You don't need a holiday or special event to create a little romance, but since love is in the air why not make the most of it!  Woo your sweatheart this Valentine's Day with some homemade chocolate treats.  We've given you a couple of our favorites to get you started, so strap on that apron and have some fun!

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TRUFFLES

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound + 2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 ounces unsalted butter, softened
• Confectioners' sugar 
• Cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS
Heat cream and vanilla in a small saucepan until it just boils.  Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate, whisking gently until chocolate is melted.  Whisk in butter until smooth then set aside at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate until firm.

With 2 teaspoons, spoon round balls of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm. Roll each dollop of chocolate in your hands to make a round ball. Roll in confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, or both.  Truffles will keep refrigerated for weeks, but are best served at room temperature.

HAZELNUT & APRICOT DARK CHOCOLATE BARK

• 1 pound Dark chocolate, tempered (see How to Temper Chocolate below)
• 1-1/2 cups   Hazelnuts, skinned, toasted and chopped
• 1 cup  Dried apricots, chopped

Spread tempered dark chocolate on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and apricots; set aside for 1 to 2 hours (or 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge) until chocolate hardens.  Break into pieces and serve.

How to Temper Chocolate
Tempering chocolate yields the best results in making candies and other dipped items.  Tempering not only coaxes the most flavor from chocolate, it also produces bright, crisp, and shiny chocolate that is less likely to melt on your fingers.

A simple version of tempering requires melting 2/3 of your chopped dark chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet) in a bowl over barely simmering water until the temperature reaches 105 – 100 degrees F on a candy thermometer.  Remove bowl from heat and add the remaining chopped chocolate, stirring until melted and cooled to 88 – 90 degrees F.   Be sure to keep your bowls and utensils completely dry as any tiny beads of water left on surface will cause the chocolate to seize (clump). 

Tempered chocolate must then be kept at tempering temperature of 88-90°F until used.

Chef John Lawrence loves the Clarke Kitchen showroom in Milford, MA for its incredible appliances and gorgeous facility. He is also very grateful to them for hosting the Clarke Culinary Center Chef Series, which offers the public the opportunity to enjoy memorable culinary experiences in their two beautiful showrooms.

Chef John hosted a wonderful shellfish presentation right before the holidays and delighted guests with incredible dishes that included Cocoa Scallops with Vanilla-Scented Parsnip Puree and Bouillabaisse Seafood Sausage. Guests were able to sit back, sip wine and watch and learn as Chef John walked them through each dish as he prepared it. Then the best part – guests savored every dish as part of the evening.

If you missed December’s event, don’t miss the “Top That” event on February 17 that will feature both Chef John and Pepper’s Executive chef Paul Wilson! Chef John will prepare three innovative seasonal vegetarian dishes and then Pepper’s Executive Chef Paul Wilson will "Top That" with three seafood or meat items that top or complement the vegetarian dishes. This fun, engaging demonstration will utilize New England-raised, grown, or caught items and promises to be a very enjoyable event. Sign up today!

Bouillabaisse Seafood Sausage

Directions

1. In a chilled food processer bowl, puree the sole fillets and ½ pound of scallops. Add heavy cream and egg white and blend thoroughly. Empty seafood mixture into a large mixing bowl and fold in remaining ingredients.
2. Roll out a 12-inch sheet of plastic wrap. Place seafood mixture into a pastry bag (no tip needed) and beginning piping a straight line onto the plastic wrap, starting 3 inches from the top of the plastic sheet and 1 and half inches from each side. The piped mixture should be about 1 and half inches wide and 1 inch high.
3. Take the bottom edge of the plastic wrap and fold it over the piped mixture. Run your fingers along the top edge of the roll (where the plastic meets the mixture) to create a seal and remove any trapped air. Carefully roll the piped mixture toward the top of the plastic sheet. When finished, pinch each end of the roll where the mixture ends and begin to twist the ends until the roll starts to tighten; once the roll feels firm, tie off each end with string.
4. In a 3-inch sauté pan, bring water to a simmer (do not boil). Place the seafood roll in the water and poach for 12-15 minutes, rotating the roll every 2-3 minutes. Remove and place into an ice bath for a minimum of 30 minutes. When cooled completely, remove plastic wrap.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

In a sauté pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, slice sausage and sauté until golden brown on each side.

