SBB Gourmet Catering is pleased to announce that we have been recognized for excellence being selected by Style Me Pretty as one of its primary catering resources in the Santa Barbara and Malibu areas.  Head on over to their website to check out our company’s profile they have posted, and while you’re there, review some of their other fabulous and useful blog posts featuring some of the best and most qualified wedding professionals.  We are proud to be recognized and a part of Style Me Pretty’s elite group.

Sidney's new favorite treat

Head on over to the Santa Barbara Wedding Guide blog to see our guest post on some last minute holiday recipes you still have time to add to your festivities.

We like this dish because it is not as heavy as simple mashed potatoes. Use of the parsnips
gives the dish a lighter flavor as well as some nice texture.

Ingredients

1.5 lb peeled parsnips cut into ¾ inch slices
1 lb peeled russet potatoes. Peeled and cut into quarters
1 to 1 ½ cups milk or half & half
¾ stick of unsalted butter.
Salt and white pepper to taste
¼ cup shredded Vermont white cheddar cheese
1 tsp thinly sliced chives or green onion tops for garnish

Directions

Bring a 3 qt sauce pan ½ full of water to a rolling boil. Add the parsnips and potatoes and cook until tender.

Once tender strain in a colander in the kitchen sink and allow to drain.
Place the pan back on the heat and add milk and unsalted butter and heat until the butter is melted. Add the potatoes and parsnips back to pan and mash with a potato masher or stiff wire whisk until they reach your desired texture. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Fold in white cheddar and top with chives and serve.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple Ginger Glaze

Here is one of our favorite holiday side dishes that gives a twist on Mom’s traditional brown sugar and marshmallow bake.

Ingredients

2 Lb Garnet yams peeled and cubed in ¾ in cubes
2 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 cup maple syrup
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

In a stainless steel bow,l toss yams, olive oil, salt and pepper together and place in an oven proof baking dish. Roast in a pre-heated oven at 375 for about 20 min or until tender.

Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

In a small sauce pan combine ginger and syrup and place over low heat and allow to steep for about 20 min. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

When yams and glaze have cooled gently fold glaze and potatoes together making sure not to break the potatoes up too much.

Serve at room temp for a great holiday side dish.

Our chef and staff here at SBB Gourmet Catering field numerous phone calls throughout the holiday season from our friends, former clients, and family asking for instructions on how we make our prime rib.

So given the time of year and its popularity, prime rib cookery seemed a fitting subject for our holiday cooking demo. We are thrilled to share our insights with you, and are already counting down the days until our next video (we will be sure to let you know when).

Perfect Prime Rib

Ingredients
1 standing rib roast, preferably from the loin end, 1/2 lb per serving
Olive oil, to coat roast
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to cover entire roast
2-3 cups fresh beef stock
1/4 cup brewed coffee
4 fresh sage leaves

Directions

1. Pre-Heat your oven to 200 degrees F

2. Rub roast with olive oil. Remember to rub the bones with oil, as well. Cover the roast with salt, remember to be generous. Next, rub with freshly ground pepper to coat the surface. Place the roast in a stainless steel or glass bake-ware pan. Finally, place a probe thermometer into the center of the roast and set alarm for 118 degrees. (if your shooting for medium rare and who isn’t).

3. Put the roast into the 200 degree oven and roast till you reach 118 (our 4 bone roast took about 2 and a half hours) .

4. Remove the roast and turn oven up to 500 degrees F. Allow the roast to rest until an internal temperature of 125 degrees F. is reached and your roast stops rising in temperature. DON’T REMOVE THERMOMETER YET.

5. Place the roast back into the now 500 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until you’ve achieved your desired level of golden deliciousness. Remove and transfer roast to a cutting board. Keep covered with foil until ready to serve.

6. Meanwhile take advantage of the precious “little bits” (fond) to create your au jus. Pour off fat from pan and place on stove. Pour in 2-3 cups of beef stock and use a whisk to dissolve the fond into the sauce. Add a bit of coffee and a few fresh sage leaves for extra flavor and let reduce by about 1/2. Strain and serve on the side.

7. Remove thermometer probe and cut rib bones from roast (save for later) and slice your perfectly medium rare prime rib roast. Serve to your very impressed guests.

Sidney, David, Chef Jerry, Jessica, and all the rest at SBB Gourmet Catering hope that you and yours are enjoying the warmth and joy of this holiday season.

Too busy to prepare the gourmet holiday meal of your dreams?

Let SBB do all the work for you (we won’t tell).

Below are just a few of our favorite chilly weather offerings.  We can cater a full service meal for your entire company or simply provide the food for an intimate gathering at home with a handful of friends.

We also wanted to highlight the fantastic BD Farms stand we purchased the produce from. Bob Dautch has been attending the Tuesday and Saturday farmer’s market since they first began in the 1980’s. His philosophy of fresh, organic, and sustainable is presented in his selection of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and always has unique produce to bring to shoppers. What do they recommend from their stand? Pea tendrils, fava beans, and tangelos. Jason’s ingredient? Well, we lucked out on two: fava beans and mint. The effect is refreshing without sacrificing flavor. This is exactly what a Spring pasta should be.

Tagliatelle Pasta with Fava Beans, Mint, Guanciale & Parmesan

Ingredients:
5 portions cooked tagliatelle pasta (homemade recipe coming!)
2 cups shelled farmer’s market fresh fava beans
3 Tblsp fresh farmer’s market mint
¼ lb guanciale (cured pork – Italian bacon)
¼ c fresh reggiano parmesano
Salt and fresh pepper

Render guanciale in a large sautee pan for 2 minutes or until slightly brown. Discard half of the rendered fat and remove from heat.

