La Brunche Vita: Small Bites Brunch at She's Unique

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine, Kat asked me to put together a menu for the anniversary party of her fabulous jewelry store, She’s Unique.  This is my first catering gig in the US and the first one which does not involve solely cupcakes.   There were various elements of the event which I used as inspiration.  Her store is located on a small space in Old Town Alexandria and her handpicked jewelry selections are gorgeous and delicate.  I felt the best way to entertain a group of around 25 people in a small space is to make small bites.  It gives guests freedom of movement to go about the store.  In this setting, the last thing you want to be is confined by the food.  After all, the ladies were invited to try on her latest jewelry collections.

One of the key points of entertaining is knowing your guests.  If you don’t know them, ask the host to give you an idea of what they like.  It would be awful to serve bacon wrapped everything to a health conscious group or a carb free menu to a group of runners.  Kat’s guests were mostly fashion bloggers and I know the ladies like to stay in shape.  Given the crowd, I kept the menu light with some little indulgences.  Cava Mezze sent me some delicious dips, one hummus with feta and the other a very spicy harissa.  I prepared a veggie platter of celery, carrots, and red peppers to compliment the dips.  It took us 5-10 minutes to assemble it.  So easy, I made it again a week later for the Dutchman’s birthday party.  I followed with mini cornbread with orange zest and rosemary, a very easy recipe I found on Martha Stewart Living.

Mini quiches are another easy way to feed a group. Best part, it can be done the night before as it taste as delicious warm or room temperature.  Half of the batch I prepared with sauteed spinach and goat cheese and the other half with crumbled bacon and Gruyere cheese. This was complimented with mini pancakes made with a basic buttermilk pancake recipe but I put the batter on mini muffin tins and baked in the oven, topped with fresh strawberries, and pure maple syrup to dip.  A low carb option to the classic canapé is to make it with cucumbers.  I sliced the cucumber thick enough to hold the topping of smoked salmon.  For a sweet finish, I made mini cheesecakes with a speculaas (a traditional Dutch cookie) crust and topped with fresh raspberries.  It looked and tasted delicious.

Mini Cornbread Photo by It's Julien

A small bite menu is an excellent choice for larger groups and stand up groups.   One of the things I enjoyed about this menu were the colors.  The reds of the berries, the colors of the veggie plates, and the yellow of the cornbread.  It really complimented the white décor of the space and the mimosa bar Kat put together for her guests. Entertaining can seem overwhelming, especially with larger groups.  The key is to plan ahead and know the tastes and needs of the guests.  My favorite sites for recipes are Martha Stewart Living and Epicurious, they truly make cooking look easy.