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Dinner Party Tips

DINNER PARTY TIPS FROM PICKLE CATERING  

Home entertaining is something close to our hearts and a lovely way to look after true friends in the cold winter months. Therefore, as a lucky treat for the Pickle community, we have decided to share some of our top tips for hosting 'the perfect dinner party'. 

 

BEFORE: Try making some nibbles such as 'Baguette crostini with pear, Roquefort and walnut'. 

Method: Slice 1/2 cm rounds of baguette, half the slices into semi circles and lay on baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with good pinch of S & P.

Bake in oven at 180 until golden.

Place a thin slice of pear, finger tip sized piece of Roquefort and a walnut half on each piece and drizzle with a tiny bit of honey

FOOD: Choose the main course first and work back from there, then be a little bit naughty and have something 'ready made' like a yummy dessert. If you choose a rich main then select a fresh flavoured starter and light fruity dessert.

DRINKS: Leave it to the experts, seriously. We love discovering great wine and the personalities behind it. Walk into your local wine store to let them know what you are cooking and enjoy the suggestions. A dessert wine is always a nice touch to sweeten the pallet! 

 AFTER: Pull out a winter warmer or a digestive for the thirsty ones whilst offering some sweet nibbles such as chocolate macaroons or salted caramel truffles.

Christmas With Pickle Catering

Haven Charity 

This Christmas Pickle Catering has been lucky enough to be involved with events for the much admired Haven Charity. Their annual Carol Concert is a true calendar highlight that Pickle have been catering for five years running, and this year was no different. With 1,200 canapés being served in half an hour with Champagne and Harrods mince pies it was all smiles for a great cause. Thanks Haven! 

Haven is a national charity providing personalised care and support for people with breast cancer, helping then to achieve the best possible quality of life. 

Learn more about their incredible work by clicking HERE. 

The White Company 

Those of you following Pickle Catering on social media will have noticed that Pickle Catering have been supporting The White Company events and what lovely occasions they are to cater for. 

We have been cooking for a range of events at a range of locations from their flagship Chelsea store to all over London. Here is a sneak peak from one of our favourite private events.

THE WHITE COMPANY LONDON

Hedonism Events 

Yes our friends at Hedonism Wines have a wine collection that is out of this world! Their store on Davies Street in Mayfair is a must visit for any wine lovers or anyone in the area. Head in and say hi to their friendly team and let them find the perfect wine for you. 

We always look forward to catering their events and wish them a very happy Christmas! 

Don't forget to follow Pickle on social media by clicking the icons at the bottom of our page! 

Happy Christmas and thanks for reading. 

The Pickle Catering Team. X

Feeling Festive With Pickle Catering

We love Christmas at Pickle Catering and this one is shaping up to be full of festive excitement! With a wide range of private and corporate functions all over London, we are busy tailoring each booking to meet all of our lovely customers needs.

 

Our canapés are proving to be a hot topic, so here are a few seasonal hits to mull over before Santa does his thing: 

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Crisp filo baskets with brie and a cranberry relish

Rare roasted venison fillet on a potato rosti with red current compote

Grilled scallops with chilli lime dressing

Squares of smoked almond and cherry panaforte

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Here at Pickle we love food and we love Christmas. Why not talk to one of us to make Pickle Catering part of your festive antics?

Canapés In The Pickle Kitchen

Here at Pickle we wanted to treat you lovely people to a sneak peak at some of our delicious canapés.

We have been out and about catering at some fantastic events and here are some of our favourites, together with some suggestions from our wine friends at Lea & Sandeman, with recommendations on the perfect tipple to wash them down with!

Seared tuna in wasabi sesame seed  

Wine match:  Salomon Undhof, Alma Riesling 2013. Mandarin zest and pear candy on the nose whilst both fresh and minerally dry on the palate, a slightly different treat against our fresh fish!   

Courgette rolls stuffed with lemon ricotta, mint and slow roast tomato

Wine match: Heba, Fattori di Magliano 2013. This wine is clean, poised and fresh with notes of cherry, herbs, tobacco and a little leather to keep you on your toes.  

