Caterers and chefs share holiday food and drink ideas
By Sara Perez Webber
It’s almost that time of year—when events are extra festive and the food extra indulgent. To help inspire your holiday menus, we asked caterers and chefs to share tips, strategies and recipes.
Sweet Hot Chocolate Bar
Bill Hansen Catering (billhansencatering.com)
Bill Hansen Catering in Miami suggests creating a festive hot chocolate bar at a holiday event. The cocoa can be spiked or traditional, but the key is to make the bar visual. Keep the hot chocolate warm in a teapot or kettle (use a hot plate, if needed), and display all toppings in Mason jars with labels. The Bill Hansen team has served up such toppings as marshmallows, toffee bits, coarse sea salt, mini chocolate chips, crushed peppermints, candy canes, soft peppermint sticks, Whoppers, Lindt truffles, Pirouette cookies, whipped cream, dark chocolate syrup and caramel sauce.
Holiday Meals Finished at Home
Table & Twine (tableandtwineclt.com)
Best Impressions Caterers, based in Charlotte, N.C., launched Table & Twine (T&T)—chef-prepared meals for pickup or delivery, to be finished at home—as a way to save jobs after the event industry collapsed in spring 2020 due to Covid-19. The concept quickly caught on, and T&T expanded into Charleston, S.C.
Chefs prepare the meals up to a certain point, then you just finish them at home,” says Melissa Sutherland, Table & Twine’s COO. “They’re very fresh, very simple, and usually take 15 minutes to finish.”
Table & Twine, which just launched a subscription process, rotates meals every week, with six for customers to choose from. Their holiday packages accounted for Table & Twine’s biggest sales months last year—and Sutherland expects business to be even better this year.
It takes the stress out of people having to worry about cooking for the holidays,” she says.
Table & Twine’s Thanksgiving package includes a no-prep, oven-ready whole turkey, brined fresh in a shallot, thyme, sage, garlic and maple syrup brine; savory brioche stuffing; cranberry chutney; and traditional turkey gravy. Sides include such options as creamed kale and butternut squash gratin, buttermilk mashed potatoes, braised collards and wild mushrooms, and sweet potato casserole, while desserts include Tar Heel pie (described as “the perfect combination of a traditional pecan pie and a fudgy, chewy brownie”) and salted caramel Dutch apple pie. Customers can also order a la carte appetizers, cocktail mixes and a next-day brunch.
For Hanukkah, the main is braised beef brisket, with sides such as matzo ball soup and sweet noodle kugel; while the Christmas dinner features whole roasted beef tenderloin alongside such sides as roasted shallot and smoked gouda potato au gratin, and baked macaroni and cheese. Both holiday dinners also include dessert and optional appetizers.
I think we will have repeat holiday customers from last year, and word is spreading about just how good it was,” says Sutherland. “We’ve put a lot more into our marketing since our launch, and our customer base has continued to grow.”
Thanksgiving Classics With a Twist
Courtyard By Marriott & Springhill Suites by Marriott Amelia Island (marriott.com)
Chef Niko Anagnostou, executive chef and director of food and beverage at the new Courtyard By Marriott & Springhill Suites by Marriott Amelia Island in Florida, adds flavor and interest to his Thanksgiving menus by putting his own spin on the preparation. Chef Niko breaks down the turkey, cooking the breasts separately—usually by roasting but sometimes sous vide—then finishing in a hot oven. He prepares the legs confit-style, with herbs, garlic and onions flavoring the oil. “It comes out really tender,” he says. “I then pull the meat apart and use it in my green beans.”
After using a food mill to ensure the mashed potatoes are smooth, Chef Niko prepares them with “loads” of butter—“about 40% butter to 60% potato,” he says. Creamed corn and dried apricots are added to the corn-based dressing. “Cranberry sauce is a must,” he says. Chef Niko combines a bag of fresh cranberries with a cup of dried cranberries; covers them with orange juice, a tablespoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a cup of brown sugar; and cooks until desired thickness.
And my all-time fave is Thanksgiving Grilled Cheese the next day,” he adds. Chef Niko takes thick sourdough boule slices, buttered and grilled with Havarti cheese on both sides, and layers with cranberry sauce, mayonnaise, pulled dark meat, dressing and green onions, finally dipping the sandwich in gravy. “Best thing ever!” he enthuses.
Creative Cocktails and Garnishes
Cameron Mitchell Premier Events (cameronmitchellpremierevents.com)
Cameron Mitchell Premier Events (CMPE) in Columbus, Ohio, will feature several seasonal festive cocktails and mocktails this holiday season. “Many of our drinks have simple modifications to tailor them to different tastes,” says Melissa Johnson, vice president of Cameron Mitchell Premier Events and Community Relations.
Examples include the Honey Roasted Pear cocktail, which “is very easy to modify three different ways: zero proof for a mocktail, with champagne for that festive feel or with vodka/whiskey for a more spiritous twist,” notes Johnson. “Our chefs serve this with a brown sugar rim and a rosemary sprig.”
CMPE also offers three cocktails in kits, available to pick up and mix at home when ready. They include the Cranberry Mule—a twist on the Moscow Mule, adding cranberry juice and a sugared cranberry garnish; the Winter Bourbon Smash; and the Flannel.
Perfect for the holidays are champagne enhancements!” adds Johnson. “Our favorite is to pop open a bottle of bubbles and add our honey and Grand Marnier syrup-soaked strawberries.”
Johnson also suggests infused vodkas for the holidays. “For Candy Cane Vodka, take four to six full-size traditional candy canes and two cups of vodka. Put these ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and allow it to sit for 30-60 minutes. The strength of flavor may be adjusted with the time it sits. Strain the vodka into a clean glass jar. Other ideas are to infuse vodka with orange peel, cloves and cinnamon. This would sit in a glass jar for 2-3 days with a couple good shakes a day; then strain into a clean jar.”
For holiday cocktail garnishes, Johnson suggests candy canes or crushed candy cane rims, cinnamon sticks, cranberry skewers, orange peels twisted on a skewer, sprigs of herbs, cotton candy, mini pie tartlets, and rims with sugars or edible glitter.
Holiday Meals In a Box
Cameron Mitchell Premier Events (cameronmitchellpremierevents.com)
Bill Hansen Catering in Miami suggests creating a festive hot chocolate bar at a holiday event. The cocoa can be spiked or traditional, but the key is to make the bar visual. Keep the hot chocolate warm in a teapot or kettle (use a hot plate, if needed), and display all toppings in Mason jars with labels. The Bill Hansen team has served up such toppings as marshmallows, toffee bits, coarse sea salt, mini chocolate chips, crushed peppermints, candy canes, soft peppermint sticks, Whoppers, Lindt truffles, Pirouette cookies, whipped cream, dark chocolate syrup and caramel sauce.
