The Line Up 12.2.10

Giving Back Cheer

 To Order Tickets $15.00  843-868-1GBC (1422)

Each December for nineteen years, Families Helping Families has worked to insure that no Lowcountry family is left out of the spirit of the holiday season. They fill specific requests and needs from families including clothing, household necessities and toys. Last year this partnership between Palmetto Project and Lowcountry businesses, churches, and individuals provided assistance to over 750 local families in need.

We truly do take everyday necessities for granted and sometimes forget that there are so many people out there that can use just simple basic fundamental items. The donations we pull together will not only help one family, but hopefully many during the holiday season this year.

Palmetto Project is a local charity (www.palmettoproject.org) that is a catalyst for innovation. Through special partnerships with governments, businesses, civic groups, schools, and religious organizations, they strive to bring a fresh, entrepreneurial spirit to the challenge of building successful communities in a great state. The Palmetto Project is a private, non-profit initiative to put new and creative ideas to work in South Carolina. Led by the belief that every problem faced by communities in our state is being solved by someone somewhere, we bring together citizens, corporations, and governmental agencies to find good ideas and put them to work statewide.

THE FOOD & BEVERAGE LINE UP 

 

Mix of Charleston Bartending Service 

( link to site )

Lucy Sweets

( link to site )

Newton Farms Catering

( link to site )

Iverson Catering

( link to site )

 

New Dream Catering

( link to site )

Gourmet Bay Catering

( link to site )

List of All Sponsors and Supporters.

THE GOVERNOR THOMAS BENNETT HOUSE
KNOLOGY
ABC NEWS
VIRGINIA COLLEGE
LOWCOUNTRY RENOVATIONS AND SIDING
A CHARLESTON EVENT & Bridal Library
EVENT WORKS RENTALS
ROPER ST. FRANCIS
NEW DREAM CATERING
NEWTON FARMS CATERING
IVERSON CATERING/BRICK LANE CATERING
GOURMAY BAY CATERING
MIX BARTENDING SERVICES
ARTISTIC CAKES BY LINDA BLACKWELL
LUCY SWEETS
VIAMEDIA
ND RICHARDSON GRAPHICS
LIVE 5 NEWS
MATUMEDIA
THE LOW COUNTRY BUSINESS NETWORK
RICHARD BELL PHOTOGRAPHY
HEAD TURNER STUDIOS
CONNIE DUGLIN LINENS
WHITE TUXEDO PRODUCTIONS
ANASTAPOULO & CLORE, LLC

Supporters and Donations

Charleston RIver Dogs
Holly Herrick
Dreamland Images
Sally Bettes Resort Shop
DiSalvo's Pasta
Charleston Battery Soccer
Nicholas Lane Jewelry
Amen Street
Ansonborough Inn
Hilton Garden Inn
Holiday Inn Airport
Betty Holland Designs
Earthling Day Spa
Elegant by Design Jewelry
Marion's Charleston - French Quarter
Pearly Gates Jewelry
Charleston Celebrations
Middleton Place
A Wonderful Wedding Bridal Show
Twenty Six Drive
Precision Financial Services
The Inn at Middleton Place
Charleston Florals
Escapada
2 East Battery Inn Bed and Breakfast
Hall's Chophouse

Find Time for Loved Ones

Braised Lamb Shank

 

 

  New Dream Catering.Com

Over the years life has changed for many of us. We seem to have gotten very busy with all that life has given us. You probably won't have time to spend with every one you would like to on the actual holiday day. Why not get together with friends or loved ones right before or after holidays such as Thanksgiving & Christmas. I have started a fun concept in Charleston that I call " The Chef's Table " . Its a way for friends and family to get together in the comfort of their own homes and have an amazing meal cooked and served to them by a Chef with 25 years of culinary experience. I bring the food, china, pots, and wait-staff depending on the amount of guest. To date I have done 17 Chef Tables since being in Charleston. They all have been a great success !

\Fresh Herb Encrusted Pork Tenderloin topped with Wild Mushroom & Sundried Tomato Marsala served with Basil Smashed Fingerling Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus

Give the gift of having a night off. Time is the most valuable thing we have and what a great idea to be able to share time with family & friends. Gift Certificates start at $250.00 and are available by clicking this LINK  or calling 843.475.4849

http://thelowcountrybusinessnetwork.com

The Lowcountry Business Network is about leveraging the effectiveness of social media locally with the powerful relationship building of face-to-face meetings. TLCBN can help you find the right businesses for products and services you need while promoting your own business. There is nothing like this in Charleston!

