 734.663.3400 www.zingermanscatering.com January 2010 • 12th edition
Now, I’ve hit the nine month mark, which is still a long time, but in wedding world it may as well be next week. I’ve designed and printed save the dates, bought a dress, scoped the internet for the perfect mid heel colored peep toe shoes, and Tom and I have picked out all the key vendors for the day. We’ve also changed our minds about our menu at least a half dozen times. Terra, our event planner at Zingerman’s Catering, has been kind enough to adjust our event proposal each time. I’m really excited about our vegetarian entrée, Jamal’s Eggplant Lasagna. This flavorful dish is chock full of breaded eggplant, fennel, spinach, portobello mushrooms, plus tomato sauce and four different kinds of cheese. One of the perks of working here is we get to taste test the food as our chefs test out recipes. I remember trying this one and thinking “Wow, if I was attending a wedding, I would love to get to eat food this good.” (That’s one of the symptoms of being engaged- you think about everything in terms of how it relates to the wedding. I’m seeking help.) For the carnivores among our guests, we’ve chosen the Tender Marinated Flank Steak. This was another item that inspired me when I got a taste on the job. As one of our guests put it, “you guys know how to make flank steak taste like prime rib.” I’m having a hard time picking out the side dishes. The buttery mashed potatoes, which come with the flank steak, are amazing. However, I keep fantasizing about the au-gratin potatoes, (usually featured with Lex’s Chicken), which are literally the best au gratin potatoes I’ve ever had. Luckily, I don’t have to make these decisions all on my own. Come spring, my fiance Tom will be joining me in the United States (from England), and then he can try everything as well. Just as you can taste anything you want in the Deli for free, we also offer menu tastings as our wedding guests finalize the details of their event. We are happy to make substitutions (or create dishes from scratch), so event guests can really follow their every whim when it comes to menu planning. We also got to cross another item off the wedding task list when we met with Kim at Zingerman’s Bakehouse in October. My fiancé was in town for a visit and I knew that cake tasting would be a fun wedding activity for us to do together. We met with Kim, who had a lot of great ideas and insight about design. (For example, she pointed out that even though blue is one of our colors, having a blue cake would be a bad idea because it would turn everyone’s teeth a lovely blue color. Perfect for photos.) She sent us home with a little box with 6 or so kinds of cake to try. My favorite was our rich chocolate cake with walnut rum buttercream, while Tom was a big fan of the vanilla chiffon cake with lemon curd. Luckily, we’re having more than one flavor, so we can create the ultimate dream team chocolatey rummy lemony cake. It’s hard to make a decision with so many tempting options! Whatever we choose, I’m thrilled to be able to offer our friends and family something better than the usual tasteless wedding chicken in a cream sauce. I’ll write one more time as we get even closer and I’m wrapped up in all the little details. It’s going to be a busy winter!
Menu Item of the Month Pot Pies! For this child of Swanson, discovering Chef Rodger’s housemade chicken pot pie was a culinary epiphany. The main ingredient is chicken! The vegetables are chunky and flavorful. The gravy actually tastes like the chicken from whence it came. And the crust – oh the crust! – so buttery and rich, I would be happy to eat it on its own. Not only is it real food, it’s a real meal. When you order your pot pie from Catering, you’ll get salad, bread and butter, too boot! Choose Amish chicken or Fungi pot pie. Starting at $13.50 per person. For a little variety, check out Chef Rodger’s selection of individual pot pies here (pdf). |
Catering tip #12
Does one of your guests have a food allergy? Be sure to find out everything that person cannot eat, but also find out what they can eat, and especially what they enjoy. Taking the guesswork out of planning their meal will save both of you a lot of stress and worry.
Testimonials
Read what a guest said about their experience with Zingerman’s Catering: Thank you everyone there for making this great lunch at such short notice. I especially appreciate the extra effort to accommodate our guest with a severe food allergy. Mary Kemler
Ask Allison!
Dear Allison, Dear FATTI, Have a question about this season’s best food? Email us at trose |
I have a confession – I used to love those $1 frozen chicken pot pies that you find in your grocer’s freezer. Heck, when I was in college, I would buy ‘em at gas stations! It was a quick, hot meal that brought back faint recollections of mom’s chicken and gravy. Okay, so the carrots were day-glo orange and oddly uniform, the chicken was practically absent and the gravy was basically creamy brine. But it seemed like real food.
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