Catering In Melbourne

It’s not just about icing on the cake; sometimes, it’s ALL about the icing on the cake.

We often refer to things that are not very important in the achievement of a goal, or a bonus to the success that we have obtained, as simply ‘icing on the cake’. For people who know baking and designing cupcakes, the icing is not a mere extra. Often, it gives the cupcake that instant appeal that makes people actually want to reach out and pick it up from among the others on the shelf.

Let’s face it. Even if we make the best tasting cupcake, a regular guy will not pick it up unless it looks appetizing enough. Thus, it is the icing that actually sells the product. As the front liner, the icing needs to be given sufficient attention. It is not really difficult to do, but as a unique form of art, it may require skills and practice.

Frosting, Icing or Glaze

Many people think the terms ‘frosting’, ‘icing’ and ‘glaze’ are interchangeable as they are all sweet blends used to coat or top cupcakes. Well, to some extent, they probably are. However, a purist would beg to differ.

In very strict icing terms, frosting is thicker than icing and icing is thicker than glaze. Frosting is usually made of butter, sugar and milk. It is firm enough to better keep its shape but it still remains soft and smooth to the touch. Icing is typically made of butter, sugar and eggs while glaze is made of powdered sugar and milk or water.

Putting the Icing on the Cake

To facilitate easier discussion, let us just refer to icing and keep in mind that these points can be applied to frosting and glaze, too. A little more care is exercised when handling glaze though, as it has a very thin texture.

There are two common ways to add icing on your cupcake. You can use a spatula or a pastry bag. Most professionally done cupcake decorations are made using a pastry bag. It gives the designer better control especially in making swirls and stripes, which the spatula cannot provide. Spatulas are best used to even out icing on the cupcake. Of course, it is better to have both to be able to take advantage of their unique benefits.

Tips for Icing Cupcakes

Never ice warm cupcakes. The icing will almost certainly melt with the heat from the cupcakes and it will lose its form. When traveling with cupcakes, it is best to use frosting which have been pre-chilled to make it hold its shape longer.

Although you may keep the cupcakes in freezers for 2 to 3 days, they are best eaten on the same day they were made. The icing can change its form and the cupcake may look a little less appetizing.

For variety, you may add flavors to your icing. Among the common favorites are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and banana. You can also experiment and make your own flavors.

The cupcake’s flavor is still the main thing, of course, but the icing flavor is not to be discounted. It really is not just icing on the cake. The icing is the ‘face’ of the cupcake, and this usually spells the difference between passing up or taking a bite.

When you start grilling you may find that the BBQ ribs recipes that you are using are creating food that is more bland than you would prefer. To really get the most out of your grilling, taking a look at various BBQ ribs recipes can help you add a great deal of flavor and savor to your meat. Your family and friends will thank you, not to mention the self satisfaction that comes from a very good ribs recipe! Finding the BBQ ribs recipes that best suits you can be a rather long affair, but you can be sure that when you find the perfect one for you that you will be happy that you looked.

To get the most from your BBQ ribs recipes, think about what tastes you like. You’ll find that it takes a lot more to make a great barbecue than just splashing on the sauce. The more you know about what you are after, the better off you will be when it comes to looking for it. For instance, do you think that you prefer BBQ ribs recipes that are more sweet than not? Many people love ribs that are very sweet, and you’ll find that you are looking for recipes that call for brown sugar or honey. If, on the other and, you are looking for something that is more sharp or more hot, take a look at recipes that call for different types of pepper, whether you are looking for something mild or something much more powerful.

You’ll also want to remember that good BBQ ribs recipes will take some time. While you might be tempted to just leave off getting the meat until the day of the barbecue, you’ll find that your ribs do a lot better with at least eight to twelve hours to prepare. You’ll find that ribs can be left to marinate overnight, and this will let the juices from the marinade really soak in. There is a large part of the effort that it takes to make sure that your meat will take on a lot of flavor, so make sure that you plan your ribs well in advance.

It is very important to take time to let the meat cook thoroughly, but not to let it overcook. When you cook meat in a way that leave it half undone, keep in mind that while you will be retaining a great deal of the taste of the original meat, you will also be letting go of some of the marinade. Think about what you want out of your cooking experience and take the time to plan what pieces should be moved early and which should be moved later.

You’ll find that there are plenty of good BBQ ribs recipes out there that can really make your taste buds dance, so take the time to hunt them down. There are plenty of BBQ ribs recipes out there, so what are you waiting for? Get going and make some BBQ Ribs today!

If you really want to have a dinner party that will be the talk of the town, use go ahead and throw a Moroccan dinner party with Moroccan recipes. Moroccan recipes sound exotic and they are; but as recipes go, they are easy to make if you have the right ingredients and a Moroccan Tagine. Tagines are a type of clay pot with a lid that is used to cook Moroccan food.

