Casual Warm Weather Menus

Here in New England we don't have the longest summers, so we have to enjoy it while we can! Nothing says summer food quite like a barbecue - especially if your planning an outdoor wedding or special event. 

I know some of you may be thinking, “barbecue and my white dress?” But trust us. Barbecue wedding catering is making a big splash on the wedding scene. Whether couples are aiming for low-key, small celebrations or a big affair with all of your family and friends, our barbecue wedding menu is specially designed to please every palate and mark a very special occasion in scrumptious style.

When we say barbecue at Peppers,  we’re talking real barbecue—cooked low and slow to produce meats that are tender, succulent and bursting with flavor. And don’t forget the options for grilled seafood—all cooked using local and fresh ingredients. Do you envision the traditional New England clambake for over 200 of your closest friends? We can make it happen! Whether it’s buffet or sit-down, we ensure that each plate is carefully thought out and constructed to please the eye as much as the palate

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Our Pepper’s Event Designers are as much a part of the menu as the food itself, looking for ways to tie your wedding day inspirations into the presentation, with special touches like the addition of bales of hay around the buffet table at your barn wedding, or beautiful plaster starfish dispersed amongst the dishes at your seaside wedding.

The options for barbecue catering stretch as long as our imaginations (which at Pepper’s is pretty long!). If you’re planning an outdoor wedding, we encourage you to take contact us to see how we can help turn your special day into something truly extraordinary.

Reach out to Pepper’s to schedule a consultation with our Senior Event Designers. We would love to sit with you and discuss your special day. 

A catering company is a bit like a mobile 4-star restaurant, so you can imagine the amount of moving parts involved. From our clients to the wait staff, wedding planners and chefs, it takes a lot of planning to sync these parts properly, and orchestrate memorable, inspiring events—the kind of planning that makes up the Pepper’s difference and sets us apart from the rest.

Clients return to us time and time again, knowing that we can deliver an effortless (for them), stress-free event that incorporates their vision. So how do we do it? What’s our secret? Collaboration is the key! Everyone must be working together to achieve a shared goal. In Pepper’s case that goal is an amazing catering event.

Collaboration is much more than simply communicating. To us, it means everyone gets involved. It’s a volley of ideas going back and forth, adding and taking things away, until everyone is satisfied with the end result.

Collaboration is all about asking questions and getting answers. When we brainstorm as a team, it creates a sort of synergy, where the result is often greater than the sum of the individual parts. Everyone on the Pepper’s team is extremely talented—whether it is event design or culinary arts, and when the collaboration begins, truly amazing things happen!

Collaboration is crucial to making any business work, but it is especially true of the catering industry. With so many different parts to our business, it would be impossible to get anything done without knowing exactly where everyone else involved stands.

At Pepper’s, we are open, curious, engaged, and questioning about all aspects of an event. Our event designer will often work in tandem with our chefs to ensure there is an element of cohesion between food and design, our sales reps will need to collaborate with our designers regarding the tastes and visions of potential clients, so that we can better suit your needs when you walk through our doors for the first time. It never lets up at Pepper’s, constant flow of communication is needed to make it all work.

The end result of all of this planning and brainstorming is the creation of any event that engages all a client’s senses and provides lasting memories and endless delight.

When people think of beverage infusions, they  often think of an ice-cold Arnold Palmer, or strawberry lemonade, but why stop at crafting beverages for summer enjoyment? There are plenty of wonderful beverage infusions that can also warm you up on a cold winter’s night!

The other day we visited with friends who had an aromatic, simmering pot of mulled cider that was enhanced with nuances of star anise, cinnamon and juniper berries. Wow, it was delicious!

No matter the season, winter or summer, there are a plethora of opportunities to craft a hot or cold beverage using combinations of locally sourced herbs, fruits and spices. Any of these could be the basis of a signature drink at an event, wedding or for simply entertaining at home.