Serve Bouillabaisse Seafood Sausage as an hors d’oeuvre on top of crostini or bruschetta with your favorite seafood sauce or alongside filet mignon for tasty surf n’ turf entrée. It also makes a wonderful accompaniment to your favorite pasta dish!

Another Successful Fundraiser for the Town of Hopkinton!

The Hopkinton Community Endowment held its second annual Party in the Kitchen fundraising event at the Clarke’s Ultimate Kitchen Resource Center on January 22nd.   It was an evening filled with friendly faces, music and camaraderie, but we'd like to think it was the catering that made this event such a success for Hopkinton! 

Peppers Catering treated guests to a menu that was inspired by the wonderful cultural cuisine that can be found in New York City.  Butternut Squash Tortellaci represented Little Italy and Crispy Lechong Pork & Soba Noodles created some familiar flavors from Chinatown.   Fulton’s Seafood Market made the succulent Lobster, Shrimp and Scallop Duchess Pie the perfect choice, and a trip to New York wouldn’t be the same without a visit to Coney Island, where delicious Mini Kobe Beef Burgers with Red Onion Balsamic Jam and Cocktail Franks were abound!

About 300 guests attended in support of the Endowment’s mission to raise $1 million dollars by the end of 2015.   The Hopkinton Community Endowment was created as a tool for the community to help preserve the unique character of the town of Hopkinton, and as a means to empower residents to make the best choices for the town with fewer fiscal constraints, generating income for projects that the town might not be able to afford otherwise. 

     
photos courtesy of ERB Photography

Chef John and Chef Paul are getting ready to go head-to-head in the I'll Top That! battle at The Clarke Culinary Center in Milford on February 17th.  Chef John will prepare three vegetarian dishes only to be "topped" by Chef Paul with a meat or seafood item.  We put them to the test a little early so that you could have a sample of what's to come.  Stop by and route for you favorite and enjoy some delicious food too!

Vegetable Tagine

• 3 fennel bulbs, washed and cut to 5/8-inch thick
• 3  bell peppers (red, yellow, green)
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 12 pearl onions, peeled
• 6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 baby egglplant or 1 medium Eggplant, cut into thick strips (2” x ½” x ½”)
• 3 zucchini, cut into ¾-inch cubes
• 12 cherry tomatoes (medium size)
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 sprig savory
• 24 fava beans, preferably fresh, skinned or ½ cup shelled edamame
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh cilantro leaves to garnish (1 bunch)

DIRECTIONS

Blanch fennel in boiling water, refresh in cold water and drain.  Cut the peppers into 1-1/4 inch squares.

Pour a third of the olive oil into a tagine or heavy casserole.  Add onions and sweat over a medium heat for 5 minutes (do not put earthenware tagine on an open flame, use a heat diffuser).  Add garlic and peppers and cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time to bring vegetables to the middle of the tagine.  Add eggplant and blanced fennel.  Add a little salt and pour another third of the oil over the vegetables.  Cover tagine or casserole and let simmer gently over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Stir gently to bring vegetable to the middle of the tagine, then add zucchini, tomatoes, thyme, savory and all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil.  Cover and cook for another 30-40 minutes on very low heat, or in the oven at 325 degrees, until vegetables are done to your liking.

Scatter on fava beans and cilantro leaves and serve.

I’ll TOP THAT!  STEAMED LITTLENECK CLAMS WITH GARLIC & PANCETTA

• 36 littleneck clams, cleaned & scrubed
• 4  garlic cloves, chopped
• 8 ounces pancetta, diced
• ¼ cup white wine
• Pinch of saffron
• Juice from two freshly squeezed lemons (remove seeds)

DIRECTIONS

In a straight-sided sauté pan over medium heat, slowly render the fat from the pancetta, cooking until crisp (do not burn).  Remove pancetta pieces and place on paper towel. 

Add garlic to the pan and sauté for 1 minute, then add white wine, saffron and lemon juice and stir.  Add clams and reduce heat.  Cover and steam for 8-10 minutes or until clams begin to open.  Discard any unopened clams before serving.

