Clams, mussels, squid and tiger prawns in black bean sauce for a 21st birthday pan asian theme buffet in Minster Lovell near Oxford

Anton,

Please pass on our thanks to James and the rest of the team – the food was fantastic (asparagus tempura and crispy shredded beef were highlights!) and Jessie was really pleased with everything.

Thanks again

Helen

Of all the things we've cooked this year (that's a lot of things) I think this has been my favourite so far! It's all in the sauce, so don't go thinking you can use a brought ready made one. 

Black bean sauce is actually surprisingly easy to make, so much so you kind of wonder why you've never got round to it before. It helps, of course, now being based round the corner from all sorts of different ethnic food shops. I used this black bean sauce recipe and dropped the seafood into it to cook & take on the flavours - wild! This was served in chafing dishes, buffet style in the barn.

Sushi as a canape, made on site, minutes before it went out - can't beat the freshness! Vegetable maki rolls, cooked prawn uramaki rolled in sesame, tuna rolls in (raw) savoy cabbage leaves, salmon nigiri, gunkan maki with keta caviar, and swordfish nigiri. 

It's amazing how often people think you just turn up on the day and that's it. They don't see the 7 day industry that goes behind all the setting up, and clearing away. This party took 10 days in total from beginning to end. The pan asian menus especially take a lot of food preparation, both before and on the day, but it's all worth it for those fresh flavours - you can't get that with ready made sauces etc. It must have made on an impression on the birthday girl's aunt as well - as she has since booked us to cater for her wedding at the same venue next year!

So after a pan-asian style main, the birthday girl had decided on a more english style dessert with lemon & raspberry meringue roulade, chocolate eclair and shotglass of raspberry sorbet. Mix and match the styles - that's what it's all about!

Canapés

Sushi Selection;

including vegetable and avocado, cooked prawn, raw salmon and tuna, keta caviar

Served with Wasabi, Soy Sauce and Pickled Ginger

Catered Buffet Menu

Sharing Platters Starter

Crispy Confit Duck Spring Rolls with Hoi Sin Dip

Stir Fried Salt and Pepper Squid

Asparagus Tempura

Beef Tataki

Prawns in Lemongrass and Coconut

XXX

Selection of 4 main courses

Chicken Katsu Curry

Pad Thai Noodles with Tofu

Crispy Shredded Beef with Honey Chilli Sauce

Mussels, Clams, Squid, Prawns and Edamame in Black Bean Sauce

served with;

Plain Steamed Rice

Pak Choi with Garlic, Ginger and Oyster Sauce

XXX

Trio of desserts;

Mini Chocolate Éclairs

Mini Lemon Meringue Roulade

Shotglass of Homemade Raspberry Mojito Sorbet 

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2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge - Q is for Quinoa and sesame crusted squid

Nothing like this for a late night snack!

Quinoa and sesame crusted squiddly diddly  with soy and lime

Ever since I discovered the salt and pepper squid I've been hooked - such a simple & quick way to cook squid and it tastes fresh rather than covering it in batter as some do.
If people have heard of quinoa most people aren't sure what to do with it. It's nice to use like cous cous as a side or salad. But you can also use it as a crust like this - you can also sprinkle uncooked quinoa on top of fish before grilling/ baking - it goes crispy.

Almost one for hen parties...... the tentacles of this one went on for miles

Quinoa crusted squid - for 1 portion I used:

1 squid, prepared, cleaned and dried
handful flour
1 egg
20g quinoa
20g sesame seeds
20g black sesame seeds
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed sea salt

1. In a mixing bowl mix together the quinoa, sesame, salt & pepper.
2. Cut the squid into rings (leave the tentacle part whole).
3. Dip the squid rings and tentacles into the flour, then egg, then in the quinoa and seed mix.
4. Shake off excess and place on a tray. It is best to refrigerate them for an hour or so before use - helps the quinoa/ seed crust to stay on while cooking. Although if you are in a rush you could just go ahead and fry them anyway.
5. Heat oil in a wok to 180 oC - you can test the temperature with a temperature probe. If you are using gas to cook on be very careful - hot oil can start fires.
6. Fry till golden - probably only 1 minute.
7. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon on to a tray with kitchen paper to mop up any excess grease and serve straight away!