Blanch fava beans in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes then shock them in ice water. Remove outer hull from blanched fava beans. Place fava beans in sautee pan with guanciale and return to heat.

Cook pasta in the boiling salted water for 1 minute then add pasta to fava beans and guanciale. Add mint, salt, and pepper to pasta with 2 oz of pasta water.

Toss all ingredients together and serve with a light topping of parmesan.

Hungry? We are.

Below is an interview we recently conducted with Armondo regarding his approach to assembling the perfect event. SBBGC is also looking forward to participating in the local Wedding Courtier Fair, which is the brain child of Armando’s. The Courtier Fair will be taking place on March 27, 2010 at the University Club from 2:00 to 6:00.

For more information on Armondo’s event planning services with Alegria By Design, or for more information on the Courtier Fair, you can search his website or use the following information to contact him directly:
www.alegriabydesign.com
armando@alegriabydesign.com
805.452.0450

All the Best ~ SBBGC

(SBBGC) How long have you been in this business?

I established Alegria by Design in 2001.
 

(SBBGC) How did you get your start?

I have a background in retail store design, visual direction, retail branding, photo shoot styling and project management. After taking some time off to reflect on what in life makes me happy, I created Alegria. Alegria reflects my personal dedication to beauty, style, cultural diversity and most importantly, happiness.
 

(SBBGC) What are the most important things that an event planner provides to a client?

I believe that having professional assistance is a wedding gift a bride and grooms give to themselves. From the day planning begins, through the final dance, I want my clients to relax and enjoy the experience. Designing an environment, developing and managing a budget, collecting vendor recommendations and interviewing vendors, not to mention coordinating the wedding day, can be a daunting task. For me, it all comes down to celebrating what matters most in our lives. I feel lucky to be a part of making memories.
 

(SBBGC) What sets a good event planner above the rest?

I begin by working with each couple to determine their dreams for the day: how they want the event to look and feel, what they want guests to remember, and how they envision the day unfolding. The most important thing for couples is to work with people they trust and enjoy, who can help them articulate exactly what they want from their wedding day. From there, all the other decisions come together so much more easily.
 

(SBBGC) What are some of this year’s trends in events and weddings

”Design with precision” and a trend to the “updated Classic” is what I’m experiencing. Excess and unnecessarily overly layered décor has been replaced with impactful placement, functional furniture and more personalization than ever! Soulful events that reflect personal style and tell a story or send a message transform a party to an event!
 

(SBBGC) What do you look for in a good food caterer?

I look for creativity in a caterer. Creating a menu that not only looks beautiful but tastes amazing, requires an innate artistry.
 

(SBBGC) What was your experience working with SBB Gourmet Catering

I refer SBB Gourmet Catering to my clients because I trust and have tremendous confidence in them. SBB Gourmet Catering offers excellent service, years of experience and incredible food at a great price! My reputation is everything and who I refer my clients to is critical. This is a tremendous and highly professional Santa Barbara catering company and to top it off, they are a lot of fun and joy to work with.
 

Armando Martinez
Alegria By Design
www.alegriabydesign.com
armando@alegriabydesign.com
805.452.0450

We provided the Museum’s guests with a dinner consisting of our Santa Barbara Pear Salad followed by a main course of Bistro Medallion of Beef and four cheese ravioli.  Dessert was chocolate cups with a seasonal treat of “Believe Berries”.   The dance floor filled quickly following dinner with the wonder of the season continuing to be felt throughout the evening. The Museum and event organizers truly put on an evening of magic to remember and we are proud that we were included.

We sincerely appreciate and thank Cori Arnold of the Museum staff for her comment about our food and service:  “SBB Gourmet Catering went beyond exceeding my expectations!  Sidney Adams-Raney and Bia Pessoa are highly organized and efficient and brought along a service crew that carries the same of professionalism.  The Santa Barbara Historical Museum staff and Board of Trustees have not stopped raving about the presentation and flavor of the cuisine.  We cannot say enough about what a pleasure it is to have worked with them as a caterer and anxiously await our next event together!”

We are excited about working with the Museum again too.   It is one of the great institutions of Santa Barbara and we feel honored to be one of their premier caterers.   Some of our photos from the “Remember The Magic” event are posted in a gallery below.  You can also find an expanded set of event photos taken by Amore Dolce Photography.  Amore Dolce did a fantastic job of capturing the beauty and energy and magic of the event.

Thank you again Santa Barbara Historical Museum for giving Santa Barbara Gourmet Catering the honor of catering your holiday fundraiser event!!!

Ode to SBB Gourmet Catering

We honestly can’t say enough about our experience with SBB Gourmet Catering. We are a couple who take our food VERY seriously, and our friends and family feel the exact same way. So picking our caterer and our menu for our wedding was one of the most important decisions to make once we started planning the event. And WOW – did we make the right decision. Sidney just got us - and the feeling we were trying to create for our wedding - right off the bat, which made the whole process nothing but pure, unadulterated FUN. And the food… Oh, the food!!! Everything was hot, fresh, beautifully prepared, and INCREDIBLY delicious. We were amazed and overwhelmed at the quality of the food – it felt like we were dining at a four-star restaurant, instead of at an outdoor buffet on a VERY cold night.

SBB Gourmet Catering exceeded all of our expectations, and helped make our wedding more special than we could have imagined. From the food to the staff — who were as just amazing as the cuisine — we could not have asked for a better experience. Or better food, for that matter! And our guests are still talking about how good the food was, two months after the wedding!

So thank you to Sidney and everyone at SBB Gourmet Catering – we hope to dine with you again soon!