Fresh Jumbo Ravioli

Chef Eric S. Gaffin @ New Dream Catering

Jumbo Ravioli filled with Grass Fed Ricotta Cheese, Wild Chanterelle Mushrooms, Fresh Spinach & Egg Yolk topped with Sauteed Chanterelle, Lobster and Truffle Butter

Basic Pasta Ingredients

2 egg, beaten, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 cup all-purpose flour, 4 tablespoons water 

In a medium sized bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water. 

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width.  

In saute pan cook 3 cups of Chanterelle Mushrooms (very expensive around $29.00 per pound a good substitute for this dish will Shitake Mushrooms) cook until tender the add 3 pounds of Fresh Spinach (must be fresh if you use frozen it will add to much water to filling) the add chopped fresh garlic and cook until all ingredients are tender, then place pan in fridge until cools down completely.

In a small mixing bowl add 3 cups of Grass Fed Ricotta Cheese (any good ricotta will do) then add Mushroom, Spinach and Garlic mixture to the Ricotta.

 

NOW TIME TO MAKE A JUMBO RAVIOLI !!

Dust counter top with semolina flour or all purpose flour. Cut pasta sheets about 5 inches long and 5 inches wide and start to fill them up with some love. On one sheet place about 3 tablespoons of ricotta filling making a well in the middle of mixture. Now grab a egg and separate the egg yolk by cracking egg carefully and placing it in your palm of hand and let the whites of egg just run through your fingers, keeping fingers closed to save the yolk from falling out. ( good luck with that move)  Place egg yolk in well of cheese mixture ( like photo above) Now with your fingers, get them wet with water and rub along the edges of ravioli get it nice and wet. Place another pasta sheet on top and press with fingers, being careful not to break egg yolk. Once that is done take a standard fork and press around the whole ravioli.

 

Chef Eric S. Gaffin @ New Dream Catering

Chef Eric S. Gaffin @ New Dream Catering

Dust a pan with semolina flour or all purpose and place made ravioli on pan. You place them in flour so they wont stick to pan and themselves. Like picture below.

Chef Eric S. Gaffin @ New Dream Catering

Making The Sauce: Get a saute pan hot then add extra virgin olive oil add 1 cup diced Lobster Tail start to saute then add 1 cup Chanterelle Mushrooms 1 1/4 cup Chicken Stock let that boil for a few reducing to half the liquid then hit it with 2 tablespoons of Truffle Butter ( can be bought at store) In a boiling pot of water place the raviolis one at a time and cook for about 7 minutes. Place ravioli on plate and spoon some lobster & Mushroom sauce on top and that is it.

 

Chef Eric S. Gaffin @ New Dream Catering

Thank you for viewing my Blog. I hope you enjoy !!

   

Yummy Yum Yum, Pork Brociole

I mean really, what kind of Chef does 6 blogs and doesn't do one about food ? Not sure what I was thinking. Here is a great dish that is just plain yummy. You hopefully know by now  New Dream Catering  is known for fresh food that taste great. I would like to share this simple recipe with you, one of my favorites. To know me is to know braising meats of any kind is what I like to eat, from Osso Bucco, Short Ribs, Briskets and  Stuffed Pork Brociole, 

Now this how I have been making Pork Brociole for years. Remember, there is only one way to do this wrong and that is not to make it taste Yummy Yum Yum .

Before being Braised, Please note the radio behind the Brociole, very important ingredient for me to have while cooking.

