Coventry Catering, like other food service companies, is becoming increasingly aware of being squeezed between the rising cost of food and the desire to maintain price points. While we do  lot of business by bid/quote/proposal we still come under market and competition constraints. In a market just recovering from deep recession the customer most often calls the shots so, with graduations coming up fast, catering prices should be little increased over last year.

Meat and dairy are steadily on the rise and produce has already taken a terrible beating from the weather this year. Case prices on lettuce and tomato were three times the normal after the freezes in California during March. Now with fuel prices going through the roof the pressure on all commodity prices is up and up. Fuel surcharges are rapidly appearing on invoices as distributors try to offset the rise in diesel fuel, normally about 10% of a distributor’s cost.

While there seems to be little good news, Coventry and other caterers, really do want to give you the very best food and service for your dollar and, unless you want to do it all yourself, a reliable and imaginative caterer is still a great friend to have in your corner!

Even though the percentage of vegetarians in the American population hasn’t grown much above the 3% it was a decade ago, the appeal of meatless menus has. The healthy initiative to eat more wholesome meals is really taking off.

Coventry serves a two or three vegetarian lasagnas, with a meat sauce on the side so as to appeal to all. By far the most popular is a mushroom lasagna with Cremini and Portabella mushrooms and a Bechamel sauce. Some of these dishes also do away with the pasta and rely on the robust nature of the Portabella or winter squashes to build substance.

Stuffed vegetables are very well received and lend themselves to all kinds of innovative experimentation; peppers, jalapenos, eggplant, mushrooms and squash are delicious when stuffed with wild rice and fruits, cheeses, sausage, bacon and even artichokes – who knows what else?

And then there is our very popular vegetarian chili with onions and cheese to dress and accompanied by a delicious twice baked potato!

For caterers the variety of diets out there is a constant challenge and choices seem severely limited when one removes any dairy, or gluten, or sugar etc., etc., etc. Yet our experience has proved that many of the dishes prepared meet these challenges become popular to all dietary tastes.

All in all, meat really isn’t king as it once was, vegetables have become royalty in their own right!

Continuing on the theme of portable is one of my favorite melt sandwiches, the breakfast sandwich. True I do prefer it on a crumpet rather than an English Muffin, but there is such a variety of breads available, from biscuit to flatbread, croisson to bagel, sourdough to multigrain…….and the cheeses oh my!!!! Melted cheese is always good but a robust cheddar has to stand up and be counted while a creamy Fontini is just that – creamy! A nice spicy sausage or sturdy country ham with a perfectly cooked egg, not runny but soft and such different toppers as spinach or, would you believe it jam, add that anticipation and impatience to go get one right now!

Coventry Catering has experienced a growing trend which seems to extend beyond Upper Valley caterers and restaurants to criss cross the nation. This trend, the increasing popularity of sandwiches, is creating the number one food consumable, followed in second place by vegetables, believe it or not!

The sandwich has always been popular but it now reflects the changes in eating preferences to handheld foods – makes sense when we think about our craving for convenience and the need to multi task. The Nation’s Restaurant News  notes how a sandwich can be held in one hand while we drive, text or play computer games.

Chefs have become more and more inventive with every component of the sandwich. The breakout sandwich of the year, says Nancy Kruse of the Kruse Company, is the melt. It ties back to the demand for comfort, and the cheese makes it absolutely irresistible.

We at Coventry Catering thoroughly agree; our demand for our signature sandwiches has increased at least two fold over the past year. Keep it coming Upper Valley!

This blog from Garrison Keiller on Amy Cotler’s web site says it all:

Finally, local corn has arrived. The season’s painfully short, so be sure to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so it’s firmly planted in your taste memory until next year.

I like to start my cornfest with the simple taste of summer — warm cobs, lathered with sweet butter, sprinkled with salt and freshly ground pepper. Then, after a week or two of all-corn-all-the-time, I concoct salads, puddings, soups, before returning to the purity of corn on the cob, this time lightly seasoned with fun compound butters like the ones here. My current favorite is Miso Butter on Grilled Corn, inspired by David Change of Momofuku fame. Let me know which one you like. This recipe will serve as many or few folks as you like.

Ingredients
Corn, 1-2 per person (3 for a meal)
Sweet butter, 1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon per cob, according to taste
Compound butter seasonings (as below)
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
1-Prepare compound butter by mixing about 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of softened sweet butter per cob — quantity will depend on your taste for butter — with any of the suggested seasonings below. As a rule of thumb, don’t go too heavily on the seasonings. Salt and pepper can be added to the butter or at the table to each person’s taste. Set aside. (I like to make extra butter to freeze for later use.)

