News
It’s not exactly news, but it’s getting to be that time of year again. Somehow once Halloween goes by, you blink and it’s Thanksgiving. Once again, La Cuisine has designed the Ultimate Stress Reducer, your Thanksgiving Feast from the Market.
The turkeys are the renowned Willy Birds – free range, all natural, no meat or by products in the feed, no growth inducers, no stuff. We brine these tasty treats in our secret blend and ready them for your oven, or roast them in ours, ready for pick up. We cannot guarantee Willy Birds after Wednesday, November 12th, but we will also offer other turkeys as well.
In addition to the whole turkeys, ready for the oven or roasted and wrapped, we have turkey breasts, and myriad starters, sides and extras including house made turkey stock and gravy.
From our Bakery – Pie, the way it should be. All Fresh, All Butter, No Mixes, Not Frozen, as well as our delectable Pumpkin Cheesecake. Order soon – we donate over 200 pies to Aids Project New Haven, and want to get your order on the list today!
The entire Ultimate Thanksgiving Menu is attached. Call today – orders close on Friday, November 21st.
Download our Thanksgiving 2008 Menu here in PDF format (96 KB).
Introducing… the FoodNews Blog!
The REAL NEWS is La Cuisine’s Blog. It’s true, I have been dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st century. The blog has a couple of unique features. You can always find our Weekly Specials, Weekend Specials, Blue Plate Specials, and the Market Prepared Foods menus on the blog. In addition, rather than waiting (and waiting, waiting, waiting) for the newsletter to make an appearance, which needs not only the writing from me but the extraordinary assistance of our web designer, Margaret (Peggi) Tehan, we Luddites can actually post this thing ourselves!! Peggi has set us up with a program that is pretty difficult to mess up no matter how hard we try, and we are off to the races. Peggi owns the graphics and web design firm, Margaret's Folly. Click here for her portfolio of designs.
The blog will have multiple voices, not just my own. Brendan, Betsey, Alena and other staff will contribute as we move forward. So… now it’s our turn to drag you, our loyal FoodNews readers, into the 21st century. If you would like to get notice of updates from our blog, please subscribe to a news feed reader such as Google Reader, Newsgator, or Bloglines. Once you’ve signed up with a news reader, you can click here to subscribe to our blog. As a subscriber, our blog updates will appear in your news reader as they happen. Isn't technology grand? Luddites rule!
Food
We have changed our approach to how we sell food in the Market. For the past year or so, we have displayed bowls and platters of our dishes that were priced by the pound. Many of you have said that it was confusing, hard to figure out how much you needed to feed 2, or 4, etc. Soooo, in response, we started packaging our case items in containers that are designed to serve 2. Each item is priced and packed, ready to be scanned and sold.
We have also added a few of the basics to the case. You will find our scrumptious mac ‘n’ cheese every day, as well as pasta with our house made marinara. We are committed to using our all natural chicken in such staples as Chicken Marsala, Chicken Florentine, etc.
We have tailored our pricing to the times we live in, so that it is economical to quickly and conveniently pick up dinner, warm it, and get a nutritious, delicious meal on the table. Remember to check the FoodNews Blog for the daily menus.
All items packed for 2, priced per container
All Natural Chicken ................ $8.95
All Natural Beef ................ $9.95
Fresh Atlantic Salmon ................ $14.95
Fresh Pork ................ $8.95Vegetable Dishes ................ $3.95
Grains ................ $3.95
Potatoes ................ $3.95
Pasta, including Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Marinara, etc ................ $5.95Soups – pints ................ $ 4.50
Soups – quarts ................ $8.50Other items, such as crab cakes, salmon cakes, etc., TBD.
Events
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Well, I finally got to be a guest at not one, but three events La Cuisine completed in exemplary fashion. Hartland, Vermont was the setting for Brendan and Christina’s wedding the first weekend of October. A team of six made the journey with two large trucks, joining another 18 staff we had hired locally.
Friday night’s dinner for 80 was an Italian Extravaganza at the Sumner Mansion Inn. Uli and his crew put out a tantalizing antipasti featuring select cheese, authentic salumi, Serrano ham, and a variety of hors d’oeuvre including his renowned risotto fritters. The buffet included a White Spinach and Roasted Eggplant Lasagne, Wild Mushroom Strozapretti with Woodland Mushrooms, Garlic and Parsley, and an incredibly rich Bolognese over Rigatoni. Beverages were a diverse lot, including a 6 liter bottle of 1993 La Jota Howell Mountain Cab, that was simply exquisite – balanced, smooth, deep velvet flavors that perfectly complimented the dinner.
Saturday found 180 guests gathered at the local church for a brief ceremony, after which Brendan and Christina jumped into a horse drawn carriage for the 2 mile ride up the mountain to the reception. A cool but crystal clear fall day provided the backdrop for a festive tent strewn with pumpkins, gourds, mums and apples, as well as colorful centerpieces that stood out against gold flecked orange linen. Bren had picked some of his favorite West coast and East coast cheeses, which were enjoyed together with passed nibbles including Corn and Red Pepper Fritters, Serrano wrapped Shrimp with Romesco, our infamous Tuna and Shiitake Sliders, Harvest Spring Rolls with Nuoc Cham, and more.
Once guests were seated, staff poured steaming bowls of Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque, the perfect way to warm up after the outdoor cocktail hour. The evening’s buffet included Hangar Steak with Roast Mushrooms, Chicken and Leeks with Vadouvan, Fresh Herb Gnocchi, Roast Harvest Vegetables, three different salads, and an incredible selection of bread from Pané E Salute, an authentic artisanal bakery in Woodstock. We ordered crusty, full flavored sourdoughs and yeast breads, including walnuts, raisins, white and wheat flour, some with olive oil, rosemary, etc. If you are ever in Woodstock, definitely stop in.
Celie made the trip with us, and finished the wedding cake on site. Dark, rich devil’s food cake was interleaved with Pear Mousse and Milk Chocolate Mousse, topped with White Chocolate Buttercream. Incredible!!! Myriad miniature pastry topped off the evening.
On Sunday, the team had Brunch ready at 9. While it was pretty chilly outside, the tent heaters, hot chocolate and our Rwandan coffee warmed everyone up. An array of our coffee cakes and bagels accompanied strata, potatoes and a beautifully glazed ham. Goodbyes were said, the tent broken down, and the trucks were headed south by 2pm. Our crew did an incredible job, and yes, I managed to be a guest. A proud, happy, extremely well fed guest!
COOKING OR BAKING CLASSES?
P.S. Are you interested in cooking and/or baking classes in January and February? Would you like to combine them with dinner in the Café? Please drop me a note and let me know what you think at .
— Ben
© 2007 – 2008.
Published as often as time allows by Ben Bloom and La Cuisine Café • Market • Catering.
All articles written by Ben Bloom unless otherwise noted. All photos copyright Ben Bloom unless otherwise noted.
La Cuisine Café • Market • Catering
750 East Main Street
Branford, CT 06405
email:
Phone: 203.488.7100
Fax: 203.488.7144