This Summer – we’re bringing Brulee Catering to the shore.  We’ve created some really neat packages to take the stress out of summer entertaining. So sit back, enjoy the sunshine, and let us do the BBQ-ing.

Now Catering Parties & Weddings Down the Shore. Photo by Laura Novack.

Summer Packages:

Hors d’ Oeuvres
Charred Sugarcane Skewers-Wasabi Cocktail Sauce & Papaya Mint Salsa
Chilled Summer Melon Soup-Cilantro Lime Crème Fraiche, Crisp Serrano Cracker
Green Lip Mussels, Citrus Chile Salsa
Cajun Spiced Chicken Tartlet, Black Bean Mango Relish
Hawaiian Butterfish Skewers-Jamon Iberico, Caigua Pepper Salsa

Un-Traditional Lobster Roast:
Summer Harvest Chopped Vegetable Salad with Elderflower Vinaigrette
Butter Poached 1 pound Maine Lobster
Herb Roasted Red Bliss Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
Corn on the Cob
Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Cornbread, Rustic Dinner Rolls, Salted Butter

Add ons:
Steamed Clams with Garlic Herb Butter
Crab Imperial Stuffed Lobster
Steamed Mussels with Shallots, Fennel and Herbs

Ceviche Station: (Pick 3)
Ahi Tuna- Ginger, Shiso, Truffle,Wasabi Tobiko
Hamachi- Wakame, Cucumber, Ponzu, Sesame
Barnegat Scallops- Jalapeno, Cilantro, Orange, Corn Nuts
Virginia Fresh Water Shrimp- Basil, Tomato, Horseradish, Black Pepper
North Atlantic Salmon- Avocado, Mustard, Scallion, Key Lime
Scarlet Snapper- Soy, Roasted Peppers, Mint, Lychee
Hawaiian Butterfish -Pineapple, Opal Basil, Poblano, Passionfruit

Served with Crispy Things-Wontons, Tortillas, Crackers, Crostini, Sesame Rice Crackers

A summer backyard BBQ. Courtesy of 100 Layer Cake.

Barbecue (Beach or Backyard)

Station #1
Jersey Tomato Panzanella Salad, Grilled Romaine Hearts, Balsamic Vinaigrette
Blackened Salmon Filet, Corn & Fava Bean Succatash
Baby Back Ribs, Passionfruit Barbecue Sauce
Smoked Black Eyed Peas, Sweet Potatoes
Grilled Peach Slaw
Pear-Blueberry Crisp, Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream

Station #2
McGregor’s Hydro Greens, Strawberries, Goat Cheese, Marcona Almonds, Cava Vinaigrette
Point Pleasant Fluke Ala Plancha, Blueberries, Fava Beans, Mint-Truffle Honey Emulsion
Sherry Vinegar Braised Flank Steak
Spiced Black Beans
Cabbage , Corn and Yucca Salad
Tres Leche Cake, Rum Macerated Grilled Pineapple, Macadamia Nut Brittle

Station #3
Parma Prosciutto Wrapped Watermelon Salad-Butter Lettuce, Pecorino Pepato, 25 year Balsamic
Cape May Clam & Potato Cakes-Smoked Jersey Corn Remoulade
Garlic and Herb Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast
Sweet Pea, Meyer Lemon, Reggiano Cheese Risotto
Fried Zucchini-Heirloom Tomato & Roasted Pepper Relish
Carmelized Banana & Lime Tart, Hazelnut Crunch

As always, we’ll work with you to create the perfect menu. Contact us at 215.923.6000 or fill out a catering event form.

We’ll also be hosting special Yappy Hours where guests are encouraged to bring their dogs. Every Thursday starting May 17, a percentage of the sales between 4-7pm will be donated to Operation Ava. Specials include $1 Hot Dogs, $4 Dogfish Head Ale and $3 Domestic Bottles. Plus treats for your four-legged friends!

Follow @CrosswalkCafe on Twitter to learn more!

I’m a strong proponent of the stay-the-hell-homeValentine’s dinner plan. (See also: the stay-the-hell-home New Year’s Eve plan.) But if cooking isn’t your forte, there are few meals as stressful (and potentially foreplay-dependent) as V-Day. If you’ve got the cash ($500, to be exact), then leave it to the experts, chef Jean-Marie Lacroix and his team of cooks at Brûlée Catering.

With 72 hours notice, one will come to your casa and prepare a restaurant-grade feast for two. Think lamb chops, black truffle risotto, Champagne sorbet and more. Don’t have five Benjis to drop? Brûlée offers two more affordable options: having a server deliver/serve your meal for $350 per couple, or pick up dinner yourself (and look like a culinary hero) for $125, definitely less than what you’d spend at better restaurants around town. With notice, menus are completely customizable, but here are a few samples after the jump. If interested, email Brûlée Catering atinfo@brulee-catering.com.

