In Episode 28 of Food Matters well-renowned Chef, TV Cook, and Food Media Broadcaster Aisling Larkin brings a very interesting feature this week about Catering an Event at Home - a Garden Party, Communion, Confirmation or even a Retirement Party

Food Matters is brought to you thanks to Jack Molloy & Son Craft Butchers, Barrack Street, Waterford.

Catering an Event at Home

• Firstly, decide on your numbers. How many people can you comfortably entertain at home?
• Budget
• Decide whether you are going to have a buffet or a sit-down meal
• Always check in about allergies
• Book your catering if you are planning to have caterers. You will need to book these well in advance.
• Get invites ready
• Book entertainment: entertainment can get easily booked out in advance.

Table Setting. Tablescaping

Create those Restaurant Vibes

Table linens - cater hire, editions, the design table

Flowers - spring flowers - discount supermarkets have gorgeous flowers that work -  high vase and low rose but style ones ( in jam jars )

Napkin - spring of rosemary or lavender, place name and ties with twine or ribbon. Always 3ply not 2, disposable rolls (Zara, H &M, Mango)

Podiums Lay out all the dishes on different heights or podiums. Turn bowls and little boxes upside down, hide them under the table linens and then perch things on top.

Keeping food warm is tricky, that is why having plenty of salad sides and cold carbs is a great idea.

Glasses - a united set of wine glasses and a nice wine glass makes all the difference … you can rent them for about €2 each - €65 for 36 of them  - makes all the difference.

Candles again high and low with more tea light style ones as the evening draws in.

Setting Up a Bar - very much depends on how many you have

Don’t forget the ice

Leave a measure/jigger - or a few around if you are letting people self-pour.

Don’t take out the spirits until later.

The choice is cocktail, wine, sparkling water and non-alcoholic versions of each and some beers.

On Arrival - back to the event - the signature cocktail

Hugo Spritz - 20mls elderflower cordial, 20mls gin, mint, ice, 100mls Prosecco and 20mls soda water

Water - jugs of water -  flavour with grapefruit and mint, lemon and lime, ice and sparkling water.

Nibbles On Arrival

Charcuterie board

3 cheese - soft - brie, hard -  gruyere, emmental, manchego, cheddar, smoked and a blue

Meats -  prosciutto, parma, mortadella and chorizo

Crackers   - Sheridan’s and Dunne’s - simply better range

Pesto, tapenade,

Fruit - figs, grapes, apples or pears.

Hummus boards

Hummus, double duty - roast off big trays of Mediterranean vegetables - olive oil, season well. Allow it to cool.

Beautiful wooden boards, platters, dollops, hollow, oil, cumin. Season and then spoon veg on top, garnish with some edible flowers - viola

Basket of bread and crackers

Sourdough, an interesting one with a flavour and a delicious homemade treacle and Guinness brown bread

Smoked salmon on brown bread, smoked onion mayo, capers and red onion

When you are laying this out, have small side plates for people to take, napkins.

Main Meal

• Cook and freeze ahead
• Big ham boil and glaze
• Side of salmon - soy and maple glaze, cream cheese, pomegranate and mint tarragon and parsley
• Chicken traybake - cut the chicken fillets in half in a creamy smoked bacon and rosemary sauce
• Pork and Juniper Stroganoff - get the butcher to prepare the pork, make a day in advance in the slow cooker  -  Thursday night for Saturday  -  cover, chill and reheat. Serve them both with rice
• Pappardelle pasta with roast Mediterranean vegetables, parmesan and pesto on the side - same roast vegetables as the hummus boards.
• Big green salad
• Cucumber salad
• Potato and Jammy egg salad with watercress

Butcher Boxes - umami duck, wagyu beef box, roast beef box, pulled pork box

James Whelan - 35 days Salt Aged Beef

This 35-day, Himalayan Salt-Aged grass-fed beef is epic in every way. Be the legend who blows people away with the joy of it. Salt Aged Beef ages over 35 days in Peter’s Salt Chamber, a 12ft solid wall of Hand cut Himalayan Rock Salt Bricks. This results in only one thing – beef of exceptional quality with a truly unique flavour.

Dry Age / Salt Rubbed Beef

Striploin Roast On-the-Bone 2.5kg

€65.00

FRENCH DRESSED 5 BONE RIB OF BEEF, 3.5KG APPROX (Serves 10, generously. We suggest carving it at the table for maximum entertainment and drama!

The dry-aged process intensifies the flavour and tenderness to give you the perfect meal every time.)

How to Roast a Big Joint of Beef

Core Temperatures – Out of Oven (After Resting)

• Rare 48-50oC (52-54oC)
• Medium-Rare 52-54oC (56-58oC)
• Medium 58-60oC (60-62oC)

Take the core temperature with a thermometer from the very centre of the meat.

