Catering Inspiration

So the last 2 months I have been working for a haute gamme French caterer I have seen and tasted some amazing french apero food which I have drawn so much inspiration from. I can't wait to recreate some of these little wonders with my own little touches! 

mango miniature cakes

Strawberry and avocado terrines

peas with creme fraiche

Apple, mint and shrimp

Caprese with mozzarella balls, sun dried tomatoes, parsley and shots of tomato 

Nouilles Chinoises with ham and red peppers

Apricot and speculos verrines with whipped cream

Green Japanese radish with scallop and seaweed salad inside

Beef wrapped around carrot, mange tout and creme fraiche

Reconstituted bouillon gel with carrots and edible flowers

Beautiful, no?! 

Biking Tour in Champagne

Photos thanks to super photographer Buffalo Dave Knox

The Champagne region of France has it all: beautiful vineyards, sublime small producer champagne, possibility for intimate conversations with growers... add to this an easy bike ride in 28/75 degree temperatures and you have the perfect summer day!

We started off our day renting bikes in Epernay and planning out our route. For this trip we were going to try Epernay-Chouilly-Avize. About 40 minutes total of biking. Through the center of Epernay and off to our first little charming visit and first small producer. 

This first Champagne house was a small producer which was just a husband and wife operation! We parked our bikes right outside her tasting room and anxiously walked in ready for the tasting to begin. Chouilly is a town that is Grand Cru and specializes in Blanc de Blanc growing mainly Chardonnay grapes. We started off tasting the brut and then moved onto the Brut Grand Reserve which was truly delicious. Notes of honey and summer fruits. I had to buy some, I mean at 14 euros a bottle I just couldn't resist. Next was off to Avize where we had a little picnic and then were off to a few more small producers.

All in all it was a great, relaxing day and I think we were all thankful to be out in the sun on our little bikes and out of the car :) I'm just starting to add this biking trip with clients of Tasy Side to Life Tours http://www.tastysidetolifetours.com. 

If you're interested in a trip please email:

Tasty Side To Life Tours

Attn: Sydney Krueger

15 Rue Conservatoire 75009 Paris France

Email: tastysidetolifetours@gmail.com or sydneykrueger@gmail.com

website: www.Tastysidetolifetours.com

Ahi Tuna Wrapped in Mangetout with Edible Flowers

Tuna Wrapped in Mangetout -soy,lime, ginger vinaigrette and edible flowers A great chic appetizer for a dinner party full of color  Makes 12 Servings

2 pounds  of Ahi Tuna Pinch of Sea Salt a bunch of edible flowers (like marigolds) a package of snow peas or mange tout Ginger-Soy-Lime Vinaigrette 1 shallot 2 Tbls finely grated ginger fresh ground pepper 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup lime juice 1/3 cup olive oil

In a small bowl combine the finely diced shallot, ginger, pepper, soy sauce and lime juice. Use a hand immersion blender to mix (this is a nice restaurant trick that most restaurants use to get a perfect sauce).  Use a very sharp knife and cut the tuna into small 1 inch cubes. Season the tuna with salt and a bit of the sauce. Heat a saute pan over high heat. Add the oil and when its is very hot sear the tuna on all sides, 30 secs per side to 1 minute per side. Add some lime juice to the pan and quickly shake the pan and stir around the pan deposits. Drizzle a bit more of the sauce over the tuna and quickly remove from the pan. Boil the grape leaves or Kale leaves quickly for 3 minutes just to soften. Meanwhile boil the mange tout or snowpeas in a bowl of salted water for a few minutes. Remove promptly.  Wrap the tuna with the snowpea and secure with a toothpick. Top with an edible flower et voila!

A Bunch Of Handy Cooking Tips

The last month I had a lot of food related work and learned heaps of new little tid bits of info that I'm dying to share. During the last few weeks I worked at a little Parisian bistro as a sous chef, I also had a cooking lesson with a Michelin star chef in Champagne, catered for a group of 25 in Paris and experimented with numerous meals chez moi.


Here are a few good tips for you of some basic things I learned!