Pre-Heat oven at 375 degrees.
First take a nice "fresh pork loin" fat side facing up. I like to cut them in half. It is easier to work with. Cut into it from the side and only cut half way through to the center and open it like a book. Now carefully slice from the center of each half and slice all the way down, but not all the way through and open that up like a book. At this point you "should" have 4 flaps of Pork opened like a book again, should "almost" be flat on your cutting board (did I forget to mention, you should be cutting this on a clean cutting board. "If you just cut the Pork on your counter top, please for you own sake don't tell anyone and make sure you clean your counter top really good" You may get someone sick or worse, dull your knife. OK, time to fill this bad boy tie and roll it up with some yummy stuff. Now you can use any ingredients you want. I like to stuff it with Ground Sausage (Homemade of course, as if you didn't know that by now) Spinach, Raisins, Roasted Red Peppers, Fontina Cheese and Onions "all raw") I make my sausage with equal parts ground veal & pork I add to taste (to taste: meaning how I like it to taste, Same goes for you) Coriander, Cumin, Fennel Seed, Garlic, Fresh Oregano, Fresh Basil and S&P. 
 IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have dried herbs, you know that crazy little spinning thing on your counter that has basil, rosemary and a bunch of other dried old herbs on it that has been on your counter for 8 years, just pick it up now and toss in the trash. Chances are if you haven't used them yet, you won't.  You will be OK with out them. Use Fresh Herbs they are cheep and makes a world of difference in the taste of food. Now that you place the sausage and all other ingredients in the middle of this huge Pork flap, remember don't over fill it, we still have to roll it up and tie it. Now take one side and just start rolling it like a cigar. Now you can either toothpick the ends close or be a sport and try to tie it. Wrap it with some rope (twine) . Place the Brociole in a baking pan (look at picture above) add a whole bottle of white wine, 2 cups of chicken or pork stock, garlic cloves cut in half, some diced celery, carrots, onions, and a few cans of whole peeled tomatoes. Then add your Fresh Herbs, since you hopefully threw out that darn spice rack. The pork should be covered in all the sauce and ready to cover with tinfoil. Now your oven does the rest. Place pan and oven for 3.5 hours. Once in oven just let it cook. You don't have to check on it, play with it or anything. Just put in oven and pull out 3.5 hours later. The below is what it should look like when you pull it out of the oven.

After Being Braised for 3.5 Hours at 375 Degrees

Now take the pork out of pan and place back on that cutting board. Which hopefully with in the 3.5 hours it took to cook you have washed that board by now. Slice, place on plate and add some of that sauce right on top !!!  If you have any questions just email me at eric.gaffin@NewDreamCatering.com Look at picture below. I hope yours came out as good as this.

Pork Brociole stuffed with Homemade Sausage, Spinach, Onions, Raisins, Fontina Cheese and Roasted Red Peppers

They say it better than I can !

 I have learned over the past 25 years if someone can do it better than you, let them. "A good idea doesn't mind who owns it". 
I will let those who hire New Dream Catering write this weeks blog. Thank you all for your kind words. It truly is a honor to work with you all.

White Tuxedo Productions

The Perfect Italian menu can only come from one place. New Dream Catering. Working with Chef Eric Gaffin and his team was an amazing experience.  My authentically New York bride and her family were thrilled to see such detail go into food preparation and presentation. Truly from the tasting all the way to the very last moment on site, I can not think of anyone else that I would rather work with. In the wedding business, sometimes things get thrown at you last moment. It is how vendors work in the heat of the moment that tells the entire story. Eric certainly gets the bigger picture and is a welcome member of the Lawson Roberts and White Tuxedo Productions Team! I look forward to using New Dream again and for many years to come.

Lawson Roberts

White Tuxedo Productions

Erin Sage Photography

You and your team rocked it out Friday night! The food was amazing- your team so professional. I cannot begin to thank you enough for being a part of making my sister's big day perfect

Erin Foushe

Erin Sage Photography 

 

A Charleston Event

We have had the extreme pleasure of working with New Dream Catering on many weddings and special events.  As an planner, we look for unsurpassed service, attention to detail and the most professional staff on all our events.  New Dream Catering not only fits every one of these criteria, they have always gone beyond.  The creative menu options and overall presentation leaves our clients satisfied each and every time.  We are proud to recommend New Dream Catering to anyone who is looking for fabulous catering options for their wedding or special event.  You will not be disappointed.

Elyn Rahman

A Charleston Event

Winship Productions

“We have had the privilege of working with numerous caterers in and around Charleston, but to work with the team of New Dream, really is a dream!  Some caterers have a great team and mediocre food, others have delicious food but lack the personal flair, New Dream has both! From the first contact with clients they are personable, friendly and ready to please.  New Dream Catering will truly make your dreams, a reality.”

Michael Winship 

Winship Productions

Why Hire a Event & Wedding Planner

While New Dream Catering is not a Event or Wedding Planning Company we stick to what we do and that is Fresh Food and Great Service. New Dream would love to recommend some wonderful Planners to you. I will be the first to say your Caterer, DJ, Pastry Chef and etc are not trained to be your Wedding & Event Planner. If they tell you they can plan your wedding or event  for you, RUN & FAST!!!!!

Leave it to the pros
Your wedding day should be the most fantastic day of your life, yet we always hear those bride horror stories  don’t let that be you. Make your first wedding phone call to a wedding planner because as the newly engaged, it is your responsibility to relax and enjoy. Before you know it, it will all be over.