Peppers Fine Catering is often called upon to craft a signature non-alcoholic beverage cocktail for catered events. We love doing this because it gives us an opportunity to create an extremely memorable and unique catering opportunity.

By using a simple French Press coffee maker or tea pot, you can produce a delightful and aromatic beverage, too. You can also garner plenty of ideas with a quick Google search for tisanes or infusions.

Here are some examples straight from my own kitchen:

During the summer when our mint patch is bursting, I like to put a few cups of mint leaves (whole) into a French press with a few lemon slices, add a couple teaspoons of sugar and fill the vessel with boiling water. Let this steep for 3-4 minutes and then push down the strainer, for a soothing mint tea that can be enjoyed warm or chilled.

With the grocery store stocked with seasonal fruits like clementines, a particularly sweet and delicious member of the citrus family, why not try a Lemon Clementine Infusion?

Scrape the zest from 6 each clementines into a bowl using a microplane. Cut the clementines in half and squeeze the juice into the same bowl as the zest. Repeat this process with the 2 lemons as well, making sure to include the zest and juice.

In a saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons of sugar with 6 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove the heat and add in the zest and juice from the clementine and lemon. Let everything steep, covered for 3-4 minutes and enjoy warm or chilled.

Consider playing around with other ingredients like orange and tarragon, apple cider, thyme, ginger, celery or pineapple. Mix and match, have some fun with them. See what other recipes you can come up with!

If you try a new creative drink infusion, be sure to let us know by posting to our Facebook wall!

Hors d’oeuvres are an ever popular staple at any party— they can be eaten on the move, allowing guests to easily mingle. But the same stale dishes always seem to be passed around at every party. Scallops wrapped in bacon, shrimp cocktail, and the ever popular fruit and cheese tray are all a bit overdone at this point.

As we start fresh with a New Year, we thought why not share a fresh, new recipe as well? 

One trend in Hors d’oeuvres is the desire for more vegetarian fare. Our Parmesan tuille with arugula, mascarpone and roasted pear could be considered a play on the classic fruit and cheese pairing. This new hors d’oeuvre we have been experimenting with has been satisfying guests with great reception in the past few months, ever since we introduced it at an event at the Boston Design Center.

When it comes to assembling our Hors d’ oeuvres menu, we like to keep it fresh, local, simple and visually appealing, with at least 4-5 components all adding complementary tastes and different textures.

Parmesan Tuille, arugula, roasted pear & mascarpone cheese

2              ounces                 Parmesan Cheese, fine shred or grated

2              ounces                 Mascarpone Cheese, whipped at slightly below room temperature. We like Vermont Butter and Cheese for locally produced

1              each                    Pear, nearly ripe & from local source. Split, core, medium dice

¼             oz.                      Arugula

Procedure:

The making of the tuilles is best done on a silpat mat. These can be found at better kitchen stores that are geared for cooks and chefs. Stores such as Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table.

1. Place 1/2 teaspoon of the grated parmesan onto the silpat sheet, forming rounded shapes. Spread so that it is an even layer and barely covering the area. This is a time when “less is more” for the grated parmesan. You can probably get 24 to 30 cheese discs to a sheet. Bake in a pre-heated 275 degree oven until the tuilles are getting golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool. Do not refrigerate or make a day ahead. This is to be done the day you plan on serving them, as they will lose the desired texture.

2. Whip the mascarpone with a beater attachment for one minute at a medium speed. This will lighten up the texture and allow you to easily pipe it onto the tuilles.

3. An hour or so before guests arrive, pipe out a rosette of the whipped mascarpone onto tuilles that have been topped with 2 leaves of arugula. Be aware to pipe some of the mascarpone onto the tuille to have it “stick.”

4. Top the whipped rosette with the fresh chopped pear pieces. I will share with you that we have also done a fresh fig variation, we have roasted under ripe pears, poached apple and I’ll bet by this time next year have come up with another  half dozen variations, so please have fun and experiment with this tasty little appetizer.

