| A Word from our Chef 
This is that time of year when the East Coaster in me is just begging for all things fall – fresh, old fashioned cake donuts served fresh from the farm stand with hot, spiced apple cider, horseback rides through the woods surrounded by the autumn reds, golds and leathery browns as the tree slowly say their vibrant goodbye and get ready for the long winter ahead, fall football tailgating and raking and jumping into huge piles of leaves. I love the change of seasons and all the sensory memories they stir for me. Well, living in LA, it’s still sunny and 80 degrees with palm trees but at least my kitchen can reflect the change of seasons – warm creamy, steamy butternut squash soup spiked with the added warmth of German pilsner, freshly made apple fritters, pumpkin cheesecakes, slowly cooked, melt in your mouth short ribs served on creamy polenta, toasted butternut squash with brown butter sauce and toasted pine nuts, mini caramel apples dipped in chocolate and nuts and the warmth of gingerbread cupcakes baking in the oven – just a few of my favorites! I hope that you will take advantage of the fall’s harvest. Yes, we in California are lucky enough to always have access to perfect tomatoes and strawberries, but this is the time of year to try the dozens of varieties of apples that the Farmer’s Market offers, roast an heirloom squash to pair with your favorite meal (just mush a little butter and maple syrup into it) and try your hand at baking a pumpkin pie – if we all try to enjoy our food seasonally, we are contributing to the cause of sustainable living and improving the way we eat (and how wonderful our foods taste!) In our Fall issue we decided to focus on everything fall and fall entertaining – from Halloween to Thanksgiving, with cooler weather it’s a wonderful time of year to light a fire, invite some friends over and create wonderful warm memories with good friends, delicious food, and maybe a few bottles of wine! I hope you enjoy our two cents! Warmly, Elizabeth News from Bite Food Network Appearance! Our show, Food Network Challenge “Big Bash Caterers” aired in August – thank you so much to all of you who reached out to congratulate us on our medal! You can find details about the show and the recipes that my co-competitors and I prepared here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-challenge/challenge-big-bash-caterers/index.html New Website Material! Our new website has launched along with a fabulous new pastry section which will be showcasing our cake artist’s artistry, artisan pastry, pies and fresh baked goods section – includes lots of beautiful pictures and information about ordering cakes and wholesale pastries. The Pour: The Pear Cooler Planning an autumn cocktail party and need a fabulous cocktail to serve? This pear cooler is a wonderful option! With all the freshness of pears as they come into season but refreshing and unique with just a hint of lavender. We hope you like it! Pear Cooler 
- 4 Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and quartered
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1 cup pinot gris wine
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried lavender
- ½ cup sugar
- 6 ounces club soda
- Pear Nectar to taste
Place quartered pears in a large saucepan with ½ cup water, ½ cup wine and ½ ounce of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon dried lavender. Poach pears on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes until soft. Strain out lavender and puree the rest of the mixture – allow to cool.
Combine sugar, remaining wine and lavender in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-low heat. Reduce until the mixture becomes a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat, strain and allow to cool. Combine 3 ounces of club soda, 2 ounces of pear purée, 1 ounce of pinot gris syrup and ½ ounce of lemon juice in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain and serve in a highball glass filled with ice. Top with club soda and pear nectar to taste – garnish with a fresh lavender stalk or a thin slice of pear to make really elegant! The Scoop on Dessert: Homemade Marshmallows 
Sound scary? It’s not! If you actually taste a homemade marshmallow, you may never touch the kind that comes in plastic bags ever again! With the weather getting cooler, it’s time to bring out the cocoa and Halloween-time treats! Just make sure you have a good candy thermometer. Here are a couple of really fantastic uses for these: - Try making your own homemade cocoa (a mix of cream, milk, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla, a pinch of sea salt and bittersweet chocolate – make to your own tastes and, for the adults among you, add a bit of peach schnapps and coconut rum and enjoy with whipped cream and homemade marshmallows. Trust me, you will thank me!!!)
- Make gourmet smore’s! But use really wonderful dark chocolate and good quality Graham Crackers (check out Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s for these – or make your own)
- Dip in chocolate and serve as a treat – or cut into fun shapes for the kids!
- Make your own flavor – instead of rolling in just sugar at the end, roll in toasted coconut or your favorite toasted nut for a really special treat
- Use food colors and your favorite extracts to make your own custom colors and flavors!
