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.
A graduate of Paul Smith's College, where he was named "Most Outstanding Culinary Arts Graduate", Scott trained at Virginia's famous Inn at Little Washington before returning home to open J. Scott Catering.
Many clients like to offer a stationary hors d’oeuvre platter to stave off guests hunger at the very beginning of an event. Popular options include cheese trays, antipasto platters etc. This platter of assorted sausages will accompany a cheese tray for an upcoming event. Selections include a broccoli rabe and garlic stuffed pork sausage and weisswurst along with a few other types. It is a nice way to spice up your average stationary hors d’oeuvre options.
It’s difficult to truly capture our chef’s beautiful creations on camera. At the tasting yesterday our very own Julianne Faris captured the food perfectly by setting up a linen canvas and taking advantage of the natural sunlight. This first vibrant photo depicts the sesame beef skewers with scallion dipping sauce. The pale peach-colored linen makes the orange plate pop while the sesame seeds on the skewers give a 3D effect that draws you in even more. Our miniature caprese salad skewers are simply mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, and basil leaves on a stick but when drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette and garnished with sliced peppers and lime, it adds more color to this plate making it appear like candy!
Cashew chicken salad turned into a work of art when placed into crispy wonton cups and served in a mini canoe-like tray. The rich wood accents the green scallions in the salad while the sliced cashew on the top provides a nice finishing touch. Moving onto the next color-filled picture, we have gorgonzola cheese and tomato walnut bruschetta. The lime green plate contrasts magnificently with the red diced tomatoes making it look just as good as it tastes. Even the shrimp spring rolls have color against the royal blue plate and next to the bright orange sweet chili sauce.
At first glance, the baguette rounds appear to have sliced ham on them, but look a little closer and you will see that it’s actually ruby port caramelized pear with chevre. Look even closer and you will see the crispiness of the toasted baguette and the thickness of each pear slice. Next, is my favorite hors d’oeuvre picture showing the tuna with mango and lime ceviche corn cups. This glass tray is gorgeous, but still doesn’t take away from the beauty of the toasted corn cups. Notice how clearly you can see every diced mango and piece of tuna. The angle also allows you to observe the depth of each cup.
There were two entrees that we presented; the gulf coast pan roasted red snapper with citrus zest and lemon, lime, and grapefruit extra virgin olive sauce and the seared tenderloin of beef au poivre. Each of these selections was accompanied by grilled vegetable batons and parmesan and garlic smashed potatoes. Once again, these photos were taken so well that you can actually see the spices that went into the fish, beef, and potatoes.
It goes without saying that this tasting was a success and our clients were very pleased with the variety of foods offered.
At an event last week, our staff passed around three types of hors d’oeuvres outside in the beautiful summer weather. The first of these were mini caprese salad skewer. These skewers are made with fresh mozzarella, juicy grape tomatoes, and basil; garnished with orange flowers, sliced lime, and drizzled balsamic glaze for bountiful amounts of color.
Continuing with Italian dishes, the bocconcini was made with more mozzarella and delicately wrapped in saline prosciutto with elegantly drizzled balsamic glaze. Presented on a vibrant pink plate with yellow flowers and a sliced lemon, this dish screams summer. The sweet and creamy honey goat cheese that was offered was spread onto a lightly toasted crostini and topped with roasted sweet pea pesto. The blue plate, purple flower, and shredded orange carrot on top of the pesto made this an eye-catching hors d’oeuvre.
Other than the plates that were passed around, this event was set-up with stationary hors d’oeuvres on an exposed-stone surface outside. There was an array of dips that included: hot crab and artichoke, homemade guacamole, spinach and artichoke, and barbecue crab spread. Our chef was also there grilling up some petit beef tenderloin filets, marinated beer and basil grilled colossal shrimp, and grilled chicken strips for the kids. There were also grilled tuscan vegetables such as eggplant, vidalia onion, squash, zucchini, and portobello mushrooms. This summer event wouldn’t be complete without home-style potato salad and fresh jersey corn on the cob offered with sweet butter and sundried tomato butter.
Overall, great food, great weather, and a great event!
In our most recent tasting, we offered our clients a variety of hor d’oeuvres and a couple of appealing entrees. They first got to experience our steamed vegetable dumpings stuffed with cabbage, celery, carrots, onions, peas, scallions, tofu for extra protein, and sprouts. We also offered a dark citrusy ponzu sauce for dipping that adds a tart flavor to the vegetables.
Our miniature portobello quesadillas involve mushrooms with a rich, strong, earthy flavor, sliced red peppers, and carrots for color and taste on a lightly toasted corn tortilla. This dish is stylishly garnished peppers and white flowers for a summery look.
By soaking the chicken in lime, a rich zesty flavor is added to the meat making it nice and tender for our chicken skewers. After soaking, we grill the chicken which gives it a distinctive aroma. Our rich and creamy avocado dip has a lighter flavor but when paired with the skewers, they balance each other nicely. Perfect for a luau, BBQ, or summer pool party.
The first entrée we presented was a juicy, succulent sliced beef sirloin with gorgonzola cheese and bourbon sauce. What makes the sauce special is its ability to seep into the beef and give it a sweetly smooth taste. The green beans and rice on the side add variety and flavor for a complete meal. Lastly, they tried our delicious fresh wild salmon with a mustard seed horseradish crust. The mustard seed and horseradish give the salmon an intense flavor with a spicy, aromatic rustic taste. What we stress to our customers is, wild salmon is not only healthier for you, but it also tastes better. We pride ourselves in serving only the best to our clients which is why this tasting was a sensation.
This weekend we had a tasting for a couple getting married in August. We created a menu for them to reflect the season; light, fresh and full of flavor.
Hors d’oeuvres included vegetable pot stickers, lime marinated chicken skewers with avocado cream dip and sesame California rolls to name a few. Our guests especially enjoyed our house smoked salmon and dill spread in mini cucumber cups. This hors d’oeuvre delivers a full range of flavors in just a tiny bite. The smokiness of the salmon melds well with the smoothness of the cream cheese and the added dill gives it a touch of freshness at the finish. To balance the spreads intensity is the cool, crisp, fresh cucumber. The combination, though simple in concept, is complex in execution.
The first course was a red & green leaf salad with mandarin orange and honey balsamic vinaigrette. This refreshing, light salad is perfect for a hot summer day. It opens the palate for the decadent summer entrée that follows. Sliced beef sirloin with bourbon gorgonzola sauce, fresh wild salmon with mustard seed horseradish crust and pan fried trout with pancetta and tomato ragout all gave the couple the feeling of enjoying a summer meal on a terrace under the stars.
Their favorite though was the chicken sienna with sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and shallots. The pan seared chicken, while a hot dish, was lightened with a tomato and stock based sauce, giving the illusion of a lighter dish while still holding fast to a full bodied flavor from the sundried tomatoes and mushrooms. Entrees were accompanied by long grain and wild rice timbale and fresh haricot vert with almonds and brown butter. Concluding the tasting the couple enjoyed a sampling of wedding cakes.
Cooking in season and using local produce is just one way you can help reduce your carbon footprint. At J. Scott we are dedicated to buying in season from local purveyors with the highest quality meat, dairy and produce. Take the time to visit a local farmer’s market and see what is currently available. You’ll be surprised at the amazing foods grown in your area and you’ll feel good for doing your part to help preserve our environment.
A graduate of Paul Smith's College, where he was named "Most Outstanding Culinary Arts Graduate", Scott trained at Virginia's famous Inn at Little Washington before returning home to open J. Scott Catering.
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.