2-Cook the corn either by steaming, boiling or grilling it. To steam or boil: Cook the husked corn by steaming it in 2 inches of water, covered, for 3 minutes, or by plunging it into boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain. To grill: Peel back but don’t remove the husks. Remove the silk as best you can and replace the attached husks. (You can tie them on with a strip of husk or string or let them hang loosely.) Soak in a sink full of water for 5 minutes to an hour. Grilling over medium heat, until done, about 10 minutes or longer. (For a stronger flavor, grill husked corn directly on the grill.)

3-Lather corn with the compound butter, adding salt and pepper to taste if it wasn’t added to the butter when it was mixed.

Compound butter to chose from —
*Chopped mint and chives
*Chipolte or chili powder and lime zest (serve with lime wedges)
*White miso paste (omit the salt)
*Chopped scallions greens and fresh grated ginger
*Cracked pepper and lemon zest (optional: lemon wedges)
*Thai curry paste (go lightly) or and chopped basil or cilantro (optional: lime wedges)
*Cumin powder (go lightly, toast briefly in a dry skillet), lemon zest, cayenne pepper (optional: lemon wedges)
*Chopped chervil, parsley, tarragon and chives
*Pesto (traditional basil or with other herbs, such as cilantro or mint)
*As you can see, you are only limited by your imagination!

Here at Coventry Catering we always use local corn when it is available.

ps.  …..in a hurry – you can cook corn on the cob, in silk and husk, for about 4 mins. in the microwave!

We all are somewhat cavalier about the way we deal with leftovers, especially those we bring home in a “doggie” bag from a restaurant.

“Leftover” foods are cooked foods that you or your family do not eat within 2 hours after they are cooked. Leftovers include foods that you may eat before or after they have been stored in the refrigerator or freezer. The chance of food poisoning increases the longer you store a food after it is cooked. Improper handling or storing cooked food is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the home.

The careful cook can reduce this threat by following the guidelines below for storing, reheating, and disposing of leftover foods.

Following information is from A Rutgers Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet

How To Storing Leftovers

All cooked foods should be reheated to 165° F, refrigerated, or frozen within 2 hours after cooking. In hot weather, that time limit is only 1 hour. Remember that the “safe” period starts after the food is cooked. It includes the time that the food sits before being served and the time it sits on the table while the meal is being eaten. This period lasts until the food is actually in the refrigerator or freezer.

Remember to wash your hands with soap and water before handling any cooked food, especially food you store to eat later. Use clean utensils to handle the food, and store it in clean containers. Do not put food back into the same container it was in before it was cooked, unless you have carefully cleaned the container with soap and water. Do not place food on a counter or cutting board before refrigerating or freezing, unless you have carefully cleaned the surface beforehand.

You should place foods to be refrigerated or frozen in small, shallow containers, 3 inches tall or less, and cover them completely. Don’t stack these containers right next to other containers, but leave some air space around them. By using shallow containers and by leaving air space around the containers you can promote rapid, even cooling of the food. When you refrigerate or freeze cooked food in a large, deep container, the food in the center of the container remains warm for a longer time. Dangerous bacteria may grow in this warm spot without making the food look or smell bad. If you eat this food later, you may get food poisoning.

Never taste leftovers that are of questionable age or safety.

As a general rule, never keep leftovers for more than 4 days.

Remember to remove the stuffing from cooked poultry and refrigerate or freeze it separately. You should do this because the stuffing in the center of the bird can stay warm long enough for food poisoning bacteria to grow. By removing the stuffing and placing it in its own container, you allow it to cool more rapidly.

If you date leftovers before refrigerating them, this can help you ensure they don’t remain in your refrigerator too long.

Warming Leftover Foods When leftover foods are reheated, make sure you heat them completely.Leftovers that are merely “warmed” and not heated throughout are much more likely to cause food poisoning. Cover any leftover sauces, soups, gravies, and other “wet” foods, and heat them to a rolling boil before they are served. Heat all other foods to 165° F throughout. Be sure to stir foods while you reheat them, to ensure that all the food reaches the appropriate temperature.

Throwing Away Leftovers

When leftovers have been in the refrigerator too long or if they look or smell unusual, throw them out!Anytime you are in doubt about the freshness or safety of any food, dispose of it. This is especially important for leftover foods. Dispose of any potentially unsafe food in a garbage disposal or a tightly wrapped package, so that it cannot be eaten by other people or animals.

If you follow these suggestions for handling leftover foods safely, you will improve the safety of your family’s food. Food poisoning is a preventable tragedy, and you can prevent it by following these simple guidelines for handling leftovers safely.

