Cheese
Catering Client: Goodwill NY/NJ
Event: Nonprofit Fundraiser for 80 guests
In 2019, I got to work with the Goodwill store located in the Flatiron neighborhood on an Ugly Sweater holiday fundraiser. Guests were able to browse the store for ugly sweaters, snack on cheese, and grab a spiked hot chocolate from the bar.
Apples n’ cheddar! Great as a snack. Beautifully paired in fondue. If you love melted cheddar on an apple piece slice, you’ll enjoy this easy base for a grain bowl or side dish. Add on roasted vegetables, salad greens, or sliced meats to make it a meal.
I used Cabot Clothbound cheddar, but if you can’t find that, Grafton, Quicke’s and Montgomery cheddar work beautifully. Artisanal cheeses are flinty, flavorful, and crumble like a dream. Cubed commercial blocks of cheddar will be a bit gummy but still work in here as long as the barley is cooled thoroughly.
| Things you'll need: | |
| 1 cup barley 1 Fuji apple 2 ounces Cabot Clothbound cheddar 1/8 cup orange juice |
3 cups water 1 tablespoon olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground pepper |
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
Toast the barley in the olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes until they smell toasty.
Turn the heat up to high, add the water and a healthy pinch of salt.
Once it comes to a boil, bring the heat down to low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes for pearled barley and 35 to 40 minutes for hulled barley. Do not leave the pan unattended. Skim off any foam that floats to the top, listen for over-boiling, and add more water to keep it covered.
The barley should have absorbed all of the liquid, but if it didn’t, let it cool for 5 minutes and strain using a sieve.
Transfer the grains to a sheet pan and spread it out to completely cool. Put it in the fridge to expedite this process.
While you wait, cube the apple and toss it in a small bowl with the orange juice to keep it from browning.
Cut the rind off the cheddar and crumble it with your hands. Set aside.
Toss the crumbled cheddar, cubed apples, cooled barley, and pepper in a serving bowl.
My friends at The Moth moved into a new office in 2017. I was all to happy to help warm it up with lots of bite-sized snacks. We were expecting over 200 people and wanted to reduce the use of utensils or messy foods. The team and I had an excellent time dancing to Rihanna, “Work work work work work,” as she says.
| The Moth's office warming menu | |
| CRUDITES miso hummus, labneh CHEESE PLATTER Sliced baguette, crackers, jam | MEAT PLATTER Prosciutto, bresaola, speck, chorizo PULLED PORK sliders HAND PIES Beef stew Herbed chicken Vegetable |
Need to warm your home or office? I’m planning events in Oakland and Brooklyn.
My friend Miguel took me to get my first chopped cheese at Hajji’s at 110th Street and 1st Avenue. I know it’s named Blue Sky Deli & Grocery now but we still call it Hajji’s. Little did I know, this excursion would inspire Mig’s birthday menu months later. It was not all cake and candy, I’ll tell you that!
It was fun brainstorming this one because he was open to experimentation, new ingredients like rye berry and keeping it as low waste as possible. Using compostable materials brought down our budget and made it super easy to clean up, too. I know I need to refine my plating a little more but hard to practice when you’ll only be serving a menu once! It was a lesson in speed and preparation because I needed to plate 50 of each before a movie screening. After that, it was party time with wine and beer.
Planning a birthday party? Inquire about my available dates in NYC and the Bay Area!
It’s quite a dance to cater for your friends. Do you invite your caterer friend as a guest or take advantage of their skills for your wedding? I’ve hit a really fun and comfortable balance with this conundrum. It was really important to Jeff and Erica that I didn’t hole myself up in the kitchen (as I do) and be an active part of the weekend-long festivities. Plus, it helped that I had a crew of volunteers to help pop popcorn, slice baguettes and throw together the bloody mary mix.
The way we arranged it was to provide a few, affordable snacks, and drinks to compliment the pizza truck that pulled in for dinner. A little over 100 of us friends and family gathered in the Berkshires to swim, sing and dance the night away.
| Jeff & Erica's Menu | |
| Cocktail hour Baba ganoush Miso hummus with omani lime Crudites Cheese and charcuterie | Welcome campfire Buttered popcorn Morning after brunch Bloody mary bar Assorted pickles Olives |
Thinking of dining al fresco?
