Fandango Catering Offers 5 Tips to Make Your July 4th Gathering Distinctive

Today in our "Summer Entertaining" blog series we offer 5 tips to make your July 4th gathering distinctive.  And if you don't celebrate July 4th, you can still use some of these ideas to make any summer gathering distinctive. 

People often tell us that when they handle their own parties the event seems dull or amateurish.  Of course, as caterers and event consultants, that's our profession and our passion.  But there's plenty you can do to make your party NOT dull, at least, not the look of it.  Below, some ideas.

Embrace color tastefully
One of the easiest ways you can make your July 4th or any summer gathering distinctive is to embrace color, but tastefully.  Say that you'd like a red, white, and blue theme but don't want the final effect to be kitschy or overdone.  Here are some ways:

• Add blueberries or rasperries to decorate your dessert, whatever that is--cupcakes, cakes, cheescake, parfaits, ice cream...Avoid the bought desserts decorated with colored icing! You can add fresh whole berries to your dessert and it will look great and add color.
• Use the theme colors in tasteful combos for the tablescape--For example, use a red tablecloth with white plates and blue napkins, a white tablecloth with red plates and blue napkins, a blue tablecloth with red plates and white napkins or white plates and red napkins.
• Add single-color flower arrangements--this looks more elegant, yet not fussy, than mixed flowers.  So choose all red flowers or all blue flowers.  You can also mix types of flowers if you stick to just one color, red or blue.  Avoid white flowers as they don't add color--we rarely use white flowers unless it's a wedding and even then today's couples tend to want more color in flowers and everything else at their wedding receptions than used to be the case.
• Use event items to add color--red or blue or striped straws, colored serving pieces or glasses, colored beverage tubs, colored table runners or lanterns...But it's important to not overdo--if you use the three colors on the tablescape, then choose ONE or max two event items to also be part of the color scheme. The exception would be if you have one whole food or beverage setup inside and another outside--then you'll want to also use the color scheme in your outside setup so it doesn't end up looking like the poor cousin of your gathering.  Again, it's about your gathering not looking dull, as if it were just like any old day.

Embrace local food and drink
We advocate often for sustainable catering and events, and we are strong believers that a great way to celebrate our country's birthday, or to celebrate any country, is to embrace local food and drink. 

This July 4th or at your summer gathering, seek out at least one local food, whether it's local produce or locally-produced food.  Is there a particular dish or dessert associated with your area and that you could make or buy? Also, many upscale food emporiums now regularly provide local food options from produce to charcuterie to seafood to cheeses.  Then go even one better and buy a local wine and/or local beer.  Maybe make labels (we love little flag labels or round mod disk labels or written on little chalkboards) letting people know the name of the local winery or cheese or whatever the source of what you serve that's local--this is very trendy now.

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

Fandango Catering Offers 4 Tips to Make Your Summer Event Greener

Today in our continuing blog series, "Summer Entertaining," today we offer 4 tips to help make your summer event greener.

Here we're thinking of more casual events--not weddings, for example, though we blog on making weddings more sustainable too.

If you're planning a more casual get-together this summer--4th of July, block party, informal gathering of friends or family, family reunion, beach house gathering, for example--there are several ways you can make your event more sustainable.  Read on.

Use biodegradable disposables--This is almost the easiest way to make your gathering more sustainable.  If you don't plan to use china and real flatware, buy biodegradable disposable plates and, hopefully, cutlery, and you can use them all summer for any gathering or even just for your meals! The ones we use most often are bagasse (sugar cane) or bamboo.  Bagasse is generally less expensive than bamboo.  You can find bagasse widely online in both round and cool square shapes and now many upscale supermarkets sell bagasse plates and even cutlery.  Colors are off white and tan for bagasse-ware--if you want more color at your event, use a colored tablecloth or colored drinking glasses or a colored centerpiece.

Don't use the oven--People are surprised when we say this but it's true--why cook something requiring the oven, which heats up the house and makes it necessary to make your cooling system work harder? Choose something that you can grill on the spot outside, grill a few days ahead, saute, braise, saute, or even no cooking, or bought.