Duck rillettes on toasted brioche with red currant compote 

Wine Match: Barda, Pinot Noir 2013. A subtle rich texture with tangy fruit and a fresh, lingering finish. Fun wine drinking with a sweet brioche and fruity red currant!  

‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well’. – Virginia Woolf

If you need help with catering for any upcoming events please click above to get in touch for more information and foodie natter to suit your needs. 

Corporate Catering With Pickle

Lately we have been rushed off our feet.  We have been having fun at some of our favourite Pickle events to date, many of those in the corporate world. From canapé events to working lunches, and even dispatching healthy snacks direct to offices, it's been all go! 

Our great clients are something we pride ourselves on at Pickle and we have recently been lucky enough to cook up some fine foods for the likes of Boots, Red Magazine, Hedonism Wines and many many more. 

Inverawe smoked salmon on the bread with tapanade.

Inverawe smoked salmon on the bread with tapanade.

If you have an exciting working lunch coming up or an event you would like Pickle to cater for please do click our 'get in touch' section and let us know how we can help you. 

Fig, mozarella & parma ham with truffled croutons.

Fig, mozarella & parma ham with truffled croutons.

Garden Parties With Pickle

At pickle HQ we can only hope that you're having as much fun as we are this summer. With the holiday season in full swing, we are booking in more garden parties than ever so we thought we would let you know about a few of our seasonal highlights. 

Seasonal Garden Dishes 

Barbecued Middle Eastern spiced lamb with a radish, cucumber and edamame bean salad 

Bruschetta with parmasan and ricotta, shards of crispy cured ham, broad beans and mint

Salad of feta, white peach and green beans with summer flowers  

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Summer Drinks Pairings 

We love working with our favourite local drinks folk to create the best parings possible to compliment our food. Our garden party pick is the Les Petit Diables Rose Cotes de Provence 2014. This smooth fruity number is a real treat especially when drunk with fresh fish and summer salads! You can get your hands on a bottle of this from our friendly wine supplier Lee & Sanderman just around the corner from us on Chiswick High Road. 

If your organising an upcoming event and you like the sound of these Pickle treats please click the 'Get In Touch' section on the top right!  

Recipe Testing in the Pickle Kitchen

The Pickle chefs have been making the most of a rare quiet period in the catering calendar, not just by indulging in some RnR, but by doing one thing we really love…intensive recipe and menu testing!  As you can imagine this involves experimenting with lots of lovely ingredients and sampling everything we create.  The pounds are piling on, but all in the name of good food for our clients.

With this in mind we dispatched the newest member of the chef team, Tabatha – the new Pickle apprentice – to Borough Market in search of inspiration and ideas.  Tabatha joined us back in May under a government-lead apprentice scheme.  For the next year she will be working closely in the Pickle kitchen with Sarah and Charlie learning key skills and recipes.

Kentish Cobnuts at Borough Market

Kentish Cobnuts at Borough Market

So last Friday afternoon Tabatha set off with her taste buds tingling ready to sample the delicious wares of one of London's most famous markets.  August is a great time to visit because of the wonderful variety of things in season.  Amongst the many ingredients and ideas Tabatha returned with was Kentish Cobnuts – bang in season and a nut native to the South East of England – so we were keen to experiment.

The cobnut is a cultivated type of hazelnut with a greeny/brown outer husk.  Unlike other nuts they are often marketed fresh rather than dried out.  Once picked they should be stored in a cool, dry place, allowing them to develop a real intense nutty flavor.

Pear, sticky toffee and cobnut tart

Pear, sticky toffee and cobnut tart

We decided to try a sweet recipe with our nuts, putting them in to a pear, sticky toffee and cobnut tart.  We are loving ‘The Great British Bake Off’ at the moment, so naturally we opted for a Paul Hollywood recipe.  The tart consists of a pastry case filled with quartered pears and a sticky toffee and cobnut mix.  It is served with more toffee sauce and clotted cream – totally indulgent.  Needless to say the team were happy with the results.


