Posted November 23rd, 2011 by JULSF This weekend we had the great pleasure of aiding in the celebration of a retirement party for one of our dearest clients. There is for sure no better way to praise a lifetime of work than ample guests, good food and plentiful spirits. All of the aforementioned were on hand for this most joyous occasion.
The evening was draped in lovely shades of orange and red. Under heated tents guests mingled about congratulating the retiree in candlelight.
At the start guests enjoyed an hour of hors d’oeuvre and drinks. Warm brie and pear in phyllo as well as a delightful prosciutto and lobster taco in a petite taco shell were served. Guests also tasted grilled lamb lollipops, seared kobe beef rolls on wild mushroom bread pudding, blackened chicken skewers with grapes rolled in blue cheese and pistachios and lastly herb roasted shrimp.
Dinner stations were the affair of the evening. A short rib station with a wide variety of accompaniments including cheesy polenta, caramelized onions, flavored chips, smoked bacon, grilled baguette rounds, golden scallops, mini flour tortillas and garlic puree, indulged many savory palettes in attendance.
The slider station boasted three different styles of sandwich; vegetarian, beef and seafood. The vegetarian slider was served complete with grilled Portobello mushroom, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion, provolone cheese and pesto mayonnaise. The beef slider was served simply with cheese, lettuce and tomato; however, it was accompanied by ketchup, blue cheese and Russian dressing for the guests to use as they pleased. Last by certainly not least the crab cake slider was served with tomato, lettuce and old bay remoulade, a sure fire crowd pleaser as always.
And to finish off the dinner portion of the evening was the sushi station manned by our favorite sushi chef Akio. He rolled a variety of classics including tuna, California and cucumber rolls. He also served tuna, shrimp and salmon nigiri as well as futomaki. Served alongside of course was soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger, for what would sushi be without its accoutrement.
Dessert left nothing to be desired as it offered many selections served in our new blossom cups. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream, apple pie a la mode, chocolate mousse with whipped cream and chocolate chips and finally key lime mousse with graham cracker crumbs satiated each guests sweet tooth. For those not quite so keen on full fledged sweets, a fruit platter was laid out with cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple and grapes.
What a wonderful opportunity it was to celebrate such a momentous occasion in someone’s life. To bid adieu to their years of service to a company and welcome the new chapter of their life with open arms. We are so grateful to have been invited to cater and thank our client for entrusting the task to J. Scott Catering.
Posted November 11th, 2011 by JULSF On Wednesday night the J. Scott Catering team was catering an event for doctors from across the country. The event started with a cocktail hour, followed by a panel discussion. The evening concluded with a station style dinner service. This type of service style enables people the opportunity to get up and mingle during the dinner, which works perfectly for conference style meetings hoping to encourage discussion among its attendees.
The cocktail portion of the evening offered guests a wide selection of delectable passed hors d’oeuvre including our signature miniature Caesar salad in parmesan tuile cup, petite beef wellington, Thai smoked chicken on wonton crisp and goat cheese on crostini drizzled with honey. Guests remarked on the snow crab shooter with sauce Louis, a mayonnaise based cold seafood sauce with Worcestershire, lemon and chili sauce, calling for it on every staff members walk back to the kitchen. Grilled espresso rubbed scallop served with wasabi cream and chervil was also a crowd favorite.
After the panel discussion guests returned to find their cocktail space transformed into a dining room. The different stations available lined the perimeter of the room with ample space for guests to walk around and sample each offering.
The first station was the sushi station. Our sushi chef Akio was on hand rolling tuna, shrimp and salmon nigiri as well as tuna, California and cucumber rolls and futomaki to boot!
The risotto station offered guests the chance to create their own risotto concoction. Add in choices included sautéed wild mushrooms, asparagus tips, lump crabmeat, parmesano reggiano, flaked salmon and grilled shrimp. Folks watched as uniformed chefs prepared their creation right before their eyes. The most popular combination appeared to be the mushrooms, asparagus and crabmeat; it happens to be my favorite too. These doctors had good taste!
Our gourmet salad station was also set up for guests to enjoy. This station is a favorite of the D.I.Y. guests as they have the ability to compose their own salad from a selection of greens and toppings as well as dressings. This evenings station featured romaine and mixed greens as the salad base and had Maytag blue cheese, candied pecans, grape tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts for mix in selections; and that was only a few. Pomegranate vinaigrette and pink peppercorn dressing were the finishing touches to the guest’s salad choices.
