Author: cmgdev

I love Champagne coupes.  They’re so chic and elegant.  Through the 1960s, the coupe was “the” glass for bubbles.  Coupes had seemed to have fallen out of favor in modern times with wine experts and amateurs recommending or preferring to use flutes or tulip glasses to drink Champagne. But lately, coupes are coming back.  There’s an old legend that the Champagne coupe was modeled after the breast of Marie Antoinette or Helen of Troy.  You know the old saying “more than a mouthful is a waste”. Wait, are we still talking wine glasses here?

Anyway, I guess the question of the hour is should we embrace the redux of the coupe?  And for this I suggest taking the hands on approach.  Its not that I don’t trust the experts, it just when it comes to Champagne it’s time for me to conduct my own very scientific research.  No need to ruin a good bottle of bubbles with a faulty glass…Do your own testing and try our favorite Champagne cocktail in ANY glass you choose.

A Crown Point Staff Favorite:  Moet & Chandon Grand Cru ‘Champs de Romont’ Brut Champagne (or your favorite dry sparkling wine or Prosecco), St. Germaines (elderflower Liqueur) & fresh squeezed grapefruit on ice.

Check out Esquire Magazine’s top 10 Champagne cocktail recipes: http://www.esquire.com/features/food-drink/champagne-cocktails#slide-1

Wine and chocolate are two of the most romantic foods in the world. And with Valentine’s Day right around the corner it got us thinking of fun ways to indulge in both.  Include your special someone or impress your girlfriends next time it’s your turn to bring dessert.  Wine & chocolate can be a perfect match and a fun way to experiment with wine and food pairings.

Both wine and chocolate can be very complex on their own, so keep it simple with three basics: 1) The wine you select must be perceived as sweeter than the chocolate 2) Pick a wine that’s big enough to cut through The chocolates richness 3) Look for flavors in both that are similar to one another.

*For example bittersweet or dark chocolates need a strong red wine to balance out the bitterness in the taste.  These chocolates are the richest & most intensely flavored containing the least amount of sugar, and the greatest amount of cacao.  Zinfandels often seem to be the obvious go-to when it comes to pairing wine with bittersweet & dark, but a Shiraz or a Spanish Grenache would also be a suitable companion.

*Milk chocolate, on the other hand, contains a small amount of cacao & is the sweetest, remember rule #1 and choose a wine sweeter wine than chocolate.  Pairing it with something less might leave your mouth tasting like a rubber band. A good match might just be a sweet and tasty tawny port, but if you find the right bottle of pinot noir, you also won’t be disappointed.

*White chocolate, though not a true chocolate due to its absence of cacao, is a super-sweet blend of sugar, milk and cocoa butter. A good pairing would be Champagne, or a muscato. Other good pairings for white chocolate would include Rieslings and Gewürztraminers.

To help you get started check out this great list of wines under $20.  Get pairing.

http://wine.about.com/od/byprice/tp/ValueWinesunder10.htm

It wasn’t that long ago that a restricted diet meant one of two things – you were either a vegetarian or had a peanut allergy. Fast-forward to 2014 and we see gluten, lactose and refined sugar intolerances; soy and wheat allergies along with a whole host of 
no-carb Paleo diet clients.  We see this ever-growing list of restrictions in a new light – not as an inconvenience, but as an opportunity to spark some creativity in our kitchens and wow our guests.

Instead of focusing on the long list of things that we CANNOT eat, we try and celebrate the never-ending list of those that are acceptable for our clients diet. It’s freeing to not only discover new foods that you might never even knew existed, but to also get creative with some of the old standbys that pop-up often.  Luckily in the world we live in, the internet is an endless resource for those of us searching for a new way to eat and more importantly to eat well.    Here are a few of our favorite Gluten Free Recipes that are just as delicious as they look.

Roasted Cauliflower & Kale Pie with Potato Crust – 1bigbite.com

Exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies cookingactress.com

Follow us on Pinterest to see more of what we love. Gluten Be Gone. 

 

 

In the spirit of the holidays and supporting our neighbors and this amazing community, Crown Point Catering once again chose Vista Hill’s Parentcare program as the recipient of our community outreach.  Our team collected & donated a bounty of toys & gift cards for the children of the Parentcare community, ages ranging from 2-15 years old.  Some of the donations were a shiny new bicycle, 10 looking-cute Barbie’s, enough Legos to build a condo for the Barbie gals and a bevy of Target, Old Navy and DSW gift cards for the kids to choose a few of their favorite things.   Bringing joy and sharing the spirit of giving to those less fortunate than us, and supporting the amazing work of those who dedicate their lives to helping others is the best gift of all!  A big thank you to the Crown Point Catering family and to the staff at Parentcare who work tirelessly year-round.

“Parent Care gives families the opportunity to make critical lifestyle changes and create a safe, nurturing home environment for their children. Treatment services are gender sensitive, focusing on the special needs of mothers who have substance abuse problems and limited parenting skills. Unique features of the ParentCare model include on-site psychiatric services for clients with a co-occurring mental health disorder; the Therapeutic Learning Center (on-site specialized pre-school and childcare services); and access to Vista Hill’s Sober Living Apartments, a drug-free affordable housing complex which has become an important adjunct to the ParentCare Center”..

 

Snuck out for lunch the other day with my “besties” at PrepKitchen in Little Italy. Typically I encourage my “dates” to order something different that we can all share, but we all decided to order the same thing: the grilled local fish tacos with avocado, mango jicama slaw & chipotle aioli; It came with a healthy sized side salad dressed with a salty vinaigrette that totally balanced the sweetness of the taco. Local, farm-fresh, from scratch…all about that!

