Super Bowl. Valentine’s Day. A Birthday Party. These are all events that bring out the fun and love in everyone.

We at Bridge Catering were pleased to be able to help folks enjoy these events by providing the catering for several parties. One was a wonderful event to celebrate the birthday of a dear friend and her international guests from the German Consulate in Atlanta while enjoying the big game on TV.

The other was Joining Hearts’ annual Love on the Rocks party held at Bed Down in Atlanta.

Think of us the next time you want to create a memorable event!

Posted by D. Keith Hand, February 17, 2012

Grilled Vegetable Empanadas are a great appetizer or entree that even you carnivores will love. That’s because by swapping out the beef for portabella mushrooms you substitute a healthy alternative while not losing any flavor.

About this Recipe

Grilled Vegetable Empanadas are a great appetizer or entree that even you carnivores will love. That’s because by swapping out the beef for portabella mushrooms you substitute a healthy alternative while not losing any flavor.

Although these are delicious plain, you can optionally make a dipping sauce such as an aioli (mayonnaise) with cilantro or with ancho chili powder. Use your imagination.

If you have white carpet you can make these appetizers with chicken and season with wing sauce. Use Ranch or blue cheese as a dipping sauce and you have a great Super Bowl item thats not nearly as messy with as wings!

Directions

Step 1
	Grill your vegetables or oven roast them if you would like. Drain and chill. Season with your favorite spices. I personally like cummin, garlic, etc. with this presentation.
Step 2
	Put a small chop on your vegetable and drain. You will want to keep draining your vegetables so that they are as dry as possible and do not leak from the pastry. Add your favorite cheese. I suggest one that melts nicely and is sort of gooey. Personally I like to use farmers goat cheese.
Step 3
	Gently mix your filling and drain again as the vegetables will continue to water taste your filling to make sure your happy with your seasonings.
Step 4
	I use frozen puff pastry. You can make your own, but when you have to make 300 it becomes very labor intensive. Cut the pastry into a 5×5 Inch square. You can go larger or smaller if you prefer. Your pastry should be cold, but not frozen, as you will want some pliablity when you are folding them.
Step 5
	Use a scoop to place filling in the millde of the square, making sure the mixture is not too wet. I like to work with about six at a time.
Step 6
	Fold on the diagonal forming a triangle. Pick the whole empanada up and begin folding at one corner working a rolled seam all the way to the other corner. It will take some practice. If you use a fork to crimp the edges you run the risk of it opening while baking.
Step 7
	Bake at 350 ( timing depends on oven ) until golden and brush with butter.

Posted by D. Keith Hand, January 31, 2012

With Christmas being on a Sunday this year the week before Christmas will be an “in office” week for many folks. The staff will be busy with end of the year business, while at the same time looking forward to a relaxing holiday week.

If you’re looking for something to serve at the office, either for an informal staff luncheon to rally the troops or the annual holiday gathering (it’s not too late to squeeze that in!) our signature Scarlett Chicken is the perfect solution.

One of our more popular items, Scarlett Chicken features pan seared boneless chicken breast with roasted red and yellow peppers in a rich and creamy white sauce. It’s a great alternative to the turkey and ham, and  provides a great bridge between holiday meals.

We are featuring this entree, served with a Bridge salad, bouquetier of fresh vegetables and festive holiday desserts for only $14.95 per person.

Call us today at 404-815-8888 or submit your request online using our simple form, and we’ll do the rest!

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Posted by D. Keith Hand, December 15, 2011

We at Bridge Catering are very proud of our involvement in the metro Atlanta community. Last evening we were honored to be able to provide the hors d’oeuvres for the Joining Hearts “Wish List Party” to benefit the families of Jerusalem House and the Teen Program of AID Atlanta.

Joining Hearts, Inc., is a 501 (c)(3), all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to providing housing support to people living with HIV and AIDS in Atlanta, Georgia. 2012 marks their 25th year committed to this cause. While the events they produce have evolved over the years, one aspect has never changed: 100% of every dollar raised through ticket sales and tips is donated to their beneficiaries: AID Atlanta and Jerusalem House.

Posted by Admin, December 12, 2011

Even as a child I can remember my mother and my grandmother talking about the Japanese Fruitcake. I remember Mary Pritchard who lived across the street from my home while growing up discussing with my mother the secrets of the Japanese Fruitcake. I can picture it even being a scene in Jean Shepard’s  The Christmas Story. “Japanese Fruitcake is an exotically named, typically Southern dessert cake, especially popular in the twentieth century. This same cake was once called Oriental cake, but there is nothing of the Far East about it, except the spices, none of which is Japanese in origin. Like Lane Cake and Lady Baltimore, Japanese Fruitcake is one of the Edwardian dessert extravaganzas with its rich fruit and nut fillings hidden under mounds of fluffy white icing.”—Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie, Bill Neal [Alfred A. Knopf:New York] 1990 (p. 295) At Bridge Catering we change the recipes around by alternating the number of spice cake layers by white or yellow layers. This is a sweeter version, almost like the famed Seven Up Cake recipe.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Add flour mixture alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and mix well.
3. Divide batter into thirds. Pour one third into each of the two prepared pans. To the remaining one third of batter, add the spice layer ingredients, folding in well. Pour into the remaining prepared pan. Bake all layers 25 to 30 minutes. Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. To prepare the filling and topping, stir together sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add water, pineapple, coconut, and lemon juice and zest. Stir together and cook over medium heat until thick enough to spread onto cake layers. Remove from heat; stir in cherries, and allow to cool slightly.
5. To assemble cake, stack one plain layer, top with a thin layer of filling; add spice layer and more filling. Top with remaining plain layer. Spread remaining filling over the top and sides of cake. Spread cake with 7-Minute Frosting (recipe below) if you like.

