Newsletter from Hugh Groman Catering and Greenleaf Platters

Hugh Groman Catering and Greenleaf Platters
February 2009 Newsletter

www.hughgromancatering.com

"It's impossible, everything was good - I've never seen that before."
-Quote from a guest at a December 2008 event catered by Hugh Groman Catering and sent to us by one of our fantastic clients!

THANK YOU

We wanted to express our appreciation to those of you who have positively reviewed us on local websites such as YELP and the Berkeley Parents Network. These local sites are crucial to our success, and we
notice an increase in business when you add a review.
THANKS SO MUCH!

Staff Spotlight
Nicola McCarthy
Server

We are happy to feature Nicola McCarthy in this month's staff spotlight.

We love Nicola most of all for her wonderful and positive energy. Nicola is beautiful inside and out, and she also happens to be extremely experienced and professional.

Besides working with us, Nicola's favorite things to do are hiking and painting. She "loves to paint BIG", and has painted many murals throughout San Francisco and beyond, including an elaborate piece on Maggie McGarries Irish pub on Green St, in North Beach, Sf. It is an entire wall dedicated to Beat/Pop/jazz royalty. She is also a scenic artist for Custom Made Theater in SF.

Nicola grew up in the countryside of Ireland, close to the coast, "surrounded by luscious green fields full of blissed out cows and horses".
Nicola has lived in California almost 13 years developing her art and appreciating the abundance and variety of natural beauty here. She still goes home to Ireland on a regular basis to spend time with family.

Nicola said she likes working with HGC because "Hugh is a delight, the food is AMAZING, the people are INCREDIBLE - every Hugh Groman event is an exercise in professionalism and creative flair".

THANK YOU NICOLA FOR BEING A PART OF OUR TEAM!

Questions or comments?
E-mail us at nina@hughgromancatering.com
or call 510-647-5165.

Message from Hugh

In today's economy we feel so grateful for the opportunity to continue serving our clients and want to focus on giving back to our local community. With that in mind, I am excited to announce our 2009 "1% back" program. We've decided to donate 1% of our gross revenue for the year to one or more local agencies that focus on feeding hungry people. We're still researching where to give the money. We'd like it to be a large agency that supports other agencies, such as the Alameda Food Bank. We are open to your suggestions for this kind of organization, and why you think they are the ideal recipient.
Regardless, every time you use our services, or recommend us to your friends, you can count on 1% of your bill going to help feed hungry people in the Bay Area.

I have another exciting announcement! Mark Drazek (who has been helping us in the kitchen) and his wife Barbara are opening Sidebar, a hip new restaurant and bar at 542 Grand Ave in Oakland (a couple of blocks away from the Grand Lake Theatre). Opening night is Friday February 6th, and eventually they will be open for lunch and dinner. (They are closed Sundays and they do not serve lunch on Saturday.) I just toured the space and it is beautiful. Please check it out! (510) 452-9500

Happy New Year and thank you again for all of your support!

Sincerely,
Hugh

Featured Recipe - Salad of Dungeness crab, fennel, grapefruit, avocado and frisée in a Maisonette sauce.

Watch Hugh demonstrate how to make this
dish on "A View from the Bay"!

1 pound fresh Dungeness crab meat (picked over to remove all shells)
2 large grapefruit or pomelos, (peeled, segmented and pith removed so you have just the fruit segments)
3 medium avocados
1 bunch frisée lettuce (darker green parts trimmed off and discarded, pale parts soaked in cool water to remove all sand)
3/8 pound fennel, cleaned, shaved, lemon juice added
1 teaspoon allepo pepper or smokey paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Maisonette Sauce (recipe below)

Maisonette Sauce
3/8 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon catsup, or to taste
brandy, to taste
hot sauce, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
grapefruit juice, optional to taste

For conversions between weight and measure, click here.

1. Up to one day ahead: Make Maisonette sauce, supreme grapefruits or pomelos, trim and clean frisée thoroughly.

2. The day of your event: Wash bulbs of fennel and trim off green parts. Slice fennel into thin slices and dress with excess juice from grapefruit to prevent browning. Slice avocado and dress generously with grapefruit juice, salt and pepper

3. An hour before your event: Lay out frisée and fennel, avocado, grapefruit and crab, sprinkle with allepo pepper or smokey paprika and drizzle with Maisonette sauce.
Store in refrigerator or a cool place. Serve within 2 hours.

Quick Tip - French Fries

Ever wonder why your homemade french fries don't come out as crisp as you want them to? Well, maybe not, but after you read this tip, maybe you'll be inspired to give it a try. Here's the secret. Fry them twice! The first time, at about 325 degrees until they are cooked through but not colored. Then you drain them and let them cool. Then, cook them again at 375 degrees until they are crisp. Add salt after you drain the fries the second time. YUMMY served with a grilled New York strip.

Environmental Focus

Many counties in the Bay Area now pick up your compost with the Green Waste pickup from your gardens. The compost gets shipped to a high heat compost facility, which explains why you can include meat and other things you can't include in a home compost bin. Basically, anything organic (that biodegrades) can be included. The only things that don't go in there are grease, animal waste (ooh gross!), plastic and metal. If you take the time to discuss these guidelines in your households, you'll find that so much of what we used to throw in the garbage no longer needs to go there. If you don't yet receive this service in your area, make a fuss! It is the wave of the future. :)

Sample Menu - A New Year's Eve Bash

Passed Hors D'oeuvres

Salsa of avocado, green olives, capers and lime with crumbled feta on spears of endive
Shrimp and jicama flower dumplings with soy scallion dipping sauce
Smoked salmon wrapped around fresh goat cheese
Yukon gold potato skins with truffle parmesan aioli and bacon
Roasted lamb with balsamic onions and garlic aioli on a crisp baguette toast

Dinner
Small cup of rustic cream of tomato soup with rosemary
Grilled scallop on a crisp potato pancake with carrot purée, scallions and a sauce of sugar cane vinegar, soy, garlic and hot chili oil
Butternut squash ravioli with brown butter, sage, pine nuts and Parmigiano Reggiano
Fillet of halibut poached in olive oil with rosemary scented polenta, roasted red pepper purée and a salsa verde
Grilled New York Strip in a gorgonzola herb butter with horseradish chive mashed potatoes and sautéed baby spinach

Kids Food
Sliders for dinner for kids with French fries and Caesar Salad

Finger Food Desserts
Tiny sour cream cupcakes with vanilla frosting
Profiteroles with whipped cream and dark chocolate sauce
Tiny caramel pots de crème with rum soaked bananas
Meringues with crème fraiche and raspberries
Pumpkin cheese cake squares
An elegant selection of cheeses with homemade baguette toasts and
cranberry raisin walnut toasts

Hugh Groman Catering

Hugh Groman Catering is a full service boutique catering company providing the highest quality food and service for events up to 1000 guests. Our customers want delicious, interesting food, served with warmth in a simple, elegant style, and they want us to make it all easy for them.

Greenleaf Platters

At greenleafplatters.com you can order the quality food you've come to expect from Hugh Groman Catering on elegant white porcelain platters delivered to your event. This service is for those who don't need staff or rented equipment, but don't want to do the cooking themselves. You've never seen party platters like this!