Monday 31 August 2015

Reviews from August

Some great reviews from August thanks to my wonderful staff.

http://www.saltoftheearthcatering.com.au/index.php/testimonials




Just wanted to say the food was fantastic and so were Jo and Shannah. It was a great experience and one I’m happy to repeat for my next party.
All of my guests commented on how great the food was and how lovely Jo & Shannah were. Some of them got to take home leftovers and were very happy to do so.
A great night made even more wonderful by your food and staff.
Sandy, Annandale, August 2015


Thank you very much for the delicious food today. I have received excellent feedback. Particularly the Cob with Dip was cleaned away in no time.
Raffael Blattner, Frenchs Forest, August 2015

Monday 26 May 2014

Monday’s Money Saving Recipe

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

2 big flat mushrooms
2 green onions, sliced
2 prosciutto slice (or bacon) diced
1 piece of bread, processed to breadcrumbs
Tbsp chopped Oregano
2 Tbsp Oil
2 cubes of feta

Method

Remove stalk from Mushroom, Place in the oven on 180’c for 10 mins
Meanwhile fry prosciutto and shallots in fry pan with 1 tbsp of oil for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add oregano & breadcrumbs to mix. Add 1tbsp of oil to bring it all together.

Spoon into each mushroom top with square of feta and put back in the oven for 5 minutes.


 

Monday 19 May 2014

Monday’s Money Saving Recipe


Lemon Meringue Pie

I had to make some sample desserts for a client this morning, so I made a couple extra for our dessert.

We ended up with a choice of one chocolate mousse, four mini sticky date puddings and two lemon tarts.

Here is the recipe for the lemon tart.

Makes 4 medium size tarts

Ingredients

1 x tin of condensed milk
2 x eggs
½ cup lemon juice
2 cups plain flour
150g butter
4 tbsp water
⅓ cup Icing sugar

Method

Put condensed milk, egg yolks and lemon juice in a saucepan and stir over low heat for 5-10 minutes.

Mix flour, butter and water in a processor (or with your hands) till a sticky dough forms. Divide and press into individual tart cases.
Blind bake for 10-15 minutes on 180’c

Beat egg whites, until soft peaks form, add icing sugar gradually until stifff peaks form.

Pour lemon mixture into tart cases.
Pipe or spread egg whites on top.

Put back in the oven for 10 minutes.

Eat warm or put in the fridge to eat cold later.


See our other Monday Money Saving Recipes Here!

Have a look at our dessert menu here!

www.saltoftheearthcatering.com.au
 

Party trend alert: Wine Barrels

At Salt of the Earth Catering we are lucky enough to get invites to parties all over Sydney’s Northern Beaches, North Shore and city. That means that we get to be privy to some of the coolest trends and creative ideas for all things decorative. 

At many of our parties of late, barrels have been popping up in all different roles, adding a rustic chic feel to any party. Here is our guide on how to be a part of this party trend. 


 

Great ways to use wine barrels

At a wedding, we saw barrels being used as little tables for guests to rest their drinks on. 
Wine barrels as tables with little andles and menus on them
Barrels are also great as purely decorative pieces, 
and almost any flowers look that little bit more special atop the rough wooden base.  

Flowers look great atop a beautiful decorative barrel
If you can get ahold of a flat piece of timber to put on top of your barrels, 
you can make a multipurpose table to use for a dessert bar, or our favourite - a drinks bar. 
The bright colours of these drinks make this display all the more eye-catching

Or, you can use a wine barrel as the perfect place to display a cake, 
table numbers or name tags. 
Wine barrels are a great place to display things at your party

However you choose to use wine barrels, they are sure to add a sense of relaxed style to your party. 

Where to find wine barrels 

Barrels are not the kind of thing you find in your local shop, so we’ve done some of the hunting for you. Check out Sydney Barrel Hire or Wine Barrel Hire Sydney for some of the best options. They deliver too so you don't have to worry about finding room for them in your car. 

The going rate for barrels seems to be around $50 per barrel for a night. But our hot tip is to check out Gumtree - we’ve seen some on there for as low as $35 per barrel, so you might get lucky with a great deal. 


If you happen to find a cheap wine barrel to buy, make sure that you keep hold of it. Barrels are not only great for parties but they have some cool uses around the home. Our favourite idea is to cut them in half to make pots to grow herbs in. 



Images: 

Our own

New England Country Rentals 








Tuesday 13 May 2014

Recipe for cleaning Muffin Trays!


This is one thing that I can’t stand doing after baking. Cleaning Muffin Trays!

Here is a recipe I found to take the pain out baking muffins.

Unless you're baking fat-free muffins, chances are high that you've got some grease that has baked onto your muffin tins. Once baked on, it can be difficult to remove, especially if you used a cooking spray as your grease of choice. As the problem started with baking, so the solution starts as well. Additionally, no harsh chemicals or backbreaking work are necessary to remove the grease.   
                               
