Bruschetta

Spring is in the air…So I am getting prepared and whipping up some of my favourite spring and summer recipes!

Bruschetta is a great appetizer for summer months and can be made with any combination of healthy fruits and vegetables. I’ve topped these garlic-rubbed baguette toasts with fresh tomatoes, green onion and oregano. A touch of Parmesan cheese rounds out this flavorful mixture.

Bursting with the flavours of summer, bruschetta is a tomato harvest staple. Use your favourite variety of heirloom tomato or a variety of vegetables– it’s up to you!

Roast Lamb Dinner

This past weekend I catered a birthday dinner in Waterloo. I had the pleasure of cooking in a beautiful kitchen with Granite counter tops and stunning china. It was destined to be a great night.

As guests arrive, they sipped on red wine and nibbled on an antipasti platter. The platter included; cured italian meats, aged canadian cheeses, red pepper tapenade, marinated mushrooms and collusive green and black olives.

As the evening progressed more wine was sipped, conversation was flowing and dinner was served.

The Menu

Arugula & Prosciutto Salad 

Shaved fennel & red onion, crispy prosciutto, Reggiano cheese with lemon vinaigrette

Dijon and Rosemary crusted Lamb

Served with sweet potato pave and Roast asparagus and Balsamic jus

 Sea Salted Chocolate-Caramel Tart

 A light butter crust filled with rich caramel, topped with dark chocolate and course sea salt.

 It was my pleasure to cater for this wonderful birthday event!

Demo Reel Launch!

Hollie’s Catering takes over the “Big Screen”

 

So far, my journey with Hollie’s Catering has been more than I could have ever expected. I have so many wonderful people to thank for the opportunities, support and feedback along the way. I’m constantly blown away with how much I’ve learned on this journey. For this post, I’m referring to more specifically, business promotion.

What I’ve learned has been more than daunting or expensive tactics of advertising, rather,  it’s been a way to express my passion in a way that others can connect. I opened myself up, shared, and had fun!

It’s been a great success, so, why fix something that isn’t broken?

Therefore, I have had the opportunity to put together a video promo for Hollie’s Catering. A little about me, and a little about my business values and aspirations.

 Enjoy my video!

Would love to hear your feedback!

 

Check it out here!

The Chocolate Cupcake.

On this particular day I had made 4 dozen chocolate cupcakes for some students at EDSS. Chocolate cupcakes, cupcakes in general, are very versatile. They can be altered with different fillings, frosting and flavouring extracts.

Here are there different cupcakes all using the same chocolate base.

Chocolate Raspberry

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Pineapple upside down cake has truly met its match!

Sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream is the perfect accompaniment to this slightly spicy dessert. The topping is made by simply baking cranberries placed in a layer over sugar and spices at the bottom of the pan. As the cake bakes, the sugar caramelizes, forming a rich syrup.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

This is my new favourite cake. I’m not usually a chocolate cake girl, but the combination of moist cake, rich caramel and course sea salt is delicious beyond words.

Bake two 9inch round pans of your favourite chocolate cake recipe. Layer with rich caramel (recipe below), cover with a simple chocolate buttercream and sprinkle with course sea salt.

Allow the cake to sit for a few hours before serving – resist the temptation! This allows the caramel to soak into the cake, giving you the most rich and moist cake that you’ve ever eaten.

I promise you, this cake is everything that a dessert should be. The perfect combination of sweet and salty.

The cake!

Delicious Layers!!

Appetizers

A month ago I catered a local company’s Christmas party. The group of 20 women gathered for an array of cold appetizers while they celebrated the Christmas season.

Appetizers are a great thing to have in your recipe box. Select your favourites and whip them together anytime someone stops by or you just want a quick snack. The possibilities are endless. Hot, cold, sweet, savoury, simple, fancy, and the list goes on.

Here is a list of the appetizers that I catered.

The appetizers were small in size, yet great in flavour.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Goodbye Pumpkin Pie, Hello Pumpkin Cheesecake. 

This year our traditional Christmas dinner dessert was replaced. We swapped boring, old pumpkin pie, with rich and creamy pumpkin cheesecake.

Ginger snap crust filled with fluffy, spice-infused pumpkin cheesecake filling, topped with homemade caramel and toasted pecans. This took regular pumpkin pie to the next level.

A Classic Apple Pie

In my mind Apple Pie tops the charts.

Flaky crust. Golden buttery edges. Sweet filling. Apple pie.

Tart apples tossed with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg creates a sweet filling. Flaky, buttery homemade crust encases the filling to make a delicious dessert.

We’ll experimenting with pie dough recipes over the last year I have finally found my favourite recipe. Though it took some trial and error, I have found my secret ingredient. Tenderflake Shortening. I have been taught to use Crisco, have always used Crisco, but this time I went against the grain.

Tenderflake delivered the most flaky and golden crust that I have ever made. The crust puffed up while baking, and feel apart in my mouth.  Try Tenderflake in your favourite pie dough recipe. Let me know what you think!

Bake this classic pie, your home will smell glorious and your family will thank you!

Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie

This pie ups the ante in the pecan pie game. It’s full of a rich caramel custard and chock-full of pecans, with a healthy dose of chocolate to send it over the edge. With just a tiny hit of salt to balance out the sweet richness of the filling, this pie will be the one they talk about and request for every occasion.