Yes, Moroccan recipes seem to be exotic and very elaborate, but they are wonderfully easy to make and healthy as well. You can easily plan a Moroccan dinner party for your guests by finding some easy to make Moroccan recipes online and creating them in Tagines. You can have quite an impressive dinner party when you build it around Moroccan food.

Where to Find Moroccan Recipes

Years ago, you had to buy a Moroccan cookbook in order to learn how to make Moroccan recipes. Today, thanks to the internet, you can come up with hundreds of Moroccan recipes literally at your finger tips. Most of them are easy to make and are also very healthy. What’s more, the ingredients are readily available at most grocery stores. When you cook your Moroccan recipes in Tagines, you can not only keep the flavor and nutrients in to the vegetables, but you also will blend the spices and flavors together.

Using Tagines in Moroccan Recipes

Tagines do double duty when it comes to creating Moroccan recipes. They will not only cook the food quickly and allow the foods to retain their flavor, but they are also attractive to put on the table. You can put the Tagines on the table that contain the Moroccan recipes and have your dinner party served family style. Give everyone a plate and have serving spoons for the Moroccan recipes inside the Tagines and have them help themselves.

If you really want your dinner party to be authentic, you can impress your guests by adding some Moroccan decor to the party. Along with the Moroccan recipes, you can put in some fabrics and even table lamps that feature Moroccan decor.

Whipping up Moroccan Recipes

Moroccan food is not difficult to make, in fact, Moroccan cookie is rather easy. You can prepare your meals in the Tagines and then cook them for the appropriate time for the dinner party. For appetizers, be sure to serve some Moroccan olives, flat bread and cheese. You should also serve Moroccan mint tea for an after dinner drink. Moroccan mint tea is a tasty treat and is good both hot and cold.

Moroccan recipes are generally spicy and have a mild kick to them. You can purchase spices to make your Moroccan recipes in the local supermarket. Once you have the spices that you need to create the Moroccan recipes and are familiar with Moroccan cuisine, you will be able to whip up Moroccan food easily not only for dinner guests but your entire family.

Celebrate the foods of Northern Africa by having a Moroccan cuisine themed dinner party. Your guests will have a good time trying the delicious Moroccan food and you will have no problem trying to find the best Moroccan recipes right online. If you really want to make a statement for a dinner party, hold a Moroccan dinner party featuring Moroccan recipes.

Thanksgiving is coming and that means cooks around the country will be doing their best to outdo last year’s Thanksgiving turkey

Here are some tips to help you get organized and turn out a fabulous feast come the day of Thanksgiving.

Get Organized and Start Planning.

You will probably need about one pound of turkey per Thanksgiving guest. Smaller turkeys cook well and dry out less so once you’re beyond about 14 or 14 people consider picking up two small turkeys such as to 10 or 11 pounders instead. Everyone loves Thanksgiving leftovers so don’t worry about the extras.

If you need a fresh turkey (I always do) connect with your store in advance (like now) and pick it up a couple of days in advance. Put it on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator in a tray to collect any juices.

If your turkey comes frozen also buy a couple of days in advance and allow to thaw in the refrigerator (again bottom shelf) never thaw meat on the counter.

Set Up

A note on brining

I love to brine my turkeys. Before brining I honestly did not like Thanksgiving Turkey that much and just ate teeny pieces. Now we have discovered brining these last 5 years and wouldn’t go back.

Brining is to soak the meat in a sugar and salt solution for a period of hours. The meat absorbs the solution and cooks up faster and more flavorful than otherwise.

If you’re planning on brining your turkey this year you will need a fresh turkey. Kosher or frozen turkeys have already been treated with a salt solution and you will end up with something not so good if you attempt to brine one of these.

So make sure you get a turkey that has not been treated with a salt solution. You will have to set that up the night before (12 to 14 hours in advance). Remove the turkey giblets and neck from the turkey and rinse it well.

A roasting pan with a V shaped rack works well if you tend to rotate your turkey during the baking.

Some will insist on starting the turkey on the breast so that the juices flow downward first and it turns out less dry.

Bake your stuffing in a separate pan outside of the turkey. The turkey cavity is that last to cook and the stuffing is in danger of not cooking through with raw turkey juices in it.
Using one of those meat roasting bags is a great idea if you are concerned about your turkey drying out. I have used them with great success. Follow the directions and never give up your secret.

Make sure you have fresh spices on hand. Sage, and thyme are two I cannot do without.

Baking

Use a meat thermometer so you never wonder if your turkey is done.

If you notice your skin getting too dark then use foil to keep it from over browning. My family has requested the darker skin so foil is never used here.