Pickle press events and themed parties

Seared Aberdeen Angus sirloin with flavoured salts

Seared Aberdeen Angus sirloin with flavoured salts

June and July have been busy months for the Pickle team, with press events for Jigsaw autumn/ winter 2014 collection; providing canapes to ShinePR for a Lacoste press event; providing food and Rosie (one of our fab freelancers) for a Merrydown Cider press event, featuring recipes written by Ade Edmondson the winner of Celebrity Masterchef 2013.

Pickle have also been busy on the private party scene and the trend for this summer has very much been about proper cocktail parties. Our team make a mean Mohito, and other popular cocktails have been Old Fashions, Margaritas and Aperol Spritzs. One of the more unusual events was a 1920s Russian themed party based on the play The Master and The Margarita. The Pickle team served blinis and quails eggs amongst some of our regular canapes, and we served a main course of chicken kievs, beetroot salad and broccoli salad - all prettied up Pickle style!

Perfect Canapé and Cocktail Combos

This week has seen the Pickle chefs team up with our favourite drinks mixologist, the lovely Richard Maxted from Mix and Muddle, to create some wonderful canapé and cocktail menus for you to enjoy.

So often a delightful bite can be spoilt by the accompaniment of the wrong beverage, and vice versa!  So Richard has helped us to come up with some complimentary cocktails that perfectly match our canapés to get your taste buds singing in perfect harmony.

Hot Spices:

Tandoori chicken served on a popadum with a cucumber and yoghurt dip

Asian style mackerel fish cakes with a chilli dipping sauce

Chilli and ginger prawns with a spicy crème frâiche 

Richard says, 'Spicy food is perfect for an accompanying cocktail. With the food being punchy and memorable, the cocktail needs a combination of sweetness and tartness to marry with the spice. A simple but affective Strawberry Margarita does this beautifully.'

Suggested Cocktail: Strawberry 'Milk-Bottle' Margarita

Jose Cuervo Especial Tequilla, Triple Sec, lime juice, strawberry syrup or purée served in a mini milk bottle glass 

Fish with Citrus:

Smoked salmon blinis with lemon and crème frâiche

Lime marinated sea bass cerviche with mango salsa

Smoked trout on toasted walnut bread with parsley-caper salsa

 Richard says, 'The floral, slightly sweet tones in Lavender work really well alongside citrus foods. A simple Lavender Martini can be supplemented beautifully by a light and fresh orange foam.'

 Suggested Cocktail: Ladies in Lavender (Lavender Martini with Orange Foam)

MARTINI, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Dry Vermouth, lavender syrup, Orange Bitters served in a straight glass with a foam of Cointreau, egg white, sugar syrup, Orange Bitters

 

Red Meats:

Fillet of venison on a parsnip and potato rosti and a red currant compote

Rare Aberdeen Angus beef on a mini Yorkshire pudding with horseradish cream

Organic pork sausages with a honey and mustard aioli 

Richard says, 'Ale cocktails used to be quite popular in certain parts of the UK. Cognac and ale is a relatively new, inspirational pairing that brings woody tones together with hops and barley. Add to this a flair of lemon and a twist of ginger and you get an earthy punch perfect for meats.'

Suggested Cocktail: British Bumpkin

British Ale, Remy Martin VSOP Cognac, lemon juice, ginger syrup served in a stainless steel cup

 

Sweet Stuff:

White and dark chocolate brownies

Sticky orange cake with Greek yoghurt and pomegranate seeds

Lemon polenta cake 

Richard says, 'This slight alternative on the classic Espresso Martini introduces Frangelico, a hazelnut liqueur. This acts to bring out the nuttiness of the coffee and give it a boost alongside these beautiful canapés.'

 Suggested Cocktail: Espresso Martini Nightcap

Vodka, Frangelico, Kahlua, Espresso, honey in an espresso cup

 

Mix & Muddle is a bespoke cocktail barman service, set-up by mixologist Richard Maxted, for small-scale private events and parties. To contact Richard visit http://www.mixandmuddle.com