Hidden behind sliding divider walls was our large display of delicious mini sweets adorned with gold and purple embellishments. At the end of the evening we created a "big reveal" as we opened the doors to present the guests a sweet finish to what was an absolutely magical day.
When you start with a blank slate you can create a completely custom and unique design for your wedding or event!
Photo Credit: John Lenis Photography http://johnlenisphotography.com/
If you love sweets as much as we do it can be difficult to choose just one dessert to try! This weekend we served a trio of our most popular cheesecakes to give the guests a variety of different flavors. We artfully plated three mini cheesecakes- banana foster, citrus and dark chocolate for their pleasure. Try this new york style cheesecake recipe at home or for your next party!
New York Style Cheesecake
Makes 14-16 Bite Sized Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Make sure all ingredients are room temperature
2.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c melted butter
1/8 c sugar
1lb of cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of sour cream
1TB vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix 2.5 cups of graham cracker crumbs with 1/8 cup of sugar. Pour the melted butter into the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Mix with a fork. Scoop mixture into bottom paper lined muffin tins. Push the crumbs down with a flat object. (Ex. Bottom of a glass).
In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment mix the cream cheese until smooth. Then add the sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time mixing until each is incorporated. Add vanilla. Add the sour cream until the cheesecake is smooth and creamy. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the whole cheesecake giggles all at once. Cool until room temperature. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours and then pop out of the pan. Decorate as you like and enjoy!
This past August one of Pepper’s very own tied the knot! Morgan & Jon we’re very DIY with their wedding. For the ceremony, Jon built a birch arbor which was decorated with a giant elk skull and pretty pink roses to add a soft touch. The bridesmaids all wore cowboy boots with their light pink dresses. The Maid Of Honor was swiftly escorted down the aisle by the couple’s pitbull mix, Diesel. Followed by Morgan herself with her father, donning a handlebar mustache. For guest seating there were hay bale benches covered in blankets which were later turned into couches for guests to sit back and rest their dancing feet.
The reception took place under a beautiful sailcloth tent that looked stunning next to her parent’s red colonial home. There were no seating assignments except for the bridal party who dined at a large farmers table in the middle of the tent.
Jon, being the handy-man he is (who spends his weekends at the farmers market with his builds for Johnny Appleseed Designs) built a bar using wine barrels and a curved wooden top set in front of a large, fully bloomed hydrangea bush. Off to the side was an actual horse trough that was used to ice down the beer on this hot summer day.
To bring the theme full circle, the one thing Morgan really wanted at her casual, but elegant backyard BBQ wedding was Pepper’s infamous copper boot. Filled with straw, and bright sunflowers the boot made a big statement piece on the buffet.
The birch frosted cake on a custom made stump stand, centered on a wooden market cart was displayed throughout the night. The fun loving Groom, who usually can be seen dressed like a lumberjack, did not hold back from shoving a little bit of the Salted Caramel Devil’s Food Cake (which was a Pepper’s favorite this year) into his bride’s face when it came time for the cake cutting.
Even though it was raining cats & dogs by the end of the night, that didn’t stop anyone from having a great time, devouring the cake and mini sweets and dancing up their own storm under the beautifully lit tent. The combination of the Pepper’s touch and the Bride & Groom’s do-it-yourself this wedding was both perfect and personalized.
Photographer: Joseph Gonzalez Dufresne HelloImJoe
Try this delicious Pomegranate and Rosemary Gin Fizz cocktail this holiday season. The rosemary scents speak to the holidays while the refreshing nature of this cocktail make it perfect for the warmer December weather.
Ingredients
2 oz. Gin
1 tbsps. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tbsp. Rosemary Simple Syrup (Recipe Below)
2 tbsps. Pomegranate Juice
Splash of Club Soda
Pomegranate Seeds
Rosemary Sprigs
Rosemary Simple Syrup
Drink Instructions
We had the honor of being a part of Caroline and Rob's equestrian themed wedding this summer. Caroline’s parents beautiful farm in Berlin, MA set the stage for a memorable celebration. Caroline wanted to include her love and passion for horses in her wedding day. From blue trophy ribbons and horseshoes to farmer’s tables and horse drawn carriages the theme was intertwined throughout all the details perfectly.
The Team
Caterer: Peppers Artful Events
Wedding Planner: Nancy Sitta
Photographer: Channing Johnson Photography.
Homemade Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Recipe
Directions
STEP 1: Place milk and half-and-half in a saucepan and heat to a simmer over medium heat.
STEP 2: Meanwhile, sift together the cocoa powder, sugar, and cinnamon.
STEP 3: A few teaspoons at a time, pour the hot milk and half-and-half into the cocoa mixture-stirring continuously to form a smooth paste.
STEP 4: Scrape the cocoa mixture into the saucepan with the milk and simmer 2 minutes; do not let it boil.
STEP 5: Stir in the vanilla
STEPG 6: Top with Whipped Cream, Fluff or Marshmallows and ENJOY!
This past weekend we hosted an exclusive wedding tasting event at the Beautiful Farm at SummitWynds in Jefferson, MA. The historic fieldstone ski lodge, turned horse barn has been converted to a rustic style event venue that is perfect for weddings, rehearsals, and other social events.
Any brides looking for a rustic style farm wedding should be sure to look here. The stone barn with white washed walls, fieldstone fireplace, rustic chandeliers and beamed wood ceilings is a perfect location for a small ceremony or cocktail hour. Couples can also get married outside on the lawn with panoramic views of the rolling hills. Dinner receptions take place in a large tent with removable walls to allow the stunning natural surroundings in. Above the stone barn, there is even a cozy bridal suite for the wedding party to get ready in prior to the festivities. For any guests looking to kick back and relax during the reception they can find their way out to the fire pit!