At Coventry Catering, we wish you to enjoy the great taste of your home made meals or what you have bought in a restaurant. We also care that you stay healthy and recognize the dangers of not handling leftovers safely. Contact us for further tips on safety, for special diets, or how we can create a menu to suit any occasion, from appetizers to desserts.

Following a low-fat diet? One of the first things you’ve probably crossed off your menu is fried foods. Fried chicken, French fries, fish and chips, onion rings – delicious, yes, but forbidden because of their astronomical fat content. But the truth is, they don’t have to be.

Fried foods’ reputation for being greasy is often well-deserved. With skillful preparation, though, you can enjoy your favorite fried foods without compromising your healthy diet.

Here are some tips for frying at home that will help you keep fried foods on the lighter side.

• Make sure your oil is at the proper temperature. Using a deep-fat thermometer will ensure you only add the food when the oil is hot enough. Allow time between batches for the oil to return to the correct temperature. If the oil is too cool, your food will soak it up and turn out greasy.

• Choose an oil that can withstand a high temperature. Peanut oil, canola oil, and sunflower oil all have a high smoke point (they can endure high heat without smoking).

• Consider using a stockpot or Dutch oven, rather than an electric fryer. A stove burner may be able to bring the oil back up to temperature more quickly than a countertop appliance.

• Or try a special deep fryer that spins the food after frying. This new technology is said to remove up to 55 percent of fat from the surface of the food.

• Use a breading recipe that calls for cornmeal, rice flour, or panko bread crumbs, which don’t absorb as much oil as all-purpose flour. Batters with leavenings such as baking soda will also help reduce oil absorption.

• Remember to place fried foods on paper towels to drain the excess oil when they’re finished cooking.

• Instead of deep frying, an lower-fat alternative is frying foods in a tablespoon or two of oil in a skillet to achieve a crispy crust, then finish cooking them on a sheet pan in the oven.

• For an even lighter variation, look for recipes that instruct you to coat the food with breading, coat it with a little spray oil, and bake it in the oven.

At Coventry Catering, we understand when health considerations are as important to you as great taste. We are always glad to accommodate special diets. Contact us to see how we can create a menu to suit your needs, from appetizers to desserts.

Visiting a farmers market in peak season can be exciting and a bit overwhelming. Everything looks so beautiful, but once you get it home, what will you do with it? It may feel easier just to go to the supermarket.

If you do that, though, you’ll be missing out on the tastiest food the Upper Valley has to offer, not to mention the health benefits of fresh, in-season produce.

With summer just ahead, farm stands and markets are gearing up to offer their annual bounty of locally produced fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, bread, artisan cheeses, and more. Why not plan to incorporate more local food into your diet this season? Here are some easy ways to do it.

• On grocery shopping day, visit your local farm stand first, before hitting the supermarket. Chances are good that many of the items on your grocery list are available at the farm stand.

• At the farmer’s market, chat with the vendors about their merchandise. They can offer simple and delicious recipes for the items you just bought.

• Talk with gardening friends and ask them to share their recipes. Buy a cookbook tailored around New England produce (for example, The Gaining Ground Table, published by Gaining Ground, a Massachusetts nonprofit hunger relief organization).

• Don’t be afraid to substitute. If a recipe calls for asparagus but it’s no longer available locally, use green beans or zucchini or whatever is abundant at the farm stand instead.

• When your favorite food is in season, buy extra and freeze it so you can enjoy it for months to come.

• Join a CSA (short for Community Supported Agriculture). By paying for your season’s produce in advance, you support your local grower and often receive a discount. And since you’ve paid for all those fresh vegetables, you have to use them!

• Grow your own! Nothing beats the flavor of a tomato warm from the sun or lettuce that was picked five minutes ago. When food tastes this good, very little is needed in the way of preparation.

• When you go out to eat at a restaurant or choose a caterer, inquire about their ingredients. Many Upper Valley restaurants and caterers make a point of incorporating local food in their menus as much as possible.

Entertaining guests from out of town? It’s nice to include a few of our local specialities on the menu. Call Coventry Catering to see how we can incorporate local food into your next event.

Always a great way to enhance a lunch or light supper on a raw day in March or April, a soup can be crafted from just about anything in your pantry, especially the leftovers. Two things set a soup apart – the texture of the content and the flavor of the broth. Pay attention to the spices you use, you can always add more but never less!

More and more companiess are celebrating their year end in January now and considering the decrease in catering activity early in the year it is a wise decision. Not only are most dates available but there is more room for negotiation .