The cutting of the cake has been a wedding institution for years, but many couples are choosing to ditch the traditional cake for something with a bit more panache. Today, many are going for a variety of desserts to satisfy any sweet tooth, wow guests and make a statement. The dessert station is rising in popularity among couples, in many cases replacing the towering feat of skill and frosting that is the traditional wedding cake. It has become the must-have attraction for the modern wedding.

With a variety of colors, textures, and shapes at your disposal, the station is a way to continue the theme of your big day—it’s an extension of the celebration and another chance to show off identity and personalize. Going well beyond the traditional 3-tiered wedding cake, the dessert station gives guests variety, from candies and pastries to dessert bars and cupcakes, the options are endless and your guests will appreciate the ability to choose beyond the typical sweet treat.  

If a dessert table is in the cards for your next celebration, we suggest going the extra mile to make it extra special for your guests. Why not think way outside of the box? How about freshly made doughnuts and a chocolate fountain? How about an Ice cream sundae bar? Get creative! Work with your caterer to come up with something fun and memorable.

At Pepper’s we are constantly adapting color scheme and textures to the menu laid out for your guests. The beauty of working with dessert materials such as flour, fondant, glucose and white chocolate is the verstilitie in color affording to our expert bakers. With a little bit of food coloring, we can tie in the décor of any wedding to really make the dessert station stand out.

And for all you traditionalists out there, don’t worry, we offer delicious cakes, too! In fact, a dessert station can include a small cake in addition to other treats, so the bride and groom can still take those memorable photos of feeding one another the first bite of cake as a married couple! 

For years my close friends and associates have tolerated my rants about eating locally grown foods, understanding that it goes way beyond being trendy or simply supporting a local business. My occasional waxing prophetically about eating what is grown, caught and produced locally is about taste and taste alone.

Recently Pepper’s has committed to offering only Murray’s Chicken to our clients. Murray’s Farms are located in New York and Pennsylvania. Each farm is committed to not using growth hormones or any type of antibiotics. This great care makes Murray’s Chickens particularly moist, and they taste delicious.

So where am I going with this? What do Murray’s locally raised chickens and rice have in common?

Last evening my wife and I had a hankering for Asian food. We debated ordering sushi or getting takeout. But it was Monday, and fresh fish is generally not so fresh on Mondays. Okay, what next?

Cook at home of course!

A quick shopping trip brought some fresh petit Asian eggplant, lemongrass, bok choi, Chinese long beans, ginger, cilantro and a really good looking piece of D'artanian Smoked Duck.

We figured we would make some simple rice to go along with the dish that’s taking shape. Combing through the cupboards revealed that we were out of rice, with one exception. We had been saving a bag of rice that was given to us from a local woman from the rice terrace area of Longsheng, a region of China near Gullin.

There’s a long story behind how we came upon this modest ½ lb. bag of rice, but in the interest of brevity let me just share that the indigenous residents of this area have been growing rice pretty much the same way for thousands of years. The rice terraces are an unbelievable site to be seen.

We parceled out ¼ of our stash to have with our dinner. Wow! Neither of us could believe how wonderful rice could be.  This rice has not been genetically modified and absolutely reflects the local terroir of Longsheng.  It was creamy, alive with flavor and just a delight to eat. We kept the preparation quite simple. It was cooked gently in filtered water, and at the finish, we merely added a few dashes of sea salt and a handful of diced preserved lemon Susan had made.

This rice made for yet another convincing argument for eating locally grown foods; and it is especially gratifying to have met the grower.  

We’d like to thank everyone who posted a story about how they met their significant other on our Facebook page for the chance to win Pepper’s Delectable Date Contest. We loved receiving and reading your stories!