                                                   

Ingredients

                                               
  • 2 tbsp. baking soda
  • Pitcher
  • Dish soap
           
MORE - MONDAY'S MONEY SAVING RECIPE                

Method

                                               
    • Preheat your oven to 200’c                                   
    • Mix 2 tbsp. of baking soda with 1 qt. of warm water. Stir or shake (if pitcher is watertight) until baking soda is dissolved.                                                                   
    • Pour baking soda mixture into muffin pan. Do not worry if grease is all over the pan and not just in the muffin cups themselves.                                   
    • Bake muffin pan with baking soda mixture for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.                           
                                   
    • Wash muffin pan in your sink with warm, soapy water and a dish sponge.                               
    • Rinse muffin pan thoroughly, dry, and put away.

Fingers crossed this does the trick!

#muffins #cupcakes #kitchentips #saltoftheearthcatering

Sunday 11 May 2014

Twelve Tasty Time Saving Tips

During the week most of us have little time to be in the kitchen preparing gourmet dinners.
Here are a few things to help you save time but still whip up a tasty meal for the family or yourself. We suggest doing this on a Sunday arvo to save time during the week.


1. Poach two chicken breasts in chicken stock. Shred the chicken with your fingers i.e pull apart! And store in the fridge for the week. Use them for sandwiches, wraps or even add to pies for dinner.

2. Grate carrot, slice cucumbers and tomatoes and store in containers to use throughout the week.

3. Boil a couple of eggs! These can be used for a potato salad, caesar salad, any old salad, or mash them up and use for sandwiches.

4. Better yet - make a potato salad to accompany a dinner for the week. You all know how to do that right……? N.B Use Aioli instead of Mayo...soooooo good!

5. Cut up some fruit, and store in the fridge for the week. Fruit salad for lunch boxes, fruit & yoghurt for breakfast or fruit and ice cream for dessert.

6. Cook up some mince, add diced tomatoes and chopped onion. Use it for bolognese, stuffed potatoes, tacos, burritos or a meat pie.

7. Use your overripe bananas (you can store these in the freezer) to make an easy banana bread for lunch boxes, breakfasts, morning or afternoon tea and snacks.

8. Obvious tip may be, boil the kettle and use the water for boiling veggies, rather than waiting for the pot to boil on the stove.

9. Don’t peel your veggies, we use pretty much every scrap of food. No need to peel your carrots or potatoes, it’s all good for you!

10. Don’t hesitate to use the microwave, although we almost never use it for catering, we don’t hesitate to use it to speed up the process of cooking at home. eg. potatoes and veggies - even if you are going to roast them afterwards, just don't forget to season with salt and pepper.

11. Dried herbs and Spices can lift your dish to no end! Always have these in your pantry! Sprinkle some Mixed herbs on your roast veggies, and spices on your meat! You will have a culture inspired dish before you know it.

12. If all else fails and you are stuck one night of the week, whip out a sheet of shortcrust pastry, lay it in a quiche dish, whisk 3-4 eggs, and throw in anything you can find in the fridge. When we say anything…. sundried tomatoes, capsicum, carrots, mushrooms, chives, shallots, fresh tomatoes, ham, salami, salmon, bacon whatever you can find. Obviously not all together! Use your instincts! Top with tasty cheese if you feel like it. Cook in the oven for 20-30 mins on 180’c.

#timesavingtips #quickcooking #fastcooking #savetime #saltoftheearthcatering

Thursday 8 May 2014

The most creative ways to display cupcakes


On an old ladder
Line the ladder with coloured fabric and stack the a cupcakes along each rung for guests to take their pick

Cupcake Hunt
Have a Cupcake Hunt! You can give your guests clues or let them fend for themselves. This is obviously better done inside the house to avoid ant covered cupcakes, otherwise don’t hide them until just before the game.

Line the hallway
When it’s nearing the end of your party, have someone line the cupcakes along the hallway to the door. Guests can take one on the way out. Just make sure the pets are locked up!

Staircase
Similar to the one above, put a cupcake (or a couple) on each stair for guests to take on the way out.

Car Windscreens
Pretty ridiculous but have someone pop out towards the end of the party and put a cupcake or two on each guest’s car. Then hope it doesn’t rain for more reasons than one!

In a chest of drawers
Label each drawer with a different flavour and let your guests pick their favorite

On a bookshelf or dresser
Display on a bookshelf - make it a feature

Spin the bottle/Cupcake Roulette

Design your own
For kids parties, sit them at a table and let them decorate their own cupcakes, keeps them occupied for a while.

#cupcakes #decorating #saltoftheearthcatering
www.saltoftheearthcatering.com.au