Garden Delights

It’s that time of year for the most amazing tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and local produce.  We have a wonderful garden at our house, which yields some beautiful goodies that we incorporate into every dinner.  Unfortunately we only got a handful of green/wax beans because it must be candy for the deer, we live in the woods, need I say more?  I thought the bunnies would be the ones eating our lettuce etc. but it was the deer!  Luckily we still got some delicious romaine and curly leaf lettuces earlier in the season.

 Garden cucumbers are such a different experience from store bought. Their texture, feel, color, crunch, are just wonderful and unique. 

 And, I can’t seem to eat enough Tomatoes this time of year either. In a salad, with fresh mozz and basil, plain with S&P and my husband Bill, made a raw tomato sauce last evening from “Jaime Oliver’s” Happy Days with the Naked Chef cookbook. The color is what first struck me as well as the incredible taste. It had raw garlic in it and fresh chives. He served it over fresh pasta with fresh grilled eggplant and a delicious marinated veal chop.  I only wish fresh tomatoes were available all year round.   The red is so vibrant and beautiful and the taste is like no other.

We also grow herbs and nasturtiums for Café Louise. This year we have rosemary, chives galore, thyme, basil and parsley.  Love being able to just walk out the door, clip fresh herbs and use them right away.   

A delicious recipe from Executive Chef David Tolly featuring fresh corn:

Pan Seared Scallops With Roasted Sweet Corn Ragout (Serves 4)

16 fresh sea scallops (large 10 count per lb.)

2 ears fresh sweet corn

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup white onion, finely diced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

1 tablesppon roasted garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

2 ounces white wine

8 ounces heavy cream

      kosher salt & fresh pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Shuck the ears of corn, removing all corn hairs. Rub each ear with olive oil and season with salt & black pepper. Place ears on a baking tray and roast until corn kernels are tender and slightly caramelized (approx 8-10 minutes). Remove corn from tray and allow to cool.
3. Over medium flame, heat a saucepan with 2 Tbl of olive oil. When oil is hot add onion, red pepper, and garlic. Sauté until tender and onions are clear. Add cumin and  and stir well. Add white wine and stir well to deglaze the pan and reduce by half. Add heavy cream and simmer about 12 minutes, should be reduced by almost half. Remove corn kernels from cooled ears with knife and add to saucepan. Turn down heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Place scallops onto a clean dry work surface and season with salt and black pepper. Over medium-high flame, heat a sauté pan with 1/2 ounce of olive oil. When oil is hot add scallops to pan. Cook until golden in color (approx 4 min) turn and cook other side until golden (approx 4 min)  Remove scallops from pan and set aside.
5. To serve, divide ragout equally onto 4 plates. Place 3 cooked scallops around the ragout  place fourth scallop on top of ragout. Sprinkle scallops with fresh chopped chives and serve.

Bon Appétit!

 

 

www.cafelouise.com

The Dog Days of Summer

Summer afternoon - "Summer afternoon to me, those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

Henry James

Without a doubt, Summertime is wonderful. It is filled with friends, family, outdoor activities and delicious food and drink! In catering, helping to create summertime memories for clients can be hot, sometimes nerve wracking and stressful but always extremely rewarding. It can be hard work but it is always fun. 

 The Café Louise staff has sweated out many successful summertime parties over the years. The Dog Days of Summer never stop us from creating lasting memories and great food for our clients.

Louise's "American Gothic"

The Kitchen at The Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington

One of the most gratifying and motivating factors about event planning and catering is the satisfaction of creating beautiful and scrumptious meals for our clients enjoyment... suffering through the summer heat or not! 

Café Louise Staff

Our Café Louise staff share a warm camaraderie and we enjoy both having and hearing about one another’s “down time”. Whether it is a shared story about a lovely restaurant meal with the family or a fun day at the lake or beach…Here are a few photos of our key staff with family enjoying 
the Dog Days Off!

My Husband Bill and Daughter Isabelle on my birthday!

Pastry Chef Lesley's Boys

Executive Chef David's Children

The Dog Days of Summer are the hottest stretch of the season. Make a cool drink, sit back and relax by the water. And, it's never too hot to eat and share great food!

Our signature Summer Cocktail is:

Ice Tea Punch

1 Part Fresh Brewed Tea

1 Part Orange Juice

1 Part Apple Juice

1 Part Cranberry Juice

1 Part Absolut Vodka (Flavored or Not!)
And a Sprig of Fresh Mint from the garden!

 Here’s to the Dog Days!

Bon Appétit!

Tea Bread Mania

 We have been providing our Tea Bread for Breakfast and Tea Caterings for years and now they are selling beautifully at Bristol's Farm in Canton as well as our location in West Hartford.

Tea Breads are a great alternative to an overly sweet dessert. It's very nice to have a slice with a cup of tea, but I tend to think of having that during the cooler fall and winter months.  They also make a lovely hostess gift. 

They are a pretty package, can easily be frozen and who could go wrong with the $5-$6 price tag.