From City Paper.

The below features the pick-up and drop off with a server or personal chef menu:

Pick-up Menu

Beet carpaccio with Montrachet Coeur (goat cheese heart), sweet pea shoots, champagne chives, and pink peppercorn dressing

Peekytoe crab cakes, tri colored beets and watermelon pickled hydro mache

Short rib of beef, corn grits, Tuscan kale milk stout demi glace

Orange chipotle chocolate mousse, peanut brittle, kumquat salpicon

Chocolate covered strawberries

Drop off with a server Menu

Artisan lettuce & roasted beet salad, Seville oranges, candy cashews, rouge smoky blue cheese dressing

Laughing Bird shrimp ceviche, avocado and pink grapefruit, heart of palm, shiso-miso dressing

Tenderloin filet, Madeira glaze and bacon wrapped jumbo shrimps on skewers

Sweet Potato and spinach puree and slow roasted tomatoes

Drop off with a personal chef Menu

Heart of palm salad and kumquats, cumin seed, tangerine and cumin emulsion

Tuna tartare, avocado and crispy shallots, sesame soy sauce

Champagne rose sorbet

Double lamb chop pink with balsamic reduced sauce

Baby root vegetables—candied beets, parsnips, carrots—black truffle risotto

Vanilla and milk chocolate praline bar, macadamia nut mousse, Yozu gelato and Grand Marnier caramel

For Valentine’s Day tips, make sure you listen to this podcast with Chef Jean Marie Lacroix (right), a partner in Brûlée Catering of Philadelphia.

“People always look first, smell, and (then) eat,” he advises.

To hear the entire podcast of Lacroix’s interview with Hadas Kuznits’ follow this link.

Chip Roman (Blackfish), Jean-Marie Lacroix (Brûlée Catering), Joe Cicala (Le Virtu), Jose Garces (Amada)

Only one day left after this round, and then we’re onto the semifinals of Hottest Chef. On today’s menu we have dreamboat Chip Roman of Blackfish, the fine FrenchmanJean-Marie Lacroix of Lacroix and Brûlée Catering, professional jock-turned cook Joe Cicala of Le Virtu, and Iron Chef Jose Garces. Monica Glass ran away with yesterday’s vote, and is headed towards the next round against her former kitchen buddy, Jennifer Carroll. Catfight, indeed.

Read more at Philly Eater.

View the magazine in its entirety here.

A Chef’s Guide to Holiday Entertaining

According to this a local chef, mise en place is the key to a successful holiday party.

NOVEMBER 09, 2011

Chef Jean-Marie Lacroix of Brûlée Catering has a secret for easy holiday entertaining: Mise en place, a French chef term literally meaning “everything in its place.” We spoke with Lacroix to learn more about mise en place and how to prepare in advance for a chic, stress-free holiday celebration.

What is your number one tip for making sure a holiday party runs smoothly?
JEAN-MARIE LACROIX: I always plan the menu the week before, I do my ordering a few days before and I prepare everything the day before or two days before.

What’s your strategy for cooking in advance of the party? Any turkey tips?
JML: All recipes can be prepared before. If you can half-prepare it or half cook it that is the best thing to do. For turkey, make sure your au jus or gravy is ready so you don’t have to do it last minute—and stuffing can always be done in advance. When I cook turkey, I take the bird apart: Take the breast off, take the legs off and cook them together, but broken up. It will take 1 hour instead of 4 hours. Of course, the presentation isn’t the same, but people don’t carve it on the table anyway. And make sure your table is ready the day before. That is very important so you don’t have to rush around.

What is your favorite holiday dish?
JML: I love shellfish—lobster, snail, oysters—for holidays, especially for New Year’s Eve or Christmas.

What Fall flavors and ingredients do you like to use?
JML: Game, root vegetables and fruit, like apples, pears, grapes [and] oranges because they are in season. That’s why I like to do a fruit dessert. I like a trifle, because it’s light, but rich at the same time. I always do it the day before—it is so much better! You want it soft and soggy, so the taste develops. And the decoration can be done the day of.

RECIPE: Chef Lacroix’s Make-Ahead Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Ginger

6 dates, stones removed and cut in half
12 slices pickled ginger
12 slices bacon
12 small bamboo skewers, or cocktail sticks

The day before the party
Place two slices of ginger in each date half. Pre-cook bacon for one minute on each side while making sure it does not crisp. Roll one slice of bacon around each date and refrigerate.

On the day of the party
Cook the dates in a medium oven for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bacon is hot. Remove and serve either on skewers (for