Quick Tips: The Pama Royale

Lisa shares one of her favorite holiday cocktails, the Pama Royale!

Pama Royale (page 238 in Fried Chicken & Champagne)

5 ounces Crémant, Champagne, or other sparkling wine
1 ounce Pama Pomegranate Liqueur
Splash of simple syrup

Garnish:
3 pomegranate seeds
orange twist

Fill a Champagne flute with Crémant, Pama Liqueur, and simple syrup.  Garnish with pomegranate seeds and orange twist.

Makes 1 serving

Thanksgiving Recipe: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

There's no better time of year to indulge in one of our holiday season favorites - Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.  Topped off with cinnamon spiced whipped cream, we hope this decadent dessert convinces you and yours to save room after Thanksgiving dinner!

Lisa Dupar's Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
1 flaky pie crust (see page 222 for Lisa's recipe in Fried Chicken & Champagne or use your own!)
1 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons molasses

1 tablespoon cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon maple flavoring

2 tablespoons bourbon

3 eggs

1-1/2 cups pecan halves

Cinnamon spiced whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

To par-bake the pie crust: Preheat the oven to 400°F. To use the upside down method, you need 2 pie pans that are the same size. Arrange the rolled-out pie dough in one of the pie pans, cover it with a piece of parchment paper, put the second pie pan over it, and invert the pans. Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is blonde but not brown. Return pans to right side up and remove the extra pie pan; set aside. To bake using pie weights, arrange the rolled-out pie dough in a pie pan. Cover with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans or rice. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes or until the crust is blonde but not brown; remove weights and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a heavy medium-size saucepot, warm the sugar, corn syrup, brown sugar, molasses, cream, butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, maple flavoring, and bourbon over medium-low heat. Warm slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugars are dissolved and the butter is melted (the mix should appear smooth and thick); remove from the heat as soon as the mixture is smooth. Cool the mixture slightly. Beat the eggs together and whisk them into the mixture.

Arrange the pecan halves in the bottom of the par-baked pie crust and pour the filling over the pecans (the pecans will float to the top, which is normal). Bake for about 40 minutes.

Let the pie cool to room temperature before slicing and serving, garnished with cinnamon spiced whipped cream.

To make the cinnamon spiced whipped cream: Mix cream, powdered sugar, and cinnamon, then whip into soft peaks.

Makes one 9-inch pie

Fall Recipe: Carrot Apple Soup

Lisa recently visited the Issaquah Farmers Market on it's last day of the season to share her delicious carrot apple soup.  This makes for a hearty, healthy, and filling dinner in the Fall during apple season. Garnish with apple chips for a lovely sweet crunch. Enjoy!

Carrot Apple Soup

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

2 cups diced onions

4 cups diced carrot

2 cups diced butternut or other squash

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

4 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples

2 cups white wine

6 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and sauté until tender. Add the carrot, squash, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the apples and white wine. Simmer 15 minutes. Add the chicken stock. Continue simmering for an additional 30 minutes. Purée the entire soup until smooth in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Add the vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the soup among individual serving bowls and serve immediately.

Makes 12 to 16 servings (4 quarts)

Staff Spotlight: Operations

We tapped our operations manager Andrew and staffing coordinator Carlee to share what their favorite Seattle bars were - check out their favs below!

Keep checking back for more staff favorites and ideas...we will be featuring more in the coming months!

Andrew - Six Arms, Capitol Hill

One of my favorite places to go is Six Arms in Seattle off Capitol Hill.  First time I was ever there was after seeing a one-man-show called I Might Be Edgar Allen Poe.  We were sitting in the loft eating a mess of hand-cut fries and enjoying one of the house-made brews  (an absolutely amazing combination) and I looked over to notice a very large stuffed raven (“Nevermore!”) sitting on a chandelier at eye level looking at me…  Over the next few years, the number of birds increased steadily and slowly.  I was hooked!  The fries, the beers, the life-sized Shiva, the loft and the food are all great!

Carlee - Matador, Redmond & Ballard

I love to do happy hour with friends at the Matador in Redmond or Ballard. They have great happy hour specials and the food and drinks are great! I love that it’s not your run-of-the-mill bar and their tequila selection is unlike any other I have seen. 

Lisa's Celebration Tips

With the holiday season right around the corner, many of us will be planning parties and get-togethers with our friends and family.  I especially love celebrating at our home- recently we had a fabulous party to celebrate two of our dearest friends and "family" who have been apart of our catering team since the 80s. I want to share some of what I've learned over the years as a hostess- I'd love to hear any of y'alls experiences too!