Ingredients:
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1 cup cold water, divided
- 3 1/4-ounce envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (vanilla paste if you can get it but use less)
- 1 cup potato starch
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions: - Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil.
- Coat foil lightly with nonstick spray. Pour 1/2 cup cold water into bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand until gelatin softens and absorbs water – about 15 minutes.
- Combine 2 cups sugar, corn syrup, salt and remaining 1/2 cup cold water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat and bring syrup to boil. Boil, without stirring, until syrup reaches 240°F, about 8 minutes.
- With mixer running at low speed, slowly pour hot syrup into gelatin mixture in thin stream down side of bowl (try not to pour on to whisk to avoid splashing). Gradually increase speed to high and beat until mixture is very thick and stiff, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to blend, about 30 seconds longer.
- Scrape soft marshmallow mixture into prepared pan. Smooth top with wet spatula. Let stand uncovered at room temperature until firm, about 4 hours.
- Stir potato starch and powdered sugar in small bowl to blend. Sift generous dusting of starch-sugar mixture onto work surface, forming rectangle slightly larger than 13x9 inches. Turn marshmallow slab out onto starch-sugar mixture; peel off foil. Sift more starch-sugar mixture over marshmallow slab. Coat large knife with cooking spray and cut marshmallows into squares. Toss each in remaining starch-sugar mixture to coat. Transfer marshmallows to rack and shake off excess mixture.
Bite of the Month: Grilled Crostini with Roasted Garlic, Goat Cheese and Apple
Apples are, I think, in most people’s opinion, the quintessential fall fruit: What do kids give their teachers when they go back to school? Apples. What do we bake our favorite fall pie with? Apples. What do we go bobbing for at the Halloween Party? Apples!!! This is a fantastic recipe – perhaps you want to plan a fall BBQ (so the grill will be ready to go) with grilled pork and autumn root vegetables – it’s a little cooler outside but the smoky flavors from the grill can really pull a meal and, especially, this delicious appetizer, together. You can also prepare this in an oven. Ingredients - 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
- 3/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into -inch pieces (about 4 cups)
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup diced seeded plum tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 1 French-bread baguette, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
- Olive oil
- Roasted Garlic (Roast whole garlic cloves slowly in olive oil in small saucepan)
- 12 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), room temperature
- Toasted hazelnuts or walnut
Instructions Stir sugar and vinegar in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add next 4 ingredients and simmer until mixture is syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Mix in apples and raisins. Increase heat to high and boil until apples are tender, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. (Chutney can be made 3 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.) Mix in tomatoes and mint. Grill bread, brushed with olive oil, until grill lines appear and the bread is crisp – Alternatively, preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange baguette slices on baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake until golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Spread each toast with roasted garlic; top with goat cheese, chutney and toasted nuts. Bite R&D: The Perfect Halloween Pumpkin Submitted by Chef Gavin Grabe, The Kakeman 
We love this sweet little jewel! A classic French pumpkin macaron filled with cream cheese frosting, caramelized pear and walnuts and decorated with chocolate, gold leaf and fondant leaves. Entertaining tips: Apples and Pumpkins and Gourds, OH MY! There are so many great-looking gourds, pumpkins and heirloom squash this time of year and no two are alike. Grab handfuls of them and toss them into a basket and fill with silk leaves. It makes a beautiful centerpiece that will last through the season. If you are having a party, get some lovely red apples - making sure that they sit flat on the table. Scoop out a small hole on top with a melon baller and fit one of those small votive lights in it. They look and smell wonderful on your autumn table. You can do the same with mini-pumpkins, or mix the two. Use six or more of these and your dinner will be beautiful! Or take a footed cake plate and scatter the mini-pumpkins on top of it with a few candles intermingled on the plate. The cake plate stands at a nice height so that the centerpiece is not too high or tall for good conversation over the table. Always try to contrast colors, textures and heights to achieve a dramatic balance. Be creative – pumpkins and apples (especially the ones from the Farmer’s market with the leaves still on) also make a great, naturally beautiful, place card holder and take-home gift for your guests! Take a handful of those small bunches of wheat, tie them with a ribbon in an autumn color and place the bundle in a small crystal glass or other short container. You can even put one of these at each place setting, or place the bundle on each napkin. ©2008 Bite Catering Couture, LLC |
Party Planning tips