This sought after venue is truly remarkable and offers so many benefits. 15 minutes from local hotels for guests and an on-site honeymoon suite available for the couple to rent are among some of the numerous advantages.
The owners have tied in beautiful details around the venue from rustic benches to a wooden cart and vintage style furniture. We were able to seamlessly incorporate many of our own rental items into the space for the tasting. Check out some photos from the event below!
Our design team created all the signage, florals and decor for the tasting. Items seen above that are available for rent include our light up beer wall and wine barrels with wooden top. Looking for more inspiration? Follow our Barn and Country Wedding Pinterest Page. https://www.pinterest.com/pepperscatering/barn-and-country-weddings/
Interested in SummitWynds? Visit their website here http://thefarmatsummitwynds.com/ or schedule a tour!
Fresh Pumpkin Pie
(9” pie)
Ingredients:
Favorite Pie Crust Recipe
1 Sugar Pumpkin
2 eggs
1 C. brown Sugar
1 TB All Purpose Flour
½ tsp salt
2 ½ tsp pumpkin spice
12 oz evaporated milk
Directions:
Cut pumpkin in ½ and remove the seeds. Place cut side down on lightly greased pan. Bake at 325 for 30-40 mins. Or until the flesh is tender. Cool until warm. Scrape pumpkin flesh out, mash or puree. Beat eggs, add brown sugar, flour, salt and 2 cups of pumpkin puree, spices and milk. Stir well after addition. Pour mixture into unbaked crust. Place strip of foil around edges. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, reduce temp to 350 and bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick is clean. Remove foil 20 minutes before taking pie out. Cool, chill overnight for best results.
Pepper’s recently catered Worcester Business Journals 40 Under 40 event at Mechanic’s Hall in Worcester. This yearly event celebrates the best and brightest leaders under 40.
This year we offered Mexican inspired cuisine to accompany the celebration. Our passed appetizers consisted of avocado and roasted vegetable quesadillas, beef empanadas and spicy tequila shrimp. We also featured a large stationary display of homemade chips and fresh vegetables served with warm fondue and various toppings like sour cream, diced tomatoes, and goat cheese crumbles.
We love the opportunity to get creative with our displays and showcase delicious cuisine in a fun intriguing way. Sombreros, cylinders filled with brightly colored vegetables and maracas added visual interest and appeal to our display. We even filled a sombrero with chips! To finish off the event, we passed Mexican Wedding cookies, Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies and Mexican Sugar Cookies on colorful platters. What a fun fiesta!
Pepper's Catering was recently certified as a 2 Star Certified Green Caterer by the Green Restaurant Association, a national nonprofit organization helping restaurants to become more environmentally sustainable.
We have taken great steps to become a leader among catering companies by maintaining several sustainability initiatives. As more information has become available about the importance of maintaining our environment and preserving our natural resources, Pepper’s has chosen to make sustainability a key corporate value. Over the past year Pepper’s has been inspired to take steps to limit our energy consumption, increase our recycling initiatives, and source many food and floral products from local farms and vendors.
Water Reduction:
As a provider of off premise catering, water is a critical component of our ware washing and event preparation. By installing a state of the art energy efficient ware washing machine, Peppers has been able to reduce ware washing related water consumption by nearly 50%. Furthermore, Pepper’s has taken steps to become mindful of wasting water in our day to day operations by installing flow regulating aerators on prep and hand washing sinks. Flow regulating aerators have allowed our team to become more mindful of how much water they actually need to use in day to day tasks.
Electrical Reduction:
Peppers has begun to take several significant steps towards reducing electrical consumption during day to day operations. This year a Solar Panel array will be installed on the roof of our facility. The array will be large enough to generate 20% of our annual electrical needs, all from the sustainable energy provided by the Sun’s rays. Peppers has also begun the process of becoming an entirely LED lit facility. By switching to LED based lighting fixtures, Peppers is able to reduce lighting based electrical consumption by nearly 50%. Our electricity saving initiatives extend to our culinary team as well. Our kitchen convection ovens were recently upgraded to energy star rated models that are able to offer our chefs improved cooking performance by utilizing less electricity.
Waste Reduction:
Since April Peppers has been utilizing a single stream or all in one recycling program. Single stream programs have revolutionized recycling by simplifying the disposal process and reducing the number of trips vendors need to make to pick up products. Our current arrangement allows for us to recycle all paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, and select other recyclable products with great ease. Since inception Peppers has significantly reduce the amount of waste the company has sent to the landfill and the volume of product recycled has increased by 100%.
Sourcing Local Produce and On Site Composting:
Peppers culinary team take great pride in being able to source product, herbs, and florals directly from the company’s on premise, all organic garden. The success of the organic garden, has been further enabled by Pepper’s on site composting system. Our culinary team has diligently been contributing all eligible food waste into two rotating compost drums that help the food items to break down and become a natural, sustainable source of nutrients for the plants in the organic garden. Furthermore, we continue to support our local farms by sourcing our meats and produce from them. Each year we par take in a farm to table event in which all product from flowers to food is provided using local farms.
Fuel Efficiency:
Pepper’s has taken great steps to be mindful of the impact that an off premise caterer can have on carbon emissions. Since May, Peppers has taken delivery of three fuel efficient Mercedes Bluetech diesel powered catering vans. Utilizing our new fuel efficient vans has represented a decrease in fuel consumption, and cleaner burning emission into the environment. Pepper’s has been able to travel significantly further distances, while using less fuel than our former gasoline powered catering vans.
Cater green with us!