Remember: All special events are made memorable by the attitude of the hosts and the tone they set for their guests!

• ·        When planning your celebration, remember it’s a party, not world peace!
• ·        One or Two of your dishes “dialed in” will be talked about and enjoyed more than 12 items that are mediocre.
• ·        Plan something that gets all of your guests engaged together as a group:

~ Each guest bring a bottle of wine with a story to tell about it

~ Have each guest tell something no one knows about them

• Plan a small “take-away” so guests are reminded of the celebration, especially if it has special meaning culturally or with your family:
  
  ~ Homemade limoncello from the Italian family as gifts at their daughter's wedding
  ~ Apple butter made from apples in your yard for the Holiday party

• ·        You are more important to your guests than your food, so plan your menu so you are not a slave to the stove during your party.  (Or hire a caterer!)
• ·        Plan your toast in advance of the celebration. Make it touching or humorous, but memorable! Keep it short and sweet.
• ·        Food is community. Have guests bring a special dish such as “Mom’s famous dessert” or “The dish that best represents my heritage”
• ·        Invite a “secret special guest” that might make it special for your guests. A local winemaker to talk about wine, a dance instructor to teach salsa, an author to talk about her book topic or a local musician to just sit at the piano and take requests.
• ·        Engage and involve people in the celebration~ they will have vivid memories of the day!
• ·        If people don’t know each other, create a fun Icebreaker. A friend of mine has a huge bowl of retro candy. Choose your favorite piece and share with others why you chose it.
• ·        Have an interactive table for guests: roll sushi with the chef, shake a martini with the bartender or ice and decorate cookies to take home.

• ·        If you have hired a valet, have them place a little goodie or special note in the car when the guest is leaving.

Cheers!

Lisa

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Summer has been a fleeting thing this year here in the Pacific NW, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy National Ice Cream Sandwich Day any less!  Lisa's Redmond Crisp Cookies make oh so delightful sandwich ends - we love Tillamook Oregon Strawberry Ice Cream as a filling!

Redmond Crisp Cookies

1 cup flour

1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon chopped pecans, toasted

1/3 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup and 3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons sweetened coconut

1 cup cornflakes

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread pecans on sheet pan and toast at 350°F for about 4 minutes; cool and set aside.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of a standing kitchen mixer with the paddle attachment, and whip the butter, brown sugar, and sugar at medium speed until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture and mix until evenly incorporated. Stir in oats, pecans, coconut, and cornflakes at low speed or by hand until well incorporated. Let cookie batter sit for at least 5 minutes in the refrigerator. Scoop into golf-ball-size balls (using an ice cream scoop works well), and arrange on prepared baking sheet, allowing ample space between cookies. Dip a metal spatula in water and press the cookies flat, but leave some height, about 1/2 inch. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, but watch them and don’t let them get too brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.

Makes about 13 large cookies

WithinSodo Open House

We have the pleasure of welcoming a brand new (and very gorgeous) events venue - WithinSodo - at their August 11th open house!  Enjoy champagne & hors d'oeuvres provided by Lisa Dupar Catering while taking in the view from the deck; this new space caters to any event you can imagine and we're sure you'll be planning something of your own by the end of the evening!

Tom Douglas Summer Camp 2011

Oh my Gosh does Tom Douglas and his team know how to have fun! Showing up early for my demo of  recipes from Fried Chicken and Champagne at Tom’s summer camp was a fun surprise. Morning breakfast of Eggs & Bacon with Manhattans was being cleared away and Prosecco was being popped for Chef Brock Johnson’s (of Dalia Lounge) demo of amazing pates and rillettes. On the 4^th day of the campers Food and Beverage Marathon, I was certain the campers would be dozing off before “lunch”. No heads hitting the desk in this classroom! These campers were serious about their food & libation tasting. Maker’s Mark was the choice for the Peach Julep starting the sampling of Southern dishes prepared by Tom’s team that were perfectly executed. Campers commented most on the Watermelon Chutney with the corn fritters and the Frogmore Stew as their favorites, though the Fried Peach Pie plates were cleaned also. Both recipes from the cookbook! After the southern mid-morning bites, they headed across the street for lunch at Palace Kitchen with Josh Henderson from Skillet (one of my new favorite spots).

Tom’s reputation for generosity spills over into everything he does and this camp experience was no different. I just wanted to take the rest of the week off and join the campers in their Fabulous Food Week. Rumor has it, next year’s class is already sold out!! 

Cheers!

Lisa

Lions, Tigers, a Zoo, and a Wedding, Oh My!