Buy only produce in season--This will taste best and doesn't need a lot to dress it up.  One of our grandes lunches ever was a wonderful one a few years ago at Chef Jesús's family's beach home in Torrevieja, Spain, on the terrace, where we lunched on wonderful tomatoes and fresh mozzarella with fruity olive oil and home-grown chopped fresh herbs to start, pork cutlets in rosé sauce, sauteed, with potatoes also sauteed in pesto sauce, and homemade fresh fruit granitàs, made with fruit from the market that morning.  See? No baking! And fresh produce in season. Summertime!

Avoid late-night outdoor affairs that require a lot of artifical lighting--when the sun goes down, go indoors or if you want to keep partying, go to a club (which would be lit whether you are there or not, so you aren't adding to the carbon footprint there), whatever, and by doing so you will save on not having to use energy to light your event. Or use candles in hurricane lanterns--safe, and adds a magical glow, or use solar lanterns, which now come in cool shapes and some last up to six hours instead of four like the older versions. 

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

4 Summer Entertaining stir together 1/2 pitcher lemonade w 1 cup pear-passionfruit or pear nectar & 1/2 bottle 7up. Garnish w orange slices

Fandango Catering Offers 6 Mixed Drink Ideas for Summer Events

People are always looking for an unusual and good idea for a mixed drink to serve at a summer event, and today we offer several spritzer ideas that we want to share with you.

These recipes or spritzer blueprints appeared in an old Gourmet magazine (Gourmet magazine closed a few years ago, so sad to hear)--but it is true that people drank with much more panache back in the pre-2000s!

For your summer event, these "gourmet" spritzer ideas lend just the right touch of coolness and panache.

Margarita Spritzer
1 jigger tequila
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz triple sec
chilled seltzer or club soda
1 lime slice for garnish
In glass combine tequila, lime juice, triple sec, and 4 ice cubes.  Fill glass with selzter, stir, and garnish with lime slice.

Frangelico Spritzer
1 jigger Frangelico
1 oz fresh lime juice
chilled seltzer or club soda
1 lime slice for garnish
In glass combine Frangelico, lime juice, and 4 ice cubes. Fill glass with seltzer, stir, and garnish with lime slice.

Double Orange Spritzer
1 jigger Cointreau
2 jiggers strained fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. strained fresh lemon juice
chilled seltzer or club soda
1 orange slice for garnish
In glass combine Cointreau, orange and lemon juices, and 4 ice cubes.  Fill glass with seltzer, stir, and garnish with orange slice.

Pineapple Rum Spritzer
1 jigger white rum
2 jiggers pineapple juice
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
chilled seltzer or club soda
1 lime slice for garnish
In glass combine rum, pineapple and lime juices, and 4 ice cubes.  Fill glass with seltzer, stir, and garnish with lime slice.

Vodka Gimlet Spritzer
1 jigger vodka
1 oz Rose's lime juice
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
chilled seltzer or club soda
1 lime slice for garnish
In glass combine vodka, Rose's lime juice, fresh lime juice, and 4 ice cubes.  Fill glass with selzter, stir, and garnish with lime slice.

Pink Gin Spritzer
1 jigger gin
2 jiggers cranberry juice
1 tsp. grenadine
chilled seltzer or club soda
1 orange slice for garnish
In glass combine gin, cranberry juice, grenadine, and 4 ice cubes. Fill glass with seltzer, stir, and garnish with orange slice.

Make your event this summer distinctive with an elegant and tasty spritzer!

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

Fandango Catering Offers 6 More Ideas to Make Your Summer Event Distinctive

Today in our popular blog series, "Summer Entertaining," we offer 6 more ideas for making your summer gathering distinctive, without being too much work.

As we've said before, summer is one of the best times to entertain, whether you're an experienced host or not, since people are more relaxed and just happier.  Run with it and try one or two of these easy touches that will make your summer gathering a hit, make you look great, and make your guests happy.

