulled Apple Cider!

In fact, these little red beauties are the ideal beverage to hand to guests as soon as they arrive at your party! Bye-bye chilly damp December; Hell-o cozy festive party scene! Ordinarily, we put a big iron pot on the stove then add in tons of fresh pressed apple cider, slices of fresh oranges and lemons, several whole cinnamon sticks, a handful of whole cloves and one star anise.

Letting that fragrant kettle of spicy goodness simmer over medium heat for at least minutes will yield a delicious hot beverage that everyone will love.

Just add a touch of dark rum to the spicy brew for some added holiday cheer! This simple presentation elevates the look from country farm-stand to modern cocktail party! One of my favorite bar styling methods is to decant all the usual spirits rum, whisky, scotch, bourbon, cognac and display them in modern glass carafes or classic cut-crystal decanters.

The warm, amber colors of the libations immediately become a festive presentation! Or, for the more formal crystal decanters, I use tiny-but-legible calligraphed signs that sit just in front of the elegant containers. And for some added flare at the front of the bar station, add simple glass vessels or bowls filled with colorful lemons, limes, cherries, olives, onions and blood oranges.

Somehow, it all just tastes better the days after so why not enjoy them? It all starts with a crispy turkey skin cup that is made using a mini-muffin baking tin, chopped or shredded turkey meat, a spoonful of tasty stuffing and a dollop of cranberry sauce. For the full recipe, check out pages in my cookbook, Bite by Bite. The tart red berries were first cultivated on Cape Cod in , where wild cranberries seemed to thrive and American farmers needed a consistent crop to plant. You see, cranberries are truly unique in that they can only grow and survive under a very special combination of factors: That growing season must include long months of dormancy when the brutally cold winter months provide an extended chilling period necessary for the fruiting buds to mature.

Instead, they grow on vines in impermeable beds layered with sand, peat, gravel and clay. Today, cranberries are commercially grown throughout the northern part of the United States and are available in both fresh and processed forms. On Nantucket, cranberries are generally harvested from September through November, just in time for the holidays! My absolute favorite kind of cranberry juice is fresh-pressed, not the store-bought concentrated versions.

During the holiday season I tend to favor cocktails that take advantage of locally-grown or seasonal ingredients that tell a story, and what better story exists than that of the cranberry? Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pitcher. Stir in the vodka. Thread the remaining cranberries on twelve cocktail swizzle sticks, 3 whole cranberries per swizzle. Fill 12 of your favorite glasses with ice, and divide the cranberry mixture among the glasses, leaving enough room for a splash of sparkling water. Just before you serve, add the splash of sparkling water and cranberry swizzles.

The cranberry mixture sans vodka can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days. The swizzle sticks can be made 1 day in advance but store them covered with water in the fridge. Thanksgiving is the one occasion during the year that I allow myself to eat my fill of fabulous food. First, invite your family and guests to be seated for the first course. By all means, enjoy your own time with family and friends! Whatever you do, appreciate each moment. I know I will. Take the time to enjoy the weeks leading up to the New Year, I know I will, my daughter will make sure of it!

Read the full article here. Thanks for the feature on my new book, Bite by Bite. The essential holiday cocktail to ensure you entertain your guests in style! But what I can tell you, is that you can never go wrong with having too much! Creating a road map of sorts that brings all the event components back to the theme, brand or concept. Subtle or outrageous, sometimes it takes just a few key elements to create an ambiance that guests will talk about for years. One of my favorite ways to customize an event is also something that can easily be done at home with a little DIY craft time.

When you place bites of whimsical food in between or on top of those artfully arranged images, it transforms something simple into something amazing. One of my homestyle favorite combinations too, tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches! Elegant styling and fantastic taste appears with some clever tips and yummy recipes!

To see their feature on my new book, as well as more of my favorite Bite by Bite photos, click here. I love the contrast between city and country, both balance out well for me. I work in the city and relax at our home in the Pennsylvania countryside. Around the holidays, my wife, Josephine Sasso, makes sure to jazz up our home in festive ways. Halloween is a favorite, and with a 10 year old daughter in the house, we bring out the spook decor. My favorite right now is the black crows as they easily attach to chandeliers, sconces and branches giving an Alfred Hitchcock feel.

These were all bought at a local pharmacy. The stunning KD Hamptons Lifestyle blog was kind enough to feature my Bite by Bite book launch party with their readers. Click here to see the whole article online. Their Weddings Belles and Whistles blog series is not only educational to brides-to-be, but the useful taste-making source of fashionable information that all party hosts need at their fingertips! It was truly fabulous getting to share the Bite by Bite book launch with all the Merci readers! Click here to read the whole post and see more photos from the event. The book is called Bite by Bite: Greeks approach food with a combination of seriousness and nostalgia, inevitably thinking back to the dishes they were raised on.

Greek cuisine offers unique treats. Here in Greece, a lunch or dinner can last for hours, and the more people gathered at the table the better; for good food and good wine bring good talk. So, sit down and prepare to enjoy yourself. Presented on little plates and designed to whet your appetite, they may be accompanied by ouzo, the national drink, schnapps-like tsipouro or, of course, wine. They may arrive in no particular order, but cold dishes are apt to be served first, and fish before meat and they are meant to be shared, not claimed by just one person.

One thing that will strike you immediately is the freshness and excellence of the local produce: So, what are the basic elements of Greek cuisine? Salt from the ubiquitous sea, olive oil, our liquid gold that contains all the goodness of the sun, and bread, the staff of life, ground from wheat, the age-old crop of the land. Since those days, so many new fruits and vegetables have arrived on these shores, so many people have introduced different ways of cooking them, from both East and West, that tracing the roots and trends of traditional Greek cuisine is complicated.

But one thing has always been true: Modern Greek Cuisine Over the past couple of decades a new wave of chefs has sprung up, committed to recreating the traditional Greek cuisine they were brought up on but with new combinations and techniques. Often trained abroad, where they have come into contact with other food cultures, they are two-way ambassadors. As they return, they experiment with new approaches to traditional recipes, changing techniques and creating a modern Greek cuisine. Domestic production which had been neglected is also being rediscovered, transformed and redesigned.

As examples, we have the rare Cretan skolymbous, a wild green that costs more than fillet mignon, sweet potatoes from Trikala, chestnuts from Volos, farmed black pork and mountain goat from Crete. Seek them out and sample their offerings. Traditional flavours and modern Greek cuisine combine to create a unique culinary experience Greeks approach food with a combination of seriousness and nostalgia, inevitably thinking back to the dishes they were raised on.

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