This weekend was quite the wild ride!  Lisa Dupar Catering had two very special events - the Jungle Party for the Woodland Park Zoo and a lavish island wedding in Friday Harbor, WA.  There's usually a hustle when two big events are back-to-back, but our Woodland Park Zoo event was a four course seated dinner for 1,000!  This was our biggest event to date, and we had been prepping for weeks; to see it all come together was a truly remarkable!

Some unexpected "help" in the catering area!

The next day, our incredible staff made the long trip to Friday Harbor Island bright and early after working deep into the night at Woodland Park.  With the clouds looking ominous, we were worried the rain would put a damper on the evening - but that wasn't the case in the least!  Everything looked gorgeous and in true romantic fashion, only after the bride and groom made their way under the wedding tent did the rain come down!

Custom Design by LDC

 It was truly a fairy tale wedding and we were so excited to be apart of it!

Congratulations to the catering staff for an amazing job done!

NW Meetings & Events Magazine Awards - Best Catering Company 2011!

We are so thankful and humbled to have received the Best of 2011 Award for Best Catering Company at the NW Meetings & Events Magazine awards last night!

Because this award was voted for by the readers, it carries even more significance to us.  Thank you to all who voted this year and we look forward to continually bringing our best to the table at each event we are a part of!

From the NW M & E Magazine website:

>>Best Catering CompanyTHE WINNER IS: Lisa Dupar Catering 

RUNNERS UP: Foodz Catering, Salty’s on Alki

It’s a given that one of the top caterers in the Northwest serves spectacular cuisine. What sets Lisa Dupar Catering apart is outstanding attention to detail. “After 28 years of catering, we also have developed triple-check systems that we religiously stick to,” says Owner Lisa Dupar. If something does happen, “we have back-up plans to our back-up plan. We could have written the Worst Case Scenario book series!” As for service, she says, “we have a joke that if it’s legal, we’ll try our best to make it happen.” Servers have valeted cars, lifted a wheelchair-bound pastor down a rocky path to perform a service and accommodated 12 different diet restrictions in one dinner.

IACP Conference 2011

What an exciting week it has been!  I had the pleasure of experiencing Austin, TX for this year's International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference.  You know you have arrived in Texas when you are greeted by a Long horn steer and an invite to “race” armadillos!  Which then was followed by a Texas sponsored Republic Tequila and Texas Dripping Springs Vodka bar.  Cocktails were not mixed for the faint of heart!

Local Chefs served up tastes from their restaurants that left us wanting to book a reservation.

As a caterer, I absolutely LOVED the “FRITO PIE” (only in Texas) How about this for your next company picnic! Open a bag a Fritos, ladle in a hearty spoon of Texas Chili and topped with shredded Jack and Cheddar cheese. Insert plastic fork and serve! Fun Stuff!

I've got to tell you - Fonda San Miguel has the most AMAZING Zucchini and Squash Blossom Gazpacho, served up with Serrano chili oil.  1st course...and my favorite dish. Sublime.

If this soup is in their cookbook, it would be worth the purchase just for this recipe!

I was kidnapped by my favorite Seattle Gal Chefs - Kathy Casey of Kathy Casey Food Studios - Liquid Kitchen and Danielle Custer, director at SAM TASTE - for a HOT whirlwind Street Food Tour of ATX!

Street Food Tour Stops - The Grackle, The Local Yolk, Fried Chicken & Waffle Truck, Japanese Love Balls, Bits & Druthers, Pig Vicious Taco, The Vegan Yacht and...

Last but not LEAST...GORDOUGHS BIG. FAT. DONUTS.

Such a blast!  After being immersed in Texas sized foodie delights, I had an Awards Gala to attend...where Fried Chicken & Champagne was up for an Oscar of the cookbook world - First Book-The Julia Child award!  All the details on the ceremony and our exciting win (YEA!) will be served up next!

Southern Hospitality

Southern Hospitality is alive and kickin’

Just coming back from a whirlwind week of activities at the 5th largest wine and food festival in the country!

The Charleston Wine and Food Festival in South Carolina filled with all things SOUTHERN!

Sweet tea, Shrimp and Grits, pimento cheese puffs, Sun choke (Jerusalem artichoke) Pickles, Pork confit (Yes only in the south would James Beard Award winning Chef Mike Lata from FIG restaurant braise a suckling pig IN PORK fat) ~ time to start dieting!!!


Here are some of my highlights from the festival:

Meeting some of my favorite Southern Kitchen guys, Chef Bob Waggoner, Chef Mike Lata, Natalie Dupree, Nancie McDermott, Frank Stitt & Cajun Chef Donald Link, to name a few.