Inquire about my available dates in NYC and the Bay Area!
Logic Department is an information architecture company based in Brooklyn. I’ve had the pleasure of catering a few of their holiday parties as they grew their business and moved spaces. The menus were a simple combination of generous stationary grazing platters and small bites. Because neither of the venues had kitchens, we had to bring in our own electrical heat (which is no problem!).
It’s such a joy to bring a truckload of cheese to guests. I look forward to it every holiday season.
| Holiday Menus | |
| 2016 Cheese & charcuterie Adobo pulled pork sliders Vegan black bean burgers |
2018
Cheese & charcuterie Miso hummus & crudites Mini 5 spice meatballs Tiny knishes with thyme butter |
Thinking of hosting a holiday party between 50-100?
Inquire about my available dates in NYC and the Bay Area!
When GHD Partners came to me about their holiday party and 20-year retrospective, I treated it like a design brief. I took a look at their red branding and thought about all the crimson foods that I could serve. Cherries, maroon olives, dried plums, roasted red peppers, and tomato jam!
Besides fruits and vegetables, I was interested in finding cheese in a fiery hue. Not many exist, so my team spent some time hand-shaping chèvre and dusting it with our own mix of paprika, garlic, and onion. The result was a spicy and lemony paste, warm enough to stave off the winter chill but mild so you could keep eating it all night with baguette.
| Menu | |
| WINE SERVICE Famille Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone Rouge Famille Perrin Fils Reserve Cotes du Rhone Blanc Perrier ANTIPASTO Gaeta and alfonso olives Marinated peppers Tomato jam | CHEESE DISPLAY Feta Brie Triple creme Handmade paprika chevre 5 Spoke tumbleweed Roque smokey blue Ewephoria Gruyere |
Wine service for up to 40 people is now available! Inquire about your upcoming event.
My cousin Casey graduated from college and our family wanted to throw a big party. We covered a large countertop with parchment paper for one of the biggest grazing tables I’ve ever built. It was really exciting to share this with my California relatives who haven’t gotten to eat my cooking yet. It was a challenge to cater outside of my home kitchen in Brooklyn, but thankfully we had enough platters and surfaces to serve everything we wanted.
We had a grand time with aunties, uncles, and my mom pitching in to help cut up vegetables and grill the meats. It was a perfect celebration for my cousin who loves cheese and tapas. Later on, there were ukeleles and sing-a-longs. Wouldn’t trade it!
Need some party food in 2020? Reach out on my contact page.
Do you have leftover charcuterie and cheese from a party? Elongate the life of your snacks by marinating them in olive oil. After you’re done eating the contents of this jar, use the olive oil marinade to fry eggs or drizzle on pizza.
| Things you'll need: | |
| 1 cup of cured meat like chorizo or salami, cubed 1 cup semisoft or hard cheese, cubed 1 cup olives |
1 bulb of garlic 2 cups of olive oil 1 sprig of rosemary or thyme 1 teaspoon red pepper flake |
Here, I used soppressata a firm camembert, Spanish black olives and garlic stuffed olives from Sahadi's.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Break the garlic bulb into cloves and discard the outermost paper. Toss the whole garlic cloves in a tablespoon of olive oil and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Shake the pan to turn the garlic and continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the garlic is softened. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Peel the garlic and combine with the rest of the ingredients in a clean, quart jar. Seal with a lid and shake to combine. Keep refrigerated for up to a month.
Here are charcuterie combinations that I recommend:
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Photo by Sarah Levine
My trick for caramelized onions is to cut them up and throw them into a slow cooker overnight with a stick of butter. You get a bunch of broth out of it, too! Once drained, I was able to make the filling for this galette with dots of blue cheese.
Using a store-bought pie crust, I rolled it out onto a large, floured cutting board. Then I spread the cooled onion across the whole thing. Fold 2" sections of the edges toward the center. I brushed the crust with a beaten egg before popping it into a 450 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes..
I’m still not very good with pastry, so the folds cracked and it was pretty hard to transfer between baking sheet and plate but it tasted great with a dollop of pickled mustard seeds. If only I had some creme fraiche!
Do you have pastry secrets that will help me avoid disaster next time? Let me know by tweeting to @Randwiches.
This dish is from my "A Vegetarian Table" menu.