We are happy to announce that the randomly selected winner of our contest is Eva Kolezi-Shqina, who lives with her husband of 18 years in Worcester, MA. Eva and her husband will be the recipients of a finely prepared and hand-delivered meal from Pepper’s Catering in honor of our company’s 25^th Anniversary in business.

Although selected at random, we were enthralled by Eva’s story—it had all the workings of a great romance—love at first sight, separation and a serendipitous meeting! We think she tells it best. You can read her Facebook post entry below.

Congratulations to Eva and her husband for winning a well-deserved Delectable Date from the Pepper’s team, and for 18 years going strong!

“I met my husband when I was only 14 years old. He came to our house to pick up my brother to go to a soccer game. I saw him and I froze. My grandma asked me, "Sweetie, what's wrong?" And I told her, "Nana, he is the one whom I'm going to marry!" She started laughing and told me that I was very young and I would meet plenty of people on my journey. Years passed and I emigrated in Greece with my family. After a year there, I saw him again...He had also emigrated in Greece, in the city and the neighborhood where I was living. We never separated after that. We have been married for 18 years, have three wonderful children and building our life here, in Worcester, MA.”

Pepper’s prides itself on being a responsible corporate citizen. We like to help out and giveback to the community that does so much to support us. One of the ways which we try to do this is by “going green” or reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible. A carbon footprint is defined as the amount of greenhouse gas given off by a person or company. By doing a few simple things, we can reduce our footprint drastically and make the world a greener place. There are lots of ways to reduce our carbon footprint—either by using less energy or by switching over to a cleaner renewable source.

We’d like to encourage our Pepper’s supports to think about how they can reduce their impact on the earth by sharing the “green” changes we’ve made at Pepper’s:

Renewable energy: Our Electric supplier, Glacial Energy, has a program in which we pay a premium to buy a percentage of our power from Green e-certified producers. In the past year, Pepper’s Fine Catering has purchased over 86,618 kilowatt hours of renewable energy credits through Glacial Green.

Low energy: We gave our 100 year old historic building in Northborough a facelift by switching all of the lighting to low energy lighting with the help of National Grid. Kitchen equipment can use a lot of energy. When making new equipment purchases, our number one priority is making sure the cost of energy is low. Advances in technology and energy regulation companies such as Energy Star are making a huge difference in products that are available to our industry.

Fuel efficiency: Pepper’s newest van is a highly efficient Freightliner made with the newest Mercedes Benz diesel technology. It gets double the mileage of tradition gas engines. Embracing greener technology is our mantra.

Energy conservation: In much the same spirit of someone shutting off a light bulb when they leave a room, we shut down our equipment when not in use. All of our large walk in refrigerators (seven all together) have computer monitoring devices in cooperation with a program provided by National Grid, to improve efficiency and lower the power demand for chilling of our foods. Refrigeration is further reduced in our off-season, by consolidating foods and shutting down individual walk-ins that are not necessary.

White roof: Pepper’s has a brand new white roof. In 2012 it was time for us to replace our roof. There were plenty of other cheaper alternatives, but true to our philosophy of being a good corporate citizen,  we replaced our 8,000 square foot roof with a white roof. White roofs reduce the amount of power required to air condition the building, as a black roof absorbs heat and radiates it into the building. A white roof reflects heat, sending it back into space. Learn more about the benefits of a white roof here. 

Reduce reuse recycle: In addition to reducing energy consumption, Pepper’s also reduces its footprint by recycling as much as possible. 1/3 of Pepper’s trash consists of cardboard, which is separated and recycled. All beverage containers and cans are recycled as well. 

None of our scraps go to waste either. We have our own organic gardens onsite to grow herbs, vegetables and edible flowers. We use all of our vegetable food scraps in producing organic compost that we use as a natural fertilizer in our gardens. This greatly reduces carbon emissions in the delivery of these products from regional and global suppliers.

These steps may cost a bit more initially, but in the long run they will drastically reduce energy costs. More importantly, they are an investment in the environment of future generations.