The winning cocktail menu from FIG restaurant- The one I enjoyed the most was The Greenthumb; prairie organic vodka, green chartreuse, lime, mint, cucumber, aloe and celery bitters

Favorite Coffee Shop: Hope and Union

for Seattleites to give major props to a coffee house and to drive 40 minutes for our morning fix each day you KNOW it had to be good – Incredible coffee coupled with the darn cute, newly remodeled, old Charleston one room wide house that it’s in!
Best Coffee in the south!

Some of my top restaurant picks:

Closed for Business; it’s a beer bar and an overall great casual hang out. The “must” try menu item, a Pork Slap Sandwich with Pickle Slaw and of course a Beer. They also win the fun tee-shirt award with “Slap Happy” on the back of the tees.

Hominy Grill; small neighborhood southern hangout….best cornbread, fried okra and sweet tea and let’s not forget shrimp and grits to die for…

Poe’s Tavern (namesake- you guessed it: Edgar Allen Poe) on Sullivan’s Island …lots of Raven, Bug, and Dark poetry inspired menu items…most famous for their burgers and fish tacos.


Of course we got to show off Fried Chicken and Champagne and my family’s Charleston roots with friends of the festival. For the demo in the Celebrity Kitchen, I brought a touch of the NW home to share demoing the Seared Sea Scallops in Apple-Cider Calvados butter sauce (made with Lopez Island Apple Cider Syrup). At a cookbook signing party we shared the Strawberry Rhubarb Collins made with Seattle’s own Rhubarb DRY Soda!


The Celebrity Author reception was in an old turn of the century Charleston home on the peninsula, right in the heart of the town’s magnificent history. Of course there had to be food; cocktails, coconut cake and shrimp tea sandwiches were served.

Recipies:

Strawberry Rhubarb Collins (pint glass)

1 1/2 strawberries-quartered, 1 ½ oz. Ketel One, 1 oz. Sweet & Sour, ½ oz. strawberry simple syrup (see simple syrup recipes) , 2 oz Rhubarb Dry Soda.

SHAKEN: put quartered strawberries in a mixing glass. Add vodka, sour, strawberry simple syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously. Pour into a pint glass and top with the Rhubarb Dry Soda.


Seared Scallops with Apple Cider Calvados Butter Sauce

Classic French, old school, rich, buttery fattening, lovely sauce that we have been made to feel guilty about eating. Oh well, what the “H” once in a blue moon. Plus we need to keep our personal trainers busy, right?

Sea Scallops 4-5 per person
Apple cider calvados butter sauce: Sauce for 4 portions
¼ Cup apple brandy (such as Calvados)
¼ cup apple syrup
2 TBLS frozen apple concentrate
1 clove fresh garlic chopped
1 teas. Finely minced fresh shallot
¼ C. heavy cream
1 TBLS apple cider vinegar
4 TBLS of soft butter to finish

20 Sea Scallops
2-3 TBLS olive oil
2-3 TBLS butter
pinch of salt
• In a heavy skillet, about 8” across heat some of the oil and some butter together over medium high heat. Let it get extra hot, being careful not to let your oils start to burn or smoke.
• Lay about 5-6 scallops down into the hot pan - you should hear it sizzle. If you don’t, it’s not hot enough. You want to sear the outside to a beautiful golden brown – quickly.
• If you put all the scallops in the pan at once you won’t be able to give them the attention they need. As soon as the first 5-6 are golden brown on one side, gently turn them over. If your pan is hot enough this should take about 30 - 40 seconds on each side. You do NOT want to over cook them.
• Take the first batch out and in the same pan add a bit more oil and butter, repeat the process until all scallops are a beautiful golden brown on each side. Set them all aside while you make the sauce in the same pan.
Calvados Sauce:
• The pan you just cooked the scallops in may have residual oil. Pour excess off. Turn to a med. temp and use the same pan to brown the shallots and garlic in.
• Add the brandy, syrup, apple concentrate, cream, & apple vinegar on top of shallots and garlic. Reduce until rich and syrupy. Look at your scallop plate if jus has pulled from the scallops and is on the bottom of the plate; pour this into your reducing sauce for more scallop flavor.
• Finish the sauce by whipping in 4 TBLS soft butter a little at a time. Reserve warm (off the fire) and spoon over seared scallops.

Plating: We like this served with mashed celeriac or potatoes. Some sliced apples that have been sautéed or grilled make a fun garnish also.