I stumbled across this article the other day and quite frankly, as much as I love to write, I don’t think I could say it any better…

A wedding can be an incredibly scary undertaking, especially when you’re not sure where to start.
Weddings are among the most beautiful, yet most stressful events we have to look forward to in our lives. So why not invite a professional to lend a hand? There are a plethora of things in our daily lives that we need help with. A wedding should be no exception.
It can be scary to put your special moment into someone else’s hands, but with a little research, I think you will agree that going it alone is a far scarier prospect.

Time
Planning a wedding takes an incredible amount of time, especially if you want it done right.Average Wedding takes 240 hours to plan,  depending on the type of wedding you are looking to have, you may find it difficult to plan it all on your own. Having a wedding planner is like having a personal assistant who is there to do all of the calling, ordering, and looking after details that you may not have time to deal with As human beings, we often fall victim to procrastination. In what can be an extremely high-stress situation, there is little room for putting things off. Many women go into the wedding planning process without knowing the first thing about time lines, and that can lead to some preventable disasters down the road. Do not waste another minute worrying about what you don’t have time to do. Get back on track by hiring a wedding planner.

Knowledge
Here’s a novel idea: Wedding planners plan weddings! Have you or your friends and family ever planned a wedding before? I’m going to venture to say the answer is no, and even if the answer is yes, I’m sure it hasn’t been many. So why are you leaving one of the most important days of your life up to amateurs?
Well-known and respected wedding planners have been doing their job successfully for quite some time, so they know where to find the best flowers, the best photographers, and the most original centrepieces. It is their job to listen to your dreams and make them a reality, so why would you settle for anything less? There is very little that a good wedding planner can’t do. Let them be the professionals they were meant to be, and give yourself a chance to enjoy the engagement.

Support
Let’s face it; men are not always the best partners when it comes to a planning wedding. They would rather let you choose the color combinations, flower arrangements, cake flavors and seating arrangements. After all, this is your wedding, not theirs. Many brides rely on mothers,
sisters and best friends to help with the details, but I say you should turn to someone who can provide the ultimate guidance and be completely honest.
Wedding planners are as much there to lend support as they are to take control. Sometimes planning a wedding can seem like an impossible task, but a wedding planner has numerous lists giving him or her instant access to the best of everything, including books full of stunning displays to bring your ideas to life. Go ahead and add another friend to your wedding entourage – after all, it’s true what they say about safety in numbers.

Affordability
Weddings can be an expensive undertaking, and while hiring a wedding planner can seem like a superfluous cost, it could save you money in the long-run. Wedding planners have valuable connections with every central name in the business, which afford them discounts and special advantages that would not be open to just anyone.
They will also work within a budget, so as long as your eyes are not bigger than your wallet, they should be able to give you everything you desire, and perhaps a little more. Also, it is not uncommon for so-called “professionals” such as photographers or deejays to take advantage of unsuspecting brides and grooms. A wedding planner will ensure that you only receive the best.

Attention to Detail
Any event has the potential to look nice, but it is the attention to detail that really gives a special occasion some life. We all know there are certain things that must be covered when planning a wedding. These include finding a dress, choosing colors, picking flowers, selecting locations for the ceremony and reception, and so on. But beyond that, how do you make your wedding memorable?
This is what wedding planners were made for. A vast portion of their job is to take the wedding of your dreams and make it better. Let them.

High End Tastes for Tight Budgets

Pan Seared Duck Crostini w/ Caramelized Balsamic Onions & Poached Cherry and Plum Reduction.
 This passed appetizer will be a sure delight at our up coming Wedding at The Tea Plantation, Hosted by Lawson Roberts of White Tuxedo Productions

As a Chef my goal is to create menus based on clients likes and dislikes. As a Chef/Owner sometimes I have to be more focused on the clients budget of the event. After all I do like to keep my lights on and my team paid. I will say for my clients, my love for being a Chef always wins over being the Owner. What can I say, I am a food guy. My passion runs wild with food not operations. I feel that is just one of the key components with New Dream the clients and food always comes first at an event, after all we are a catering company.

There are ways to get high end flavors into your menu with out spending a small fortune.

Example Picture Above: This is a good way to incorporate Duck into a menu. Its sliced thin and the Chefs are able to make many of these by using a single duck breast. By adding a poached cherry and a reduction sauce helps create bold & fresh flavors. A much more cost efficient way than serving a whole duck breast as your main course. Try using these as a passed appetizer for your cocktail hour. Like wise with photo below.

Fresh Ginger & Honey infused Tuna Tartar served in a Mini Cup