And how can you not feel uber cool in the uber cool upstairs dining room making it’s mark with huge reclaimed balusters separating the dining room from the bar, moss-riddled birch bark on the walls, and a communal hand-wash station made from a schoolyard drinking fountains – how fun is that? Besides, repurposing is still cool…

And hey look; PrepKitchen Little Italy made it to #20 on the thrillist.com list of the “coolest bars and restaurants in town.”

Has it come to this? It’s November 1st, just ONE day after Halloween and I see a post from one of my “friends” on Facebook about how disappointing it was that Target did not have all their Christmas decorations out yet.  It used be that the day AFTER Thanksgiving was the kick off to the holiday season.  But no more.  It’s time to turn on your outside holiday lights, adorn the front door with a fresh pine wreath and litter the yard with glowing snowmen and reindeer.  Think, Chevy Chase “Christmas Vacation”. These days Jingle Bells are ringing a little sooner and I guess I should just get on board.  I do love everything about this time of year (including the “stepchild” Thanksgiving).  It’s a time of eating, drinking & celebrating with family & friends.  There are countless magazines and website with ideas on how to decorate your home or how to create the perfect festive holiday table.  Here are some that caught our attention using a classic palette, dressed with a splash of color and incorporating fresh pears, white pumpkins & squashes slowly easing your way from fall into winter.  Make your own napkin holders, wrapped with ribbon and a cinnamon stick for a personal touch that not only looks amazing but also smells terrific.  Cheers, Happy Holidays!

 

How does one squeeze into a wedding dress come Spring 2014 while still leading the glam life of a caterer?

1. Try not tasting everything more than once….yes the first smoked chicken purse tastes just as good as the thirtieth.

2. “Running” a party does not count as exercise, still need to squeeze in a workout on event days.

3. Cut down on carbs….whoa, what, wait a minute ??? I’m already sweating thinking how will this “love me some taters kinda gal” live without my bread-pasta-rice washed down with some cookies & milk?

For starters, here’s what I’m thinking and I’m gonna like it:

Spaghetti squash – can I hear a big YUM for the sketti squash! My inspiration are these cute little ramekins filled with the squash and any sauce that you would normally have with pasta. My go to: roasted tomatoes, garlic, fresh herbs, parmesan with a side of roasted brussels sprouts.

Farro – lighter in carbs but soooo many more other benefits – check out this farro recipe. If I’m really trying to minimize the carb load, I’ll go easy on the sweet potatoes and replace with more veggie goodies.

Recipe Courtesy of Food52.com

http://food52.com/recipes/19937-farro-with-roasted-sweet-potato-kale-and-pomegranate-seeds

Serves 3 – 4 as a main course, or 6 as a side dish

• 1cup semi-pearled or regular farro
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1Medium onion, halved and halves cut into 1/4 inch wedges
• Salt
• 1large sweet potato, peeled and cut into half-inch cubes (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 1/2teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/3cup shelled, raw walnuts
• 3cups packed, roughly chopped kale (stems removed before chopping)
• 1large garlic clove, minced
• Fresh Meyer lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2cup pomegranate seeds

P.S. With all these carb savings I won’t need to give up my wine…right???

CHEERS!

We had the honor of catering an amazing fall wedding last month at the Diamond View Tower.  The couple used a color palette of rich corals and oranges to create a warm look and feel, along with an eclectic mix of table sizes creating a unique and cozy space for their guests. To get the party started there was a traditional mariachi band during cocktail hour serenading the crowd, giddy from the couples beautiful ceremony.  Later a deejay played the perfect mix of dance music for both the young and young at heart.   The menu and signature cocktails matched perfectly with the “colorful party” atmosphere. Signature drinks included the “La Senora” – a mix of Tequila, Lime juice, strawberry, jalapeno and basil; “The El Burro” – a Mexican version of a Moscow Mule; and a fresh “Sangria Casada” (made by the groom’s restaurant).   The menu was just as good, featuring some of California’s finest seafood, including Crab Cakes & Shrimp & Scallop Skewers, Sliders and our signature tenderloin of beef making sure there was something for everyone.  No one left hungry.   This spectacular reception ended with a customized dessert table featuring delicacies from Sweet Lydia’s, in Ocean Beach, CA and party favors of little bottles of patron with an etched “G” representing the couple’s new last name.    Thank you for sharing this special day with us, here’s to FOREVER.

There are so many fun traditions for Halloween, trick-or-treating, watching horror flicks, carving jack-o’-laterns and playing pranks. It’s always so agonizing, what costume should you choose, how will you transform yourself this year?  SCARY, HIP, CULTURE CLASSIC, SUPER HERO!  My favorite memories of Halloween were of the houses you visited while trick-or-treating who went out of their way to have the scariest and most elaborate decorations.  Live monsters jumping out of the bushes, glowing skeletons and spider webs.  I loved it.  And of course there was always the lady down the street who gave out the FULL size candy bars. She was the celebrity of Halloween.  The queen bee of trick-or-treating.  While we love all the old traditions of celebrating Halloween, we thought these modern new ways to decorate and celebrate were very fresh.  Elegantly Spooky.  Sleek black & white.  Silver and Gold are the new orange and black.  Check out these ideas from Hitched Salon for new inspiration.  BOO!

 

I think for Americans, Oktoberfest is much like St. Patrick’s Day, or the Super Bowl.  It’s a time or day dedicated to drinking beer. And we love it!  It’s an excuse for everything beer.  Beer food, Beer tasting, wearing beer swag and even hosting your own “harvest festival or Oktoberfest party.” More beer.  We thought this was a cute and fun way to study up on what you should be eating with your favorite hoppy beverage.  So start studying and become your very own beer sommelier.  Cheers!

For more great idea’s on food drink and fun, check out http://www.thesavory.com