1. Bring the meat to room temperature
   Remove your Fore Rib of Beef from the packaging and pat dry with kitchen paper. Allow to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Preheat your oven and season
   Preheat your oven to 230oC/210oC fan oven/gas mark 8. Season the meat liberally just before cooking. Brush the meat generously with oil and place fat side up into a large, heavy-based roasting tray.
3. Cook to your liking
   For a medium-rare joint, place in the centre of the oven and roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180oC / 160oC fan/gas mark 4. Continue roasting for 15 minutes per 500g until a core temperature of 52oC is reached before resting by checking with a meat thermometer.
4. Rest, Rest, Rest
   Remove from the oven, put onto a clean tray and keep warm, covering with foil and leave to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
5. Carve, Serve & Enjoy!

Foodie Focal Point - One talking point

Taco bar

Chocolate fountain

Donut hole wall

Ice cream bar -  espresso, limoncello

Coffee bar ( for the adults ) affogato, Irish coffee, syrups

One or two nice serving platters, beg, borrow, steal….

Decant from the containers you bought them from

Garnish - edible flowers, pea shoots

Wine

Crémant  -  instead of prosecco  -  Crémant is a category of French sparkling wines that are produced using the same traditional method as Champagne, yet from other regions, and often leaning on grapes other than the Big Three of the world's most famous bubbly (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier).

Made by a secondary fermentation taking place in the bottle — as opposed to in a pressurized tank, as is the case in the Charmat method most famously employed for Prosecco — in order to convert the still wine into sparkling. This lends depth and complexity to the wine, as well as pastry and bakery-like notes from the extended contact with the yeast, which the law stipulates has to occur for a minimum of nine months prior to disgorgement or clearing the individual bottles of that spent yeast.

White - Touraine - French Sauvignon Blanc - really nice, Pinot Grigio

Red - Pinot Noir , Beaujolais

Please, please don’t overfill glasses.

Playlist - Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Imelda May, Hozier, Sade, Katie Mellua, Lana de Ray, Ray La Montagne, Fleetwood Mac, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald

Allergies

A few lactose free breads and a few plant based milks

Keep at one main dish vegetarian and one salad

Finishing Touches

Don’t dress salads - leave little jam jars of salad dressings beside each salad

Decant from bottles into little jars

Twinkly fairy lights …. Around the platters.

One or two signature serving bowls - wooden salad bowls, gorgeous water jugs

Take home leftover boxes

Menu

Charcturie boards, Hummus Boards, smoked salmon brown bread

A Classic Creamy Smoked Bacon & Rosemary Chicken Traybake with Basmati Rice,

Pork & Juniper Stroganoff with Herby Buttered Pappardelle

Roast Vegetable Pasta with Creamy Mascarpone and Basil Pesto

Classic decorated Chocolate Biscuit Cake perfect for the occasion.

Brownie Tower

Pork & Juniper Stroganoff:

• 3 kg pork shoulder, cut into thin strips
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 onions, finely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp juniper berries, crushed
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cups of beef stock
• 4 cups of sour cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Ingredients for Herby Buttered Pappardelle:

• 2 kg pappardelle pasta
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, and chives)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions :

1. Preheat the oven to 160° In a large ovenproof casserole dish, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork strips in batches and cook until browned. Remove the pork from the casserole dish and set it aside.
2. Add the onions to the casserole dish and cook until softened about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and juniper berries and cook for another minute.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the beef stock and bring to a simmer.
4. Return the pork to the casserole dish and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3-4 hours, until the pork is very tender.
5. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and stir in the sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. To make the herby buttered pappardelle, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and toss with the melted butter and chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve the stroganoff hot over the herby buttered pappardelle. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Instructions for preparing in advance:

1. Cook the stroganoff and pasta according to the recipe above.
2. Allow the stroganoff and pasta to cool completely, then transfer to separate airtight containers.
3. Refrigerate the stroganoff and pasta for up to 2 days.
4. On the day of the event, preheat the oven to 180° Transfer the stroganoff to an ovenproof dish and cover with foil.
5. Bake the stroganoff in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until heated through.
6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and toss with the melted butter and chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve the hot stroganoff over the herby buttered pappardelle. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Ingredients:

• 500g of butter
• 800g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
• 4 cans (1.4kg) sweetened condensed milk
• 600g digestive biscuits, roughly broken
• 300g malted milk biscuits, roughly broken
• 10 Mars bars, chopped into small pieces
• 300g Maltesers
• 20 Crunchie bars, chopped into small pieces

Instructions :

1. Grease a 9-inch (23cm) springform cake tin with butter and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
3. Add the sweetened condensed milk and stir until well combined.
4. Remove the saucepan from heat and add the broken digestive biscuits, malted milk biscuits, Mars bars, Malteasers, and chopped Crunchie bars. Stir well until all ingredients are fully coated in the chocolate mixture.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, pressing down firmly with a spatula or the back of a spoon to make sure there are no air pockets.
6. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or until firm.
7. Once the cake has set, remove it from the tin and transfer it to a serving plate.
8. If desired, decorate the top of the cake with additional Malteasers and pieces of Crunchie bars.
9. Slice the cake into 20 pieces and serve. Enjoy!

This cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, making it a great make-ahead dessert for catering events. Just be sure to remove the cake from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving to allow it to come to room temperature and soften slightly, which will make it easier to slice and serve.