Ditch the crudités but keep the concept--most people really don't like crudités, so don't serve them, but keep the concept by grilling narrow strips of chicken, meat, or even vegetables and serving with an interesting sauce, such as pesto mixed with mascarpone, a bit of vermouth, and pepper, or crumbled blue cheese, sour cream, and chopped fresh herbs, pureed in a blender.  These grilled strips don't need to be skewers, which would be a bit more work--just put the strips on a plate or tray next to the dipper(s).
We love this idea from Martha Stewart--Mix fresh berries into softened vanilla ice cream and then pack into popsicle molds with popsicle sticks.  Our own take on this--They are so fun served casual-style, or make them elegant by passing them on trays, laying them out buffet style on elegant trays or platters (but make sure they don't melt), or even putting one each in a nice glass or goblet.  Even easier? Buy boxes of high quality ice cream-type bars and serve them on a nice tray.  People love these fun foods, and if nicely served they're so cool.
Also use a nice tray to serve mini desserts or chocolates--If you buy mini desserts or truffles or  some small sweets, lay them in rows on a rectangular tray.  Elegant, and little work.
Punches are hot but sub if you are short on time or don't have a recipe--Substitute an Italian soda.  Italian sodas are available at upscale food emporiums (in our area, places like Central Market and Whole Foods).  Stick to just one flavor or two max mixed together and pour into a cool punch bowl. Voilà-a cool punch.
Grilled and Fruit Main Course--Cook flank steak, chicken, or pork, cut into strips, and mix with fresh cut summer fruit (grilled or not) and mixed greens.  Mix in a gourmet vinaigrette from a good food emporium.  Maybe add an Asian touch with a bit of soy sauce or sesame seeds.  If you like, mix in a bit of tomatoes or cucumber.  Great for groups that like grilled food that isn't too heavy.
Make your outdoor guest area distinctive--A cool colorful oilcloth for the table (you can often find cool oilcloth solids or patterns by the yard at a fabric store, then have it pinked-cut there if you take your table measurements with you, then all you have to do is put it on your table), solar lamps, a galvanized or Moroccan lamp, colorful paper fans for guests to fan themselves, mint julep cups to hold utensils or rolled up paper napkins, old-fashioned striped straws...Some touch that will make your gathering better than takeout.

Any of these will lift your summer gathering out of the ordinary and make it fun and memorable for you and your guests.

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

Fandango Catering Offers 8 More Summer Food Entertaining Ideas

In our continuing blog series, "Summer Entertaining" today we offer 8 more food ideas for summer gatherings. 

Summer gatherings are relaxed and fun, and one way to make your gathering distinctive is to offer at least one distinctive, maybe unexpected, food.  This doesn't have to mean stress, though.  Some of the best and most distinctive summer food ideas are the easiest.  Read on.

• Marinate steak or shrimp in pesto or chimichurri sauce before grilling
• Lay out platters of beautiful fresh berries and melon, but take a moment to make a nice presentation by interspersing berries and melon chunks or slices in rows or concentric circles
• Hollow out orange shells and serve sorbets in them, with one berry on top of each
• Lay out 2 or 3 gourmet mayos in ramekins or cups, with spoons (or teaspoons, which we prefer as it looks mod and the spoon doesn't sink into the condiment)--add roasted red peppers, pureed, and a bit of sugar, or fresh chopped herbs or a tiny bit of horseradish and sour cream
• Grill or boil corn, then spread with butter and sour cream or queso fresco, even shredded Swiss
• Prepare antipasto kebobs with salami or prosicutto (thread the prosciutto length-wise), mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and perhaps olives.  Baste kebobs with Italian or balsamic-basil dressing.
• Buy wonderful Clearbrook Farms mini tart shells, similar to shortbread, at Sur La Table, fill with bought (or made, if you cook) lemon curd or chocolate mousse, and top each tart with a fresh raspberry or blueberry. Serve tarts on a cake stand.
• Marinate cooked cannellini in a mixture of chopped cherry tomatoes with their juices, chopped chives, and chopped basil, perhaps a bit of chopped red onion.  Let stand at room temperature at least an hour or two.  Serve as is, or you can also moisten the mixture when you prepare it with just a bit of buttermilk or another creamy dressing.  Serve at room temperature.

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

Just returned from excellent mtg Rotary Clubs (OK we did miss end of Spain-Italy Eurocup match)