1) Some of the best carrots grow in sand, not dirt. They are sweeter. The best known is the carotte de Creances which is grown in the sandy soil of lower Normandie near the town of Cotentin. They use special fertilizer or local seaweeds rich in sulfur and iodine. Another great sand carrot is just simple called the carrot de sable.


2) Carrott puree is a sweet and delicious pairing with fish instead of potatoes. Foam is achieved my a special tool like a hand blender. Buy one and you'll have very professional looking foam to finish your dishes :)



3) Cooking purple small artichokes in liquor with water or "a barigoule" is DELICIOUS! Blanch them in water and vinegar and then cook them in liquor, water, olive oil, salt, pepper, celery, white wine, lemon juice (to keep them from turning black). This sauce can be condensed down and used as a foam (the flavor is very nice and strong). Finish the sauce with fresh butter and then use a hand blender to create the foam.


4) Artichokes and licorice or fennel pair well.



5) When cooking asparagus steam them so you don't loose any flavor.


6) Use clarified butter. It doesn't burn!


7) A hint of acid in a dish mastered through a soft squeeze of lime is a nice trick to finish a dish. Try zesting some lime into a sauce just at the end. Be careful because lime zest blackens quickly so make sure to do it at the last minute


8) Martini blanc or Sweet Vermouth is a secret finish to a dish as well to add a hint of sweetness.


9) White asparagus should be cooked until they are limp, not crunchy like we like them in the states

10) Foie gras is not too complicated to make, especially if you make it with a salt process. Serve it on lightly toasted bread spread with a thin layer of chutney plated with a pinch of sea salt on the side of the plate and a pinch of paper. Top with a tiny edible flower and chive. Figs pair great with Foie Gras as well.



11) Rhubard is a great spring fruit. It's great with strawberries, some creme friache + whipped cream and a some shortbread served in a rustic preparation. When cutting strawberries always cut off the top of the fruit where it is white just after the steam. This is flavorless. Mint and berries are a great pairing for summer.

12) With FISH keep your pan not too cold or not too hot (too hot and you will draw all the water out of the fish) Seasoning is VERY important. At home we never season enough. Salt brings out flavor. You can't season things on the inside so you need to season it a bit more on the outside to have an nice amount of flavor.

When the fish hits the pan, and its the right temperature it "sings" a bit. Cook it very slowly and gently. This is a way of cooking now. Cuit a l'unilateral-maximum on one side and just finish on the other. Get a nice color by caramelizing the fish. Once it starts to sweat you will see little white glops on the side and this is how you get color! Don't use too much oil, the pan will caramelize it on its own. Touch a fish TWICE when you put it in and when you take it out. It will keep cooking when you take it off the pan so its ok if it's a little under cooked when it comes off. Always finish with a bit of fresh butter to add some flavor.

Champagne Tasting in a Tree House in France

Who would have thought a Champagne tree house could exist in the middle of the luxurious Champagne countryside? Well.. it does and its quite a site to see and something not to miss if you make the short 45 minute hope, skip, jump to Champagne from Paris.


Located in the middle of the mountain of Verzy ie the highest point of the Marne valley, 18 feet in the air, and not far from the lighthouse (yes there is no water but a champagne light house) and wine museum lies the Perching bar. It is actually located inside a tree paramours or adventure course in the trees called the "arboxygene" and reached by a wooden wobbly foot bridge. Yes, an adventure course also exists in the Champagne region just in case you want to get tipsy and strap yourself on to some wires and glide across the forest.





The tree house Champagne bar is designed in perfect architectural balance with nature. The bar is constructed of a soft light wood, held up by a huge Oak tree whose trunk lies just in the middle of the bar and has seats or shall I say "swings" constructed of rope and a light white plastic with an additional few lounge chairs lying around on the outdoor terrace. The view is beautiful and you can see for miles the rolling vineyards of Champagne. It is the perfect addition to a day in Champagne and a pretty unique activity to do when you're in the region. It's located about 20 minutes from Reims which is a 45 minute speed train from Paris. There are numerous trains everyday or you can visit the tree house when on a Champagne tasting trip where you can visit 3 small producers, have a michelin star lunch, see a farm, a cathedral and finish with this tree house! Email me at tastysidetolifetours@gmail.com or look on Tasty Side To Life Tours.