Wok fried - sitting next to the aubergine cooking for the next but one #AtoZChallenge entry

Soy and lime dip

Light soy sauce (has to be light - dark soy is too strong)
Freshly squeezed lime juice
Rice wine
Chilli
Coriander


You can read fascinating facts about quinoa here - there's also a link to 25 quinoa recipes.

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Pan Asian theme meal near Shipston on Stour

These Pan Asian meals are quickly turning into my favourite events to do - it's the flavours!

Pan de sal bread rolls - turned out better than last time's. You roll them in breadcrumbs on the sides which gives an interesting texture.

Spring rolls with beef and duck

Asian chicken and lettuce wraps (pictured here just before rolling them up. Flavours!

Sesame prawn toast - staple

Main courses

Volcano chicken - pictured here before cooking. so called because the marinade turns it rather dark, then you pour whisky over and flame it as it goes to the table. Pretty impressive - they all sang happy birthday as we took it in. Quite an amusing dish - you sit it on an empty drinks can half filled with stock which steam-cooks it from the inside. While picturing this I must have smudged the lens - hence the rest of the pics, but the view finder's broken so there was no way of knowing till later..... c'est la vie (le sigh)

Salt and pepper squid with szechuan pepper - amazing! The simple things are often the best. 

Blackened cod - with spiralized carrots - vegetable spiralizer gives endless fun!

Crispy shredded beef from this recipe - wow tasted so good. The whole lot went - they loved it.  After frying it  you toss it in a dressing of rice wine vinegar, chilli sauce and soy.

Dessert

Coconut cheesecake adapted from this recipe with mango sorbet - use Nice biscuits for the  base to keep the coconut flavours going. 

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Tarragon poached chicken, butterflied leg of lamb and prawn, monkfish and squid kebabs - catering for a barbecue wedding near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire

At last - a wedding where it didn't rain while we were loading & unloading - wahoo! 

The lake at Upper Court - makes a great backdrop to your wedding breakfast!

The previous week on Stow on the Wold cricket field we had been caked in mud, wet through and that was just in the first five minutes of arriving - pushing 2 vans (arriving and departing) through the mud was most.... er.... memorable. The next wedding the day after at Chavenage House we had fared slightly better because they had moved the siting of the marquee right next to the house. That was until it came to packing up in the evening and once again we were deluged. Always helps to have a good set of waterproofs and waterproof kitchen shoes. Good job we love it!

Tarragon poached chicken on the barbecue 

 This weekend just gone - perfect. The sun even came out as the guests arrived back from the church next door. Note the straw in the background though - soaking up the mud around the entrance - all the ground so waterlogged now - that'll be the great English summer.

Here is how the chicken started off the night before (below). We batted it out, filled it with chicken and tarragon mousse (chicken, egg white, cream, salt, pepper, tarragon), sprinkled on a bit more chopped tarragon for good luck and rolled it up,

Then skewered it to hold it in place and poached it in court bouillon with the tarragon stalks.

Once poached it was left to cool down, then one the day itself I just cut it into 3 and gave them a grilling on the barbecue.
The bride had said she wanted chicken, but it had to be moist - chicken can dry out easily on BBQ if you cook it too much. Poached like this you not only get a lot more flavour in there, but it also stays nice and moist.

Tiger prawn, monkfish and squid skewers marinaded in chilli, ginger, garlic, coriander, lemon, mint, turmeric and yogurt

What a revelation these were - maybe you can't see in pic above, but the turmeric gives them an amazing yellowy colour. A couple of minutes on each side with a dusting of flour to stop them sticking and they're cooked perfectly. And the monkfish is one of the best fish to barbecue because it is so meaty and doesn't fall apart like cod, and tiger prawns - well everyone loves those!

Butterflied leg of lamb marinaded in lemon, garlic and cumin yogurt (with a lone kebab tester)  

"Is there anything else we can do than lamb steaks?" asked the bride. We eventually rested on the idea of butterflied leg of lamb - which I then carved on the buffet as guests came along - the inside of the lamb perfectly pink (although there were a few well done bits for the guests who preferred it that way). Lamb as usual came from Home Farm - around 2 miles as the crow flies from the where we were serving it. 5 legs and every last bit went - very popular!

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