“Frankenstorm” Sandy wreaked havoc and tragedy on millions of people living along the East Coast. Our hearts go out to those who lost friends and love ones. There is no doubt that it will take millions of laborers of all types and trades, to assist in bringing people’s lives back to normal.

 Pepper's Fine Catering got the call the day before the storm hit for a very unique corporate catering opportunity. To help workers weather the aftermath of the storm, Pepper's dispatched and mobilized to set up a temporary kitchen that would feed over 200 linemen and tree trimmers working to restore power in Western, Mass. A team of six were deployed to Greenfield, MA by the top level of companies who provide these services, Base Logistics out of New Orleans, Louisiana. Base, as we refer to them, was nothing short of amazing--terrifically organized and committed to the task at hand.

It was equally impressive to observe the dedication and professionalism of the employees from National Grid. Often, we take things such as turning on a light switch for granted, and can’t understand why, when the power goes out, it doesn’t come back within a few minutes. We observed crews working day and night to put the power back on. The hard working volunteers that we were feeding were nearly falling asleep when they finally had a chance to have a hot dinner.

To date, we have been out on the road for 13 days serving over 2600 nutritious and filling meals to a very receptive audience. And these guys can eat! Double portions on numerous items are a common request.

Serving these men and women was a privilege and a pleasure. It was nice to make a contribution to the disaster relief, in our own Pepper's way. Now we are buttoning down the hatches and securing all equipment, so it will be ready for the next Nor’easter.

So here we are at the beginning of November, which means I will soon be spending a few days on the shore of the Cape, gathering my favorite mollusks to enjoy with family and friends. Nothing beats gathering and eating local foods. Oysters, along with sweet corn and littleneck clams, are a few of the top ten items on my list of favorite local fare.

I’m often asked if it’s true that you should only eat oysters in months that end in the letter R. This is simply not true, a rule of thumb dating back to before refrigeration was commonplace.  However there is one caveat in my eyes. Warm summer oysters can be of inferior quality, as they may be watery, with a much milder flavor. With global shipping now more accessible, oysters can be enjoyed year round from sources such as Europe and Canada, but generally we’re able to find great oysters from somewhere on the east coast all year long.

How do you enjoy oysters?

For me, the possibilities are endless.

Roasted? Sure! Roast them over a hot fire, topped with seaweed for a roasted and steamed combo that always works well.

Raw? Absolutely! Add some lemon, cocktail sauce or a mignonette sauce, and I’m in.

Fried? One of my favorites! If I don’t use them in a Po’ Boy Sandwich, then topped with a Thai Chili Sauce works for me. When I’m doing a slaw for my Po’boy, I vary from the creamy version with celery seed to a Fennel Slaw with rice vinegar and olive oil vinaigrette, adding just a smidge of Dijon to help bind the dressing.

Cape Cod has a plethora of oyster farms, and farmers are being awarded oyster grants every year, so keep an eye out for local oysters from your favorite seafood sources. I have seen Roche Brothers market in Westborough carry Duxbury oysters as well as Onset Bay oysters which were both very succulent.

If you’re interested in learning more about oysters, Mark Kurlansky’s The Big Oyster is a lively, historic read that captures the heady days of early New York City and the impact of its oyster trade and the global economy.

Enjoy some oysters while you read about oysters with this recipe:

Raw Oysters with Apple Cider Mignonette Sauce

2               each      Shallots                                peeled and fine minced (set into a glass or ceramic bowl)

½             each      Granny Smith Apple       peeled, cored & finely diced

½`           cup         apple cider                         

½             cup         apple cider vinegar

2              teas.      Black Pepper, fresh ground

Blend all ingredients and let them come together for about 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Serve over your raw oysters.

However I prepare my oysters, I always have to throw a few down with simply nothing added. It’s wonderful how little nuances of brine or cucumber show up in the taste, depending on the location of the oyster farm and how the currents are running.