Elegant Holiday Cocktail or Dinner Party

When you want to go all out for the holidays, we recommend you greet your guests with a glass of champagne! Below is a menu of traditional party favorites that are sure to impress. For a Holiday Cocktail Party, we recommend up to ten passed and/or stationary appetizers (depending upon the size of your crowd and duration of your party, see Cocktail Party tips here). If its a Holiday Dinner Party, 3-5 appetizers are best, while all your guests arrive and gather, followed by a sit-down dinner (see sample dinner menu below)

Foie Gras / Green Apple / Handmade Corn Masa Shell/ Salsa Verde

 

Scallops / Burnt Chipotle-Agave Salsa

 

Ceviche Tasting:

Scallops /Habanero /kumquat / sweet potato / smoked sea salt

Chef’s choice of white fish / Aji Amarillo /pineapple /vanilla/tomatillo

Arabesque: tuna / soy /citrus / Chile Verde / sesame seeds

Elegant Holiday Cocktail Party

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HOLIDAY DINNER PARTY SAMPLE MENU

AMUSE BOUCHE

Deviled Eggs / Caviar / House-cured Tequila Gravlax

OR

Pelotita / Cranberry-Chipotle Chutney

Cranberry-stuffed Brazil nut-crusted Napa Valley Goat Cheese

APPETIZER

Salmon Three-ways: House-cured Tequila Cilantro Gravlax / Salmon Rillette/ Salmon Roe w/ Cowgirl Creamery Creme Fraiche

Salmon 3-ways: Salmon Roe/ Tequila-cured Salmon/Salmon Rillettes

OR

Albondigitos: mini lamb meatballs / Sherry cream sauce / pea purée

SOUP  

Haitian New Year’s Eve Soup: savory pumpkin soup / beef broth / scotch bonnet chile

SALAD  

Classic or Kale Caesar prepared tableside/ black-pepper-and-salt-cured egg yolk

ENTREE

SURF & TURF LARGE PLATES (or choose just one)

select a “surf” course from the following)

Bourbon–Roasted Lobster / herbed butter / succotash

OR
Camarones con Naranja y Tequila y Chile Roja 

 shrimp/ garlic / orange peel /chiles del arbol / flambéed with tequila

TURF

Sous Vide Filet Mignon (4 oz. for Surf ‘n Turf Menu, 6 oz. for “turf” only)

served with

Truffled Potatoes

OR

Rack of Lamb / Roasted Root Vegetables

Pecan-crusted Wild Salmon

INTERMEZZO

Spiced Cranberry Sorbet / Pistachio Dust

DESSERT

Chocolate Flourless Torte

soaked with agave and rum

New Year’s Eve Tasting Chef’s Tasting

Below is a sample menu. All my menus are custom designed, working closely with the host/ess.

Pricing is determined by # of guests and menu selections and starts at $120/person with a $2000 minimum. Except for the Appetizers, this menu is designed to be served plated (restaurant style). Our sommelier can recommend wine-pairing for each course and our Mixologist can create a Bar Menu and/or pair a signature cocktail to specific dishes (additional charge applies). We are happy to accommodate special dietary requirements.

PRIMERO PASO: APPETIZERS  (served from 7 pm- 8:30 pm)

COLD

Cheesemonger’s & Salumeri Tray

Ceviche Tasting‡

Scallops /Habanero /kumquat / sweet potato / smoked sea salt

Chef’s choice of white fish / Aji Amarillo /pineapple /vanilla/tomatillo

Arabesque: tuna / soy /citrus / chile Verde / sesame seeds

Cold passed appetizers (con’t)

Crab Salpicon (Jumble)/avocado aioli

Photo by T.Tseng

Caviar Deviled Eggs

Hot passed appetizers

Albondigitos: mini lamb meatballs / Sherry cream sauce/pea purée

SOUP  (served at 8:30 pm)

Haitian New Year’s Eve Soup: savory pumpkin soup/beef broth/Scotch Bonnet chile

OR

Saffron Mussels and Smoked Scallop Chowder

SMALL PLATES (Starting at 8:45)

Salmon Three Ways: Salmon rillettes/ House-cured tequila cilantro salmon/ Endive Wrap, creme fraiche, Golden caviar

Salmon 3-ways: Salmon Roe/ Tequila-cured Salmon/Salmon Rillettes

OR

Calamari/anchovy butter and lemon

Steak Tartare/salt & pepper cured egg yolk/ beet carpaccio

 

Classic or Kale Caesar prepared tableside

OR

Holiday Salad

Tamal de Cazuela

OR

Roasted Root Vegetable Tart

SURF & TURF LARGE PLATES (served at 10 pm)

select a “surf” course from the following)

Bourbon–Roasted Lobster ‡/ herbed butter/succotash

OR
Ahi Tuna 

TURF

Coffee-crusted Sous Vide Filet Mignon

OR

Surf ‘n Turf Plate

DESSERT BAR (served at 11:00 pm)

Chocolate Chipotle Flourless Torte

Poached Pear

photo by neenahkay

Spiced Cranberry Sorbet / Pistachio Dust

Grilled Mexican Corn Cake

soaked with agave and rum

‡ indicates dishes with premium pricing

Margaritas & Mexican Mixed Grill

PARILLA MIXTA 

Starter: Guacamole

Chunky, traditional, authentic

Ensalada
Grilled Caesar (did you know Caesar salad originated in Mexico?)