If you rotate your turkey during baking use paper towels to grab the legs and turn and toss after using.

Let your turkey rest for 30 minutes after baking before carving to serve.

Yorkshire puddings are a great British tradition; in this article you will learn more about Yorkshire puddings and find a Yorkshire pudding recipe.

Many years ago when I was a young child I used to watch in fascination whenever my mother cooked or baked. Her Yorkshire pudding recipe was in her head, she never measured ingredients, just seemed to have a sense of the perfect amounts. On Sundays we always had a roast and whether that roast was beef, lamb, pork, chicken or even turkey she always made Yorkshire puddings. What else would a Yorkshire lady make to compliment the Sunday roast?

Although mum never measured ingredients everything that she made always turned out delicious and perfect. Her Yorkshires always rose just right, crispy around the edges and leaving a hollow to collect the gravy in and they were always that lovely golden colour that we associate with Yorkshire puddings.

Traditionally Yorkshire puddings were a filler dish served with onion gravy before the main roast course in households that could not afford a lot of meat, but as far back as I can remember Yorkshires have been an integral part of the main course.

Although originating in Yorkshire they are popular all over the country, indeed the world. There are few places that you can go that you will not find the legend ‘Traditional British Sunday Dinner’ or indeed lunch on offer. The traditional British Sunday dinner always includes Yorkshire pudding as an integral part of the meal.

Although I prefer to make my own Yorkshire puddings, frozen cooked or uncooked versions are easily available and they taste almost as good. You can also get powdered batter mix where you just need to add milk or water, not quite as good in my opinion.

I should perhaps have used ready-made versions the first time that I attempted to make Yorkshire puddings. Newly married I was trying to impress my husband with a lovely Sunday lunch complete with Yorkshires. I did not have a recipe and tried to emulate my mother’s non-measuring method. An hour passed and my Yorkshire pudding still was not cooked. We ate the dinner but had to pass on the Yorkshires because I had added twice as much milk as necessary. I made sure that I used a recipe after that!

Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

This is the recipe that I use, a traditional pouring batter recipe that can be used for pancakes as well as Yorkshire pudding.

4oz (100g) Plain Flour
1 medium sized egg
pinch of salt
½ pint (280ml) of milk (or mixture of milk and water)
2oz (50g) lard/fat or 2 tablespoons of oil – as an healthier alternative I use vegetable or sunflower oil, or you can use fat from the meat.

Mix the flour and salt in a basin and make a hollow in middle. Drop the egg into the hollow and stir in with a wooden spoon. Add the milk (milk and water) gradually, stirring all of the time until the flour is worked in. Add rest of liquid and beat well. The end result should have a similar consistency to single cream.

Melt the fat in cooking tin until spitting hot. Can be one large tin square, rectangular, round or small tins or a bun tin. When the fat is hot enough pour in the batter just half filling small tins, patty tins or bun tins. Cook at 450F, 230C or gas mark 8. Large tins for about 30 minutes, small tins or bun tins 15 - 20 minutes.

When cooked they should turn out puffy, golden and crispy on the outside and sunken in the middle. Some people let the fat from the meat drip on to the Yorkshire puddings while cooking.

A popular addition to menus in recent years in restaurants, cafes and bars is a king size or giant Yorkshire pudding filled with onion gravy or different meat, vegetable and gravy concoctions. This dish is served as a separate course emulating the original filler course.

You can even buy delicious smaller Yorkshire puddings filled with steak in one large chain store, rather like traditional steak and kidney puddings but made with batter mix.

Another popular meal made with Yorkshire pudding batter is Toad in the Hole. This is a tasty low cost meal with sausages cooked in the batter. An alternative there is to use lamb chops.

Yorkshire Pudding Facts

The first known Yorkshire Pudding Recipe was published in 1737 in ‘The Whole Duty Of A Woman’ and named ‘A Dripping Pudding’. Eight years later a lady named Hannah Glasse published it in her Art of Cookery as Yorkshire Pudding.

The first British Yorkshire Pudding day was on February 3rd 2008 and in future the celebrations will be on the first Sunday of every February.

On Sunday 11th June 2000 the first Great Yorkshire Pudding Boat Race was held in Brawby in North Yorkshire. The organiser Simon Thackray arranged for 6 3ft in diameter Yorkshire puddings to be baked coated with yacht varnish. Each ‘boat’ used up 50 eggs.

ALL DAY CATERING

MORNING TEA

A Variety of French Pastries: Freshly baked pastries, such as: blueberry, apricot, apple, banana, chocolate and more.

Coffee & Tea: Fully automatic coffee machine or instant coffee from urns. Both with a selection of teas, milk, sugar sticks, & disposable cups (ceramic cups& saucers – extra $1.50 per person).

