The Catering Menu

After barely recovering from the party yesterday I hopped on a plane and flew to San Diego to visit my family. My brother picked me up from the airport and drove me directly to one of the food temples in my world, Point Loma Seafoods. I usually order a crab louie but today I ordered fresh, fresh fish tacos and a side of ceviche while brother C. ordered his usual smoked fish louie and finished my ceviche.

Tonight I was lucky enough to join my father and extended family for a trip to the USS Midway, a decommissioned aircraft carrier. It was the location of a huge lasagna feed and provided a bird's eye view of the San Diego Parade of Lights. Very sweet...I think I was/am too tired to fully appreciate how special it was.

Okay, now I will tell you what we served yesterday. I am afraid I don't have pictures, so use your imagination!

In the first tent, we "tray passed" wild mushroom and goat cheese tartlets, and house cured/smoked bacon, gruyere and caramelized onion tarts. Tent 2 had an array of Roasted Winter Vegetables with: parsnips, butternut squash, red and golden beets, red potatoes, fennel and rutabagas. We served them with the following 3 sauces: Aioli, Spanish Romesco and a warm Brown Butter and Sage sauce.

Just inside the wine cave we served individual/mini beef wellingtons served with our very own Z 1 sauce. Deeper into the cave, just past where the Gospel singers performed, was where we served the hot smoked duck breast panzanella made with fig and walnut focaccia (Chef Jeff's invention) diced persimmons and a chipotle cranberry chutney.

Upon exiting the tent everyone walked through the kid's tent where we served home-made corn dogs, fresh mac n'cheese and a big fruit salad. We also fed the gospel choir...they got brined and grilled chicken, mac n'cheese, broccoli coleslaw and a cranberry rice salad.

What was left over? Niente, nada, not a thing 'cept some of the sauces. We made over 1200 individual wellingtons, 1300 tartlets, cut up over 200 pounds of vegetables, used cases of fruit, cases of meat, cases of puff pastry...I could go on but I want to sleep tonight about something other than ALL of the food that we prepared. Let me tell you...I am happy we aren't doing another catering event for a couple of weeks!!!

Just a reminder: the greatest gift is the gift of time. I would rather have time with my family or friends than to have them out spending money on "things". (Unless, of course, you ARE my family, in which case, please refer to my amazon wish list...you know who you are!) So before you go out and get yourselves harried, hassled, pressured or crazed, remember to stay sane, folks. Let's keep it all in perspective!