The prime rib station finished off the entrée section of stations. Hand carved roasted prime rib of beef was offered with au jus and horseradish cream sauce. Our friendly chefs were there slicing away throughout the evening offering guests a taste of this savory delight.
What would a terrific dinner be without dessert to finish. We offered our signature dessert cups including chocolate peanut butter mousse with banana, key lime mousse with graham cracker and carrot cake with toffee bits. The cups were attractively displayed on our “wall” conveniently keeping the cups at eye level to reel in the sweet teeth in the room.
The J. Scott team had a lot of fun working with these medical professionals. Thanks to all who made it possible! This event happens only once every three years so we hope to see you all back in 2014.
Posted October 22nd, 2011 by JULSF The second night of our weekend long event was just as beautiful as the first. Tables were covered with ruby-orange shantung and ivory napkins at each setting. As previously mentioned the client chose to utilize the same arrangements for the whole weekend so the colors used this night were in the same family as the ones used throughout the weekend.
Cocktail hour was held in a large open marble floored hall with a beautiful view of the city through floor to ceiling windows. It was truly a stunning picturesque setting to welcome guests from across the world.
Hors d’oeuvre included our signature crisp cones with tuna tartar, smoked chicken, wild mushroom and fontina quesadilla, asparagus and chanterelle mushroom bruschetta, classic J. Scott mini cheesesteaks, bacon wrapped scallops with horseradish dipping sauce and figs with goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.
The first course was pre-set at the request of the client. This style of service allows hungry guests the ability to enjoy their soup or salad while a speaker is presenting or someone is being honored. The salad we served was a flavor packed Sicilian salad. Crisp red and green romaine were the bed to marinated olives, artichokes, Roma tomatoes, roasted peppers and focaccia croutons; that was drizzled with white balsamic truffle vinaigrette.
The entrée, Lancaster county free range airline chicken breast, was topped with melted Maytag blue cheese and tomato fennel pomodoro. The dish was accompanied by a variety of roasted fall vegetables and roasted garlic whipped potatoes. Guests also had the option for a vegetarian dish of goat cheese ravioli with sautéed asparagus tips and baby spinach, sauced with tomato veloute.
Dessert left nothing to be desired as it was a rich pumpkin cheesecake with chocolate drizzle. By the end, nary a guest was hungry and all were happy, lively and full of interesting conversations. That is what food does after all; it brings people together, it is our common ground.
Posted October 20th, 2011 by JULSF This past weekend was a whirlwind at J. Scott. We had parties all across the Delaware Valley for all different kinds of clients. Over the next few days we will give you a snapshot of all the festivities and the wonderful food we served.
The first event was for one of our long time corporate client’s annual three day conference. Members from across the country and the world come to celebrate and learn in their respective fields. It is a great opportunity to find out what is going on both domestically and internationally while enjoying good food and good company.
The first evening’s dinner took place in a beautiful naturally lit hall that faced the west, allowing guests a view of the sunset as dusk fell. Tables were covered in fun linen called theory rouge; it had a ruby background with mosaic style pattern in blue, white and orange. The client decided to utilize one set of flowers for the weekend’s events in an effort to cut costs in the tough economic time. In doing so they chose an exquisite red and orange toned arrangement in a low wide trifle vase. Other events throughout the weekend followed the same color scheme changing the linens and other details slightly for the different events so as not to seem repetitive. This is a great tip if you are having a multi-day event and are looking to save money but remain stylish throughout.
The evening began with a cocktail reception that included a wine, beer and soda bar and passed hors d’oeuvre including pumpkin bisque with crème fraiche, wild mushroom and local goat cheese crostini with honey drizzle, a mini Maine lobster and prosciutto taco, ancho rubbed chicken roll-up, apple and blue cheese turnover and barbeque braised short rib on Yukon chip.
The salad and entrée were served on one plate at the clients request to keep the dinner service short. Arugula, goat cheese, dried cranberries and roasted pumpkin tossed in a red wine vinaigrette sat next to an asparagus bundle and prime tenderloin steak with crimini mushrooms and caramelized onion rosemary jus. After dinner, each table was presented with two small dessert stands with a variety of miniature pastries for the guests to choose from.
This style of service worked well for the awards ceremony that was taking place during dinner. It kept wait staff interruption to a minimum but still gave guests the opportunity to enjoy a sit down dinner after a long day of meetings.
Since founding J. Scott Catering in 1995, Scott has worked hard to establish a reputation for exceptional food and superior customer service. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. J. Scott Catering has been recognized locally and nationally for culinary talent and fine attention to detail, including being named for six consecutive years as "Best Caterer" by Main Line Today.