Price per person - $7.90

LUNCH

Assorted Mini Sandwich Platters with a variety of gourmet fillings on a selection of premium breads, sectioned into bite sized pieces. Here is a small sample of our extensive menu of fillings: Smoked Ham, Swiss Cheese & Asparagus /Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Red Onion, Capers & Baby Spinach/Chicken, Mild Yoghurt, Red Onion & Lettuce and more.

Assorted Wraps Platters with a variety of fillings in Pita Wraps, such as: Garden Salad, Avocado and Spanish Onion/Tasty Cheese with Tomato and Coleslaw / Turkey, Cream Cheese, Cucumber, Cranberry Sauce & Lettuce and heaps more.

Variety of Rice Paper Rolls including Vegetable, Chicken, Prawns and Pork.
Orange juice, Apple Juice, Still Water and Mineral Water (inc. disposable cups)

Price per person - $13.90

AFTERNOON TEA

A Variety of Freshly Baked Mini Muffins, Delicious Slices and Gourmet Cookies in an assortment of flavours (Chocolate, Apple, Blueberry, Fruit Slices, Hedgehog, Caramel, Vanilla and more.)

Coffee & Tea: Fully automatic coffee machine or instant coffee from urns. Both with a selection of teas, milk, sugar sticks, & disposable cups (ceramic cups& saucers – extra $1.50 per person).

Price per person - $7.90

*(All prices inc. GST. Minimum food order $159)

Gourmet Canapés Platter (COLD)

Choose from our assortment of gourmet items

(20 pieces of one item, per platter)

 Mini Chicken Wellingtons

Tender chicken rolled in a light puff pastry

Mini Rostis

Grated potato folded with parsley, salt, pepper & egg, served with sour cream.

 Goats Cheese & Cranberry Tartlets

Delicate pastry filled with a tangy cranberry sauce finished with goat’s cheese.

Peking Duck Pancakes

Filled crepes with roast duck, carrot and leek

Cocktail Assorted Terrine

Salmon symphony, duck liver, garden terrine, chilli prawn terrine, Bass Strait terrine, chicken & goats cheese

Rice Paper Rolls

Filled with prawns, chicken or duck with vegetables & egg noodles

Premium Sushi

Assorted sushi, sashimi, nigiri & rice balls

Stuffed Dates

With mascarpone, blue cheese and walnut

Goat Cheese Tartlet Bite

 With Caramelised Onion and Spinach

Mini Red Peppers

  Stuffed with goat cheese and marinated in Mediterranean olive oil

A platter with 20 items - $79

A selection of Gourmet Cheeses including: Dutch Edam, Stokes Point Smoked Cheddar, King Island Double Brie, Tilba Gold, Stilton Blue, Marinated Fetta, NZ Tasty Cheese & South Cape Vintage Cheddar Cheese.

Served with crispbread and garnished with dried fruits.

A platter for 20 people - $89

GOURMET Cold Meats Platter
A selection of Premium Cold Meets including: Roast Beef, Roast Pork, Premium Leg Ham, Shaved Virginia Ham, Mortadella, Chicken Breast Supreme, Kabana, Mild Twiggy Sticks & Mild Hungarian salami

A platter for 20 people - $89

CHICKEN DELIGHT PLATTER

A selection of a Roast Chicken and Wingettes & Drumettes in 3 flavours: BBQ, Honey & Soy and Lemon & Pepper (total of 3kg of meat)

A platter for 15 people - $79

GOURMET ANTIPASTO PLATTER

A selection of Char grilled Mushrooms, Semi Sun dried Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Green Spanish Stuffed Olives, Marinated Fetta, Mild Twiggy Sticks, Mild & Hot Hungarian Salami

A platter for 20 people - $79

DIPS PLATTER

A variety of three delicious dips served with freshly baked Turkish bread

A platter for 20 people - $69

COLD CUT VEGETABLE Platter
A selection of cold vegetables, fresh and char grilled, cut on a platter: Celery, Carrot, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Capsicum, Cucumber and more

 A platter for 20 people - $55 (or $2.75 per person)

FRESH FRUIT Platter

A selection of fresh fruits including Watermelon, Grapes, Kiwi Fruit,

Strawberries, Orange, Pineapple and more.

(Depending on seasonal availability.)

A platter for 20 people - $79 (or $3.95 per person)

rice paper rolls

Platter with 30 Rice Paper rolls in a mix of flavours,

Vegetable, Chicken, Duck or Prawn

A platter for 20 people - $79 (or $3.95 per person)

Sushi Platter

Assorted Sushi Platter with California Rolls, Veggie Rolls, Salmon and Nigiri Sushi, served with Pickled Ginger, Soy Sauce and Wasabi.

Platter with 50 mixed items – $79