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!

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!

Without question, June is always a crazy, if not the busiest month at Pepper's Catering with graduation parties, grill parties and weddings abound.   When we sit back and think about everything that goes on here, we are always amazed that we got through it unscathed.  That's not to say that we didn't hit a few bumps along the way, but our successes definitely outweigh any bumps we may have encountered. 

Whether we're catering a wedding reception for 250 guests or an intimate dinner party for 12, every event requires a significant amount of time and effort to pull it off.  We're lucky to have a cohesive team at Pepper's Catering that believes in and stands behind our mission to provide gracious hospitality and delectable cuisine.

It starts with our sales team - the who-what-where-and-how gurus that shape your event and get the ball rolling.  Not only do they work closely with you from start to finish to create a memorable experience, but they also work with our chefs, event managers and operations staff to make sure that all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed.

Our creative chefs work to put the culinary pieces together.  They are responsible for getting the most fresh and flavorful gourmet foods to and from our kitchen and then to your table.  And if only it were that easy - handling special dietary requests, procuring specialty foods, executing on-site cooking methods and securing appropriate chef staffing also lie on the shoulders of the kitchen.   

And while the chefs are hard at work, our event managers are coordinating the finishing touches.  They worry about everything from the layout of your event, décor, and timing to the number of plates, spoons, forks and knifes needed.  They work in unison with our operations staff - counting, grouping, wrapping, packing and loading everything necessary for your event to go off without a hitch.   On the job, they're just as busy keeping the dedicated and hard-working wait staff busy and your needs fulfilled.

I certainly don't want to minimize the value of our operations staff either - they do more than just pack trucks.  They tend to the general needs of the building on a daily basis, keep the pots, pans and dishes clean and sparkling, feed the chickens, turn the compost, and tend the garden...just to name a few things.  They are a critical component to the everyday successes of Pepper's Catering.

So many details, so little time.  Honestly, I'm glad I just write the blog!   But I will say this to them - thank you.  Thank you for paying attention to the details and getting it right.  Thank you for making our clients happy.  

And more importantly thank YOU for choosing Pepper's Find Food Catering for your event...and for keeping us on our toes!

This past week was quite a fun run. Monday brought us to the Worcester County Food Bank for a fundraising, Chef Table event with 11 area restaurants honoring the career of Barbara Houle, editor of the food pages at the Worcester Telegram & Gazzette for nearly 40 years. Barbara has been diligent is supporting the numerous Chef’s cooks, food producers, farmers, Food Bank and so much more through her inspired weekly columns in the T & G. She has recently stepped back a bit and will still write her Table Hopping column on Thursdays. Piccolo’s, Romaine’s, Something Sweet by Michelle, Sweet, The Castle, Coral Seafood, BaBa Sushi, Sonoma, Pepper’s Catering, Block 5 & the Niche group and the Educated Grape all went over the top with their offerings in tribute to Barbara. Ask me about Audrey Kurlan-Marcy’s creative Houly award. It was terrific.

First thing on Tuesday, fellow Pepper’s Culinarians John Wadkins and Keith Desy loaded up the van for Mass Vet’s and the first day of our month long cooking class. We started with some food trivia and cookbook giveaway to break the ice a bit and then got right in to Sanitation, Nutrition and Knife Skills. Dexter-Russell Cutlery from Southbridge graciously donated 2 dozen knives and we had the Vet’s do prep for the following day’s Omelet, Frittata 7 Strata class as well as make batch of Salsa Fresca, Guacamole and fresh lime & sea salt chips to finish the day. Great fun. Wednesday brought us back for fresh banana bread demo along with the egg dishes and by popular demand; we’ll start the upcoming week with a Hollandaise Sauce demo. It’s all been quite a bit of work but the rewards and thanks from all whom we were in front of this week was quite special and is working as a great team building with my fellow Pepper’s.

More to come as this week’s class will have the guys learning how to braise meats and Tuesdays tastes will include having the guys braise red cabbage with apples to go with the braised sauerbraten of beef.

Spring always bring a number of tasting opportunities for area residents and supporters of non-profit organizations and venues. Last evening our Culinary Team blew away the diners with an over the top menu of crispy braised pork served over preserved lemon sweet potato puree, seared citrus diver scallops infused with vanilla bean and served with a lemon beuree blanc and our Pastry Chef got into the action with some creative spoon dessert concoctions. We served 160 diners in the first 90 minutes with lines out the door and made my wife and I along with our event planner team quite proud.

Next week on April will bring us to the Corridor 9 Business Expo and Chef will rock with Asian braised short ribs with jasmine rice and then the event that we are most excited about id monday April 6, at the Worcester County Food Bank and a special fundraising event to honor Barbara Houle the food editor of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette for over 30 years. No one has done more for area Chef, Restauranteurs, Food Producers and Farmers than Barbara and Central Mass would not nearly have progressed as far as it has culinary wise if not for Barbara’s support. We know that the 11 participating restaurants, bakeries and caterers will really step up with their creativity for this one and for the price of 25.00, this will be one memorable evening of small plate dining. Oh, and did I mention the martini luge along with local brew, live music and a tribut to Barbara. Stop by and say hello to the Chef’s and especialy Pepper’s Fine Foods Catering.

Way before Spring actually sets in, I find myself working on Spring menu proposals, attending tastings, assisting with planning Spring fundraising events and other signs of a new season. Today is a rather dreary day with a light rain over snow covered gound, but I sit with glowing coals, dancing in the fireplace and thoughts of grilling outside, soon to be commonplace. I am excited for what is going on in our food world and goals for the upcoming season. Our local chapter of Chefs is gathering steam having recently enjoyed the cuisine and demonstration by Chef Paul and a Cheeky menu items such as pork cheeks and veal cheeks. Our next meeting will be held at Assabet High School and a program designed by their Chef Instructors. It is amazing what is going on at the progressive vocational high school culinary programs and along with Assabet, Chef Mike Banks and his Montichusett High School are most inspiring.

Another couple of exciting Spring Events that the Pepper’s Culinary Team are actively involved in will be the 2'nd Annual Tastefully Tower Hill on March 27th with area Chef’s offering a “lemon’ inspired menu to celebrate the upcoming groundbreaking expansion at Tower Hill,and a new one, and that I and Pepper’s is quite personally involved, with “Barbara’s Bash”. This event will celebrate the over 30 years of the career of Barbara Houle, Food Editor of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Barbara is steping down from her full time activities at the T & G and will still write a column and persue other writing opportunities. Watch for Barbara in the Editable Boston magazine & others. Pepper’s had the good fortune to cater Barbara’s charming daughter Amy’s wedding a few years back and have been the recipient of numerous articles written by Barbara.

A few other aspects of the celebration of all things Barbara are that all funds recieved will directly benefit the Worcester Food Bank. Another point to not be missed, for the cost of 35.00, guests will have a unique opportunity to taste a number of dishes from local Chef’s who will naturally look to “show off” for a Barbara Event. Expect an enticing Martini Bar. Last but not least, the evening will cap with an award we are calling “:The Houley”. Barbara will be the first recipient and there after, the award will be gited annually to the person who is voted to be most supportive to the local hospitallity industry. Fellow members of the planning committee are Bill Brady; www.sonoma-princeton.com, Alina Eisenhauer;www.sweetworcester.com, Christene Zecker; http://www.theeducatedgrape.com and Audrey Kurlan-Marcy who was one of the founders of the tremendously successful Taste of the Nation, Worcester. Taste of the Nation Event will be held once again at the Crown Plaza in Worcester on April 27th. This one of the best tastes of local chefs you can experience.

Ah Spring, more fun & more great dining !