To serve, place clams and juice around vegetables from tagine.  Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Yeilds: 6 servings

Wedding Cake Design Consultation

When Pepper's Creative Consultant, Melissa Brunis, first met with Jennifer Elliot and Don Beaton, their two great danes came up in conversation. They explained how Mina, the female, was angel-like and well behaved, but Chancer, the male, was a real trouble maker… always getting into something he shouldn’t. Melissa presented a picture of a cake that Peppers had previously done for a groom's cake of three beagles eating a cake, and they loved it!

Jennifer and Don decided they wanted to do something similar for their wedding cake. Jennifer envisioned a traditional two tiered white cake with Mina sitting primly on top. Chancer, on the other hand would have gotten into trouble…running circles around the cake and chomping into it leaving crumbs in his wake and smearing frosting on his face!

Wedding Cake Design and Construction

To begin the design process of making the dogs, Pepper's head baker, Linda LaBarge, met with Jennifer and Don to capture their unique and personal vision.

Then Linda began construction with the dogs' internal structure - Floral wire and popsicle sticks begin to provide support, movement and personality.

Next, rice crispy treat material was modeled around the internal structure with attention to every detail like facial structure, muscle tone and any other characteristics that we want to stand out. The dogs were then painted with Royal Icing, allowed to dry and then sanded smooth, making sure all components fit.
    Next Linda covered the dogs with fondant, brushed the figures with water and added additional pieces, such as ears, eyes and tail.
         The figures with were finished with a painting of food dye, paying close attention to shading and the little details, whiskers, eyes and noses.

The final photo shows the finished cake after Chancer "got to it". Not shown in the photo is Mina, the other (well-behaved) dog, who couldn't be placed on top of the cake until after transportation to the reception hall.

"One of the star attractions was our wedding cake which was the subject of a lot of laughter and many photos with our niece Ava busily explaining that Chancer one of our two dogs (Chancer and Mina) had already helped himself.

 We would like to add our thanks and appreciation to the staff at Peppers who helped make this an exceptional day."

-Jennifer and Don Beaton

Thanks Linda for making this day fun, personal, delicious and definitely memorable!

With the holiday season upon us, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and on those who have helped us shape our business.

It is in this spirit that we say "thank you" and extend our best wishes to you and your family for a joyous Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

To help make the most of the holidays with your family and friends, here's an easy-to-make sourdough strata recipe sure to be a hit at a party - enjoy!

Sourdough Strata with Tomatoes and Arugula

Ingredients

• 8 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups whole milk
• 8 large eggs
• 10 ounces fontina cheese (about 3 cups)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1-pound loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
• 4 cups chopped arugula

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss tomatoes with thyme, olive oil and a 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until the tomatoes are slightly dried and browned in spots, (about 1 - 1 hour, 15 minutes). Cool completely.

Whisk milk, eggs, fontina, 3/4 cup parmesan, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Add the bread cubes and arugula; toss to coat. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish and top with the roasted tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the strata with the remaining parmesan and bake uncovered until golden brown and almost set (about 45 minutes). Turn off oven, but keep the strata inside 10 minutes before serving.

Yields: 6 servings.

A few months ago Chef John Lawrence took on the challenge of beekeeping.

Peppers is thrilled to announce that their two hives have survived their "newbee" beginning to official beekeeping! Now that the cooler weather is here the hives are partially wrapped to protect them from harsh winter winds from the north.

Success!

Despite barely knowing what they were doing, the Peppers hives produced over 28 pounds of the most wonderful and dark honey any of them had ever put to their lips. The honey had a very low moisture count of under 11% which is excellent. No doubt Chef Paul Wilson and Linda LaBarge will come up with a creative catering use for this liquid gold!

Another great surprise was a visit from The Massachusetts Bee Inspector, Ken Warchol, who gave Chef John a “thumbs up” for the health of the hive and their production. Ken was a wealth of information and helpful tips, very informed and passionate when the talk is about bees.

Did you know…

• Bees fly at about 20 miles per hour
• Bees have been around for 30 million years
  
• Bees have 5 eyes
  
• The average bee makes 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in a lifetime
  
• Bees can be used to detect land mines with tiny radio devices attached (who thinks of these things?)
  