Here are some of the flavors we've been doing:

Seasonal Raspberry with Pecan Streusel Topping

Lemon Blueberry

"Our Signature" Double Chocolate Zucchini

Vegan Carrot Cake

Pastry Chef Lesley Moore has also started baking savory tea breads that are to die for like Roasted Garlic, Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato. It is good to the last bite and hard to resist.

Basic Sweet Tea Bread

Yield 1 loaf

1 ½ Cups Flour

½ Cup Sugar

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

½ Cup Milk

½ Cup Butter, Melted

1 Egg

1 Cup of Berries, Nuts or Dried Fruit

In mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar and baking powder

Set Aside

Whisk Together Egg, Milk and Butter

Fold Dry Ingredients into Wet ingredients

Fold in Berries or Flavor of your Choice

Bake in a 350 Degree Oven for 45 minutes

Bon Appétit and welcome to August which is my favorite month since it is my Birthday!

Louise

cafelouise.com

We Have Gone to Bristol's Farm

 We visited Bristol’s Farm, a Canton landmark, this weekend, to deliver some of our baked goods that they are now selling at their market.

The market is run by Josh Bristol, along with some other Bristol Family members. Visiting the Farm and Barn Market has the nostalgic feel of stepping back in time . 

It is located at;

541 Albany Turnpike (Route 44), Canton, CT 06109

(860) 693-8965

 The market is stocked with locally grown fruit and vegetables along with some specialty jellies, honey, oils, soaps and syrup from the area.

The grounds are lovely with most noticeably growing flowers and kale.

Each week we are bringing Café Louise there with a selection of  tea breads and bars. Our selection this week includes:

Breads

Lemon Blueberry

Chocolate Zucchini

Fresh Raspberry with Pecan Streusel

Roasted Garlic, Spinach, Sundried Tomato

$5 each

Vegan Carrot Bread with Walnuts $6

Louise’s Honey Nut Swag Bars $4

  

Louise's Honey Nut Swag Bars were a huge hit along with all of the Tea Breads.

Here is our recipe for the swag bars. They are homemade granola bars with a drizzle of dark chocolate. They are not too sweet but still manage to be a delicious treat!

Louise’s Honey Nut Swag Bars

2 cups Old Fashioned Oats

1 cup Sliced Almonds

½ Cup Coconut

¼ Cup Sunflower Seeds

¼ Cup Olive Oil

4 Tablespoons Butter

¼ Cup Brown Sugar

1/3 Cup Honey

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

7 ounces Chocolate Chips, melted

Combine 1^st five ingredients in a bowl

Spread out on sheet pan and bake at 350 for 8 minutes

Set side

In a medium saucepan melt butter, sugar, honey and vanilla.

Boil and remove from heat.

Combine with toasted ingredients.

Press in an 8 x 8 pan

Bake in a 300 degree oven for 25 minutes

Cool and cut into bars

Drizzle with Melted Chocolate

Stay tuned later this week for some information on the Tea Bread Mania happening at 

Café Louise!

As Always,

Louise

cafelouise.com

A Vegan Experience

 

 

A Vegan Experience

 

 

We just catered a Vegan Wedding! Catering a Vegan Wedding was a fun and informative venture in learning about alternative dining choices.

The definition of Vegan is: a strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products and also: one who abstains from using animal products (such as leather)
 

 

In a nutshell, there seem to be three main reasons for being Vegan:

For the animals:

This one is pretty self-explanatory.

For the people:

We take grain from starving countries to feed animals to kill and eat ourselves.

Heart disease and Cancer are top illnesses causing early death and they have been connected to the consumption of animal products

For the planet:

The business of raising animals to kill and eat contributes to climate change, animal extinction, water pollution, deforestation and wilderness destruction.

 

The thought of creating a Vegan Dining Experience may seem intimidating without the use of meat and dairy.

Our Executive Chef David Tolly created some innovative and delicious menu choices for the Vegan crowd.

 

Vegan Wedding Menu

Hill-Stead Museum

Farmington, Connecticut

 

 

Butlered Hors d’Oeuvres:

White Bean and Artichoke Bruschetta

Sesame Won Ton Chips with Black Bean Shiitake Salad

Mango, Avocado and Rice Vermicelli Spring Rolls

Grilled Mushroom Caps with Gremolata

Vegetable Samosas with Cucumber Mint Raita

Buffet Dinner:

Spinach Salad with Mandarin Orange, Shaved Red Onion and Champagne Dijon Vinaigrette

Greek Salad with Tomato, Cucumber, Artichoke, Kalamata Olive and Tofu

Kidney Bean Bourguignon with Carrots, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Kale

Enchiladas (sweet potato, black bean, spinach, peppers) with Cilantro Avocado Cream

Grilled Vegetable Skewers with Charmoula Sauce

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

 

Being Vegan is certainly not for everyone, but there are many reasons that people choose Veganism and it was a fun and deliciously good time. As a matter of fact the vegan carrot cake was so good that we are selling it at Bristol Farms in Canton, with some of our other baked items! We have a selection of Tea Breads and other Goodies on sale now!

541 Albany Turnpike (Rte. 44), Canton, CT 06019 860-693-8965

 

 

All the Best,

Louise

cafelouise.com