Next: Something Cool

Berry Gazpacho / Grilled Chipotle Shrimp/Tabasco Granita

Carne Asada: Grilled steak marinated in my artisan 3-chile adobado and then grilled to order

Pollo Adobado: Grilled Chicken marinated in our housemade adobado

Shrimp Skewers / Mojo de Ajo

Grilled Lobster Tails/ Mojo de Ajo

Grilled Chorizo (Housemade Mexican Sausage)

served with artisanal salsas

Salsa Verde /Pico de Gallo / Burnt Chipotle-Agave / Fresh Corn Salsa

Volcanes: Grilled Baby Cactus Paddles with refried beans and Queso Oaxaca. Photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Frijoles Charros or Cowboy Beans
Rancho Gordo black beans, cooked with Negra Modelo Mexican beer, Chorizo (Mexican sausage), bacon, onions and spicy Serrano chiles

Hand-made Tortillas

Elote (Grilled Corn Mexican-style) Pops/Chipotle-Agave Salsa/Cotija

Postre
Fresh Corn Masa & Cacao Sorbet

Making a great margarita is part art, part science. It requires a Mix Master (we’ve got a great one!) and quality ingredients, from the lime juice to the tequila to the rim salt. What’s so different about Margaritas Tres Señoritas (our sister company which specializes in Mexican catering and fiestas)?

We use fresh squeezed lime juice and tiny, tangy Mexican or Key limes

We squeeze our limes by hand using a Mexican lime-juicer, which releases the precious aromatic oils hidden in the skin of the fruit
We allow our fresh-squeezed lime juice to “mellow” overnight for a smoother, silkier margarita
We use organic agave syrup as a sweetener, not sugar and water

We recommend a reposado tequila that has been aged in small barrels
We recommend Torres Orange over Gran Marnier: it’s lighter and easier to blend

We rim our glasses with Sal de Vida’s Ancho Chile Lime Salt

Summer Floral Notes 6-course Dinner Menu

Nothing says “Mother’s Day” quite like flowers! In this unusual menu, I infuse something floral in every course to create an unforgettable meal.

AMUSE BOUCHE

Salmon Candy/ Edible Flowers

APPETIZER

Flores de Callebaza Rellenos
Squash blossom flowers / Bellwether Farms ricotta

SALAD
Raw Artichoke Salad / Parmigiano Reggiano / Mint

baby arugula / Napa Valley EVO

ENTRÉE

photo by Ann Larie Valentine

Quail in Rose Petal
(the very same dish that was made famous in the bestseller Like Water for Chocolate)

served with
HANDMADE TORTILLAS WITH PRESSED EDIBLE FLOWERS

DESSERT
GELATINA ARTISTICA

Rosa Rodgriguez prepares an all-natural gelatin dessert which is completely edible, artwork on a plate in a French tradition that migrated to Mexico

A North American Christmas Dinner

I love infusing just a little something from my repertoire of Mexican specialties into traditional meals, transporting my dinner guests with a hint of the exotic and making the meal even more special and memorable. That’s what I have done with this menu, working the the de rigueur Thanksgiving table dishes that we all know and love, but adding a twist! Designed to be presented plated with some courses served family-style.

 

 

Photo by Olivia Richardson Photography

Jewish Holiday Dinner

Sample Menu

*Please note that this is NOT a kosher meal but is designed to observe basic dietary restrictions. Special Passover dishes are noted below in bold. For Passover,  ceremonial dishes can be added (lamb shank, bitter herb, karpas, roasted egg, etc).

AMUSE BOUCHE

Special for Passover: PISTACHIO APPLE/JICAMA HAROSETH

or

HEARTS OF PALM

filled with Fava Bean Puréee

APPETIZER

CHOPPED LIVER OR CHICKEN LIVE PATE

or

Special for Passover: HOUSEMADE GEFILTE FISH / HORSERADISH

SOUP

Special for Passover: MY BUBELE’S MATZOH BALL SOUP

or

COCHIN FISH SOUP

The Cochini Jews originally settled on the Malabar Coast of Southwestern India, Made with ginger, coconut milk, tomatoes, curry and cumin, the flavor profile of this broth of locally-sourced white fish (chef’s choice) speak to its Eastern origins.

served with

CHALLAH KNOTS (these are NOT served for Passover)

ENTRÉE OPTIONS

CHILE BRAISED SHORT RIBS

MISO-GLAZED SEABASS

PECAN-CRUSTED SALMON

Sephardic Braised Beef Brisket with Tzimmes

OR

Baby Lamb Chops with Roasted Artichoke Hearts

SPINACH PIE WITH PINENUTS AND RAISINS (served for Passover with a matzoh meal crust)

OR

KASHA VARNISHKAS

BALSAMIC ROASTED FENNEL

DESSERT

FLOURLESS ALMOND-KUMQUAT CAKE & PISTACHIO-LEMON MACAROONS

OR

Chocolate Flourless Torte

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS MENU Oct. 30-Nov.

Celebrate this most magical of Mexican holidays with a traditional menu of seasonal specialties. Designed to be served plated or family-style for parties of 8-20 guests.

Bonus: If you wish, I am happy to share the history of Dia de Los Muertos and the meaning of the symbolic altar items, based on my research for my award-winning book, Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes.

APPETIZER

Tortitas de Cempazuchitl en Caldito

(Marigold Patties in Tomato Broth)

Marigolds are the flowers traditionally strewn along the say to guide the returning spirits of the departed and are used in recipes special to this season

ENTREE

Pumpkin Mole

served with your choice of chicken or turkey

Mexican “Red” Rice

Frijoles de Olla

(Rancho Gordo beans, stewed for 24 hours in a clay pot, which adds a subtle but perceptible flavor)

Tortillas a Mano

(Handmade corn tortillas)

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DESSERT

Calebaza en Tacha

Photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

(Candied pumpkin)

Pan de Muertos

Photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes by Andrea Lawson Gray and Adriana Almazan Lahl, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

(Bread of the Dead, omitted from Gluten-free menu)