Entrance is 15 euro whether you are drinking or not and that includes 1 glass of Champagne. After that glasses range from 10-30 and they carry a few large producers and a few great small producers (Mumm, Bollinger, Louis de Sacy and Pehu Simonet.

Bridge to get there

Drinking while swinging.. pretty cool

The hotel replica which will eventually be designed next to the bar allowing patrons to literally crawl to their rooms and sleep in a cube

The whole 30th bday group!

The view is incredible

Perching Bar
http://www.perchingbar.eu/
Open Wed-Sunday 12-7:30pm

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Mashed Potatoes, Walnut mint pesto and String Beans

My sis and I pulled this dinner together a while ago for her boyfriends uncle's birthday. The rack of lamb that we bought from the butcher at le Bon Marche was a parfait piece of meat and the butcher gave us super simple cooking instructions. Salt, pepper, mustard the lamb and then sear it quickly on both sides and into the oven for 20 minutes at about 180 celcius. We served this with very buttery, creamy truly french puree de pomme de terre, a bright and fresh nutty homemade pesto and simple green beans. This meal is classic and an easy one for entertaining. 

Mustard Rubbed Roasted Rack of Lamb with Velvety Mashed Potatoes, Walnut-Mint Pesto and Simple Green Beans  A nice main course of melt in your mouth lamb, a creative pesto with mint (which complements lamb perfectly) and served with velvety, extra buttery mashed potatoes and a simple green. Pair with a Cabernet which is lamb's classic partner Makes 6 Servings

1 large rack of lamb enough for 2 pieces each person  Salt and a nice fresh ground pepper 4 Tbls Ancienne Mustard or Dijon A few springs of rosemary Walnut-Mint Pesto 3 oz of silvered almonds 3 oz walnuts 1 Garlic clove (smashed)  2 cups of Mint leaves or about a 3 oz bunch 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 3/4 cup of olive oil + 3 Tbls 1 lemon Mashed Potatoes 3 pounds of large baking potatoes 1/5 sticks of a good quality European unsalted butter Fleur de Sel or nice sea salt 1 cup of cream

Season lamb generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Rub with mustard. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for 1.5 hrs. This will keep the meat succulent Preheat oven to 180. In a large food processor, pulse the almonds and walnuts. Cut the garlic in half and check to see if there is an inner green spore. If so REMOVE THIS, this little spore is what gives you bad breathe. It's a french trick!   Add garlic to the food processor with the nuts. Add the mint leaves, cheese and top with olive oil and process until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and a dash of the lemon juice. Taste.  In a large skillet, heat 3 Tbls oil until hot and simmering. Add the rack of lamb and sear over high heat until brown on all sides about 10 minutes Meanwhile make the potato puree. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Add the potatoes cut into medium sized chunks and cook for 20 minutes until tender. In a small saucepan melt the butter into the cream. Gradually whisk the hot mixture into the potatoes and season generously with sea salt. Cook over moderate heat whisking until hot. Reserve.  Transfer the roast to a large roasting dish. Spread some of the pesto over it and top with a few nice sprigs of rosemary. Cover with foil and place each rack on top of the other making a tight little package. Roast about 20 minutes until just cooked and still slightly pink. Let rest for 10 minutes and then slice.  Quickly chop off the pointy ends of the green beans and flash cook in a boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain, salt and reserve Serve on with a generous spoonful of mash, 2 slices of meat, a handful of beans and use a spoon to make a swoosh mark with the walnut-mint pesto. The Ikea beautiful table all set and ready to go Ahh peonies to set the entertaining mood A pretty cheese plate for dessert with sliced figs, strawberries, 2 hard cheeses, a chevre and some brie Dessert bought from the Bon Marche. A millefeuille, Tarte au citron and an apricot cake