• A queen bee lays up to 1500 eggs a day
  
• 30% of all plant pollination is done by bees

All of Chef John's bee training comes from the local Worcester County Beekeepers Association

Butternut Squash Lasagna: Ingredients

• 8 cups organic butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1-pound box of lasagna noodles
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups Béchamel Sauce (See recipe below)
• ¾ teaspoon fresh rosemary
• 16 ounces organic grated provolone cheese
• 12 ounces organic grated mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces organic grated parmesan cheese
• 2 bunches fresh organic sage

Béchamel Sauce

• 1 stick (¼ pound) organic clarified butter
• ¾ cup unbleached white flour, sifted
• 1 quart organic milk, scalded
• 1 medium onion, finely diced

Heat clarified butter in a heavy saucepan; add onion and sauté until translucent. Add flour and stir over moderate heat for 5-6 minutes. Add scalded milk and stir until thickened; stir in salt, pepper and rosemary.

Butternut Squash Lasagna: Preparation

Preheat oven to 365 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss squash with kosher salt and oil until coated well and spread onto a shallow baking pan. Roast squash in oven for 25-35 minutes , or until tender. Remove from oven and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. (If roasting in a convection oven, lower temperature to 350 degrees and roast for 15-20 minutes.)

Cook lasagna noodles as directed until al dente; drain and rinse with cold water. Increase temperature to 375 degrees.

Spread a thin layer of the béchamel sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and cover with a layer of lasagna noodles. Sprinkle noodles with grated cheeses; add a layer of roasted squash and top with béchamel sauce. Make two more layers in the same manner, beginning and ending with pasta. Top the final layer with the remaining béchamel sauce and grated cheese. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until bubbling and golden. (If top browns too quickly, cover lightly with foil) Let your butternut squash lasagna stand for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Over the past twelve years, Pepper's Fine Foods has been volunteering to cater the Gala Military Ball fundraiser to benefit Veterans Inc. in Worcester, MA.

This year's event was held on Saturday night, Nov. 13, 2010 in the Massachusetts National Guard Military Museum & Archives on Salisbury Street, and was the most successful one yet! The whole evening is dedicated to giving back to our vets with 100% of the proceeds goes right to Veteran's Inc.

Peppers served 350 people delicious entrees such as Braised Boneless Short Ribs with Roasted Shallot Bourdelaise Sauce or Herb Crusted Free Bird Statler Chicken Breast with Tarragon Dijon Veloute. Donations were collected from vendors, and all their chefs and wait staff, including ROTC students from Montachusett Regional Technical School volunteered their time for the evening. Pepper's would like to sincerely thank everyone who helped out in making this endeavor such a success!

Veterans Inc., on  69 Grove Street, is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to serving veterans and their families with support services including housing, hot meals program, food bank and employment training. Each year, there are more and more veterans, and decreasing funds get spread thinner and thinner, making it difficult to keep this good thing going.

If you'd like learn more about how you can help, visit Veterans Inc's Make a Donation page.

Nothing screams summer more than a good grill party and the Cognex Summer Outing was no exception.  Based in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex is a leading provider of vision systems, vision software, vision sensors and surface inspection systems used in manufacturing.  This year’s themed summer outing was complete with great food, rides, activities, and sports from the ‘60s and ‘70s. 

From select linens and decorative food stations to far out attire for the wait staff, Peppers Catering provided a classic American BBQ for nearly 300 “Cognoids” and their families.  As always, we paid close attention to the details and worked collaboratively with Cognex and their selected vendors to enhance the tie-dyed event.   Cognex Corporate Culture & Events Manager Kimberley Vaillancourt said, “The folks at Pepper’s Catering worked so hard the day of event that I was able to relax and enjoy myself.  Our guests were very happy with the scrumptious food and everything went really well.” 

A big highlight for us was grilling the ‘60s/’70s favorite Jiffy Pop Popcorn and adding the puffed creation to the table centerpieces.  What a gas!  Of course, a hippie summer party wouldn’t be the same without some tasty Ben & Jerry’s ice cream – Imagine Whirled Peace, Berry Berry Extraordinary, Phish Food and the infamous Cherry Garcia were the perfect flavors for the day.

Peppers Catering plans many events throughout the year, but the summer grill parties are always a favorite.  Themes can add great fun to most any event, and our event designers have plenty of ideas to share.  So if you’re looking for a real happening scene – kick up your next summer grill party with a theme and hang loose!

Peace out!