Serves 16 to 20

7-Minute Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup wate
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. (If this happens, it could cause your frosting to become grainy.) Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.

“Japanese Fruitcake. This beloved Southern fruitcake bears little resemblance to the traditional fruitcake. It begins with a yellow cake, the batter is divided, then two-thirds of it is enriched with raisins and spices. I’ve never encountered Japanese Fruitcake outside the South, in fact rarely out of the Carolinas. And then mostly at Christmastime in the homes of friends. Nor have I ever heard any explanation of its unusual name; certainly there is nothing Japanese about Japanese Fruitcake…While I can’t prove it, I feel certain Japanese Fruitcake belongs to the twentieth century. I have rarely seen recipes for it beyond community fund-raiser cookbooks and in these only from the ’30s onward.” —American Century Cook Book, Jean Anderson [Clarkson Potter:New York] 1997 (p. 430)

This is similar to Paula Dean’s recipe from her grandmother and I often add pecans, walnuts, currants, raisens, white raisens, pears or apples to make variations on the cake. This is a fun recipe to enjoy while its raining or snowing and the fireplace is glowing… One of my favorites for the holiday season…

Posted by D. Keith Hand, December 6, 2011

One of the best parts about being the proprietor of Bridge Catering is the early morning shopping at the Georgia State Farmers Market. I arrive around 4:00 a.m. to get the best products and the lowest prices. I can then be to my shop in Midtown Atlanta with fresh product for our staff to prepare. This gives you a great quality and freshness that you cant see from a produce truck because those items, even at their freshest, are already a day old. I’ve been going to the market long enough to know the suppliers, and can usually haggle on price to get the best bargains.

Posted by D. Keith Hand, November 28, 2011

In Hawaii, guava fruit is eaten with soy sauce and vinegar. Occasionally, a pinch of sugar and black pepper are added to the soy sauce and vinegar mixture. The guava fruit is cut up and dipped into the sauce. In Pakistan and India, guava fruit is often eaten raw, typically cut into quarters with a pinch of salt and pepper and sometimes cayenne powder/masala. Street vendors often sell guava fruit for a couple of rupees each. In the Philippines, ripe guava is used in cooking sinigang. The fruit is also often prepared as a dessert, in fruit salads. In Asia, fresh guava slices are often dipped in preserved prune powder or salt. In India it is often sprinkled with red rock salt, which is very tart. We make a simple Guava Cake. Here’s the recipe:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup guava pulp
• 1/2 cup guava nectar
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 13×9 inch pan.

1. Sift together flour, nutmeg, soda, cinnamon, and cloves.
2. In another bowl, mix together guava pulp and juice.
3. In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Add flour mixture and guava mixture alternately to creamed mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30-35 minutes.

When entertaining I like to set up an action station. One that I have been fond of is the Lobster Roll Slider Station. You can use a flat top griddle on you stove or you can use a pancake griddle and make it a remote station if you prefer. I keep the recipe very simple, just like in Provincetown, with mayonnaise, celery and lobster with a butter grilled slider bun.

Our guests really flip over the hot and cold as well as the simple cold lobster salad. This is a new tradition, but is well received by my Southern mother! It’s also a great idea for a cocktail party or an “interactive” family dinner. If you’re not up for preparing the entire meal, let your guests bring the side dishes. For variety, you can also salmon, chicken, Ahi tuna instead of lobster. The possibilites are endless!

Posted by D. Keith Hand, November 22, 2011

• Plan your oven space: electric roasters and crock pots can be used to free up valuable oven space.
• When you’re making your prep sheet for Thursday you can assemble many casseroles ahead of time. Pull them out of the fridge and bake them off at the last minute, thus giving you fresh piping hot results.
• Traditional recipes are always a staple but try to introduce something new to the menu that will become a tradition. Here is something the younger people will be intrigued by: at Bridge Catering we are doing Buffalo Chicken Sliders as well as Grilled and Chilled Salmon and Bacon Sliders while everyone gathers before the big meal. You might think of this as a winning combination for the “Tailgaters and the Sophisticatoes.”
• Many of our Christmas decorations are assembled from when we trim the evergreen limbs from the bottom of the tree., including wreaths and fireplace mantels. I even tie my own garlands when the timing is right. Make sure all lighting for the tree is working properly and the tree stand is substantial for the size tree you are planning. The electric cord you use to run up the base of the tree should be designed to hold multiple light sets and you should always only plug in the instructed number of lights end to end and plug to plug. Have the fire extinguisher out and ready to us and make sure everyone knows where it is.

Posted by D. Keith Hand, November 20, 2011

Wrapping a turkey in bacon has been a little secret of mine for years, and now its in “style.” Preparation is very simple: use as much (or little) bacon as you like. If its a large bird you might want to add it on the last hour and a half so it doesn’t burn, depending on your roasting temperature.

Try it this year and let me know how it turns out. Of course, if you want someone to cook your entire Thanksgiving dinner for you, call me!

This post is dedicated to my good friend John “I Love Bacon” Harr.

Posted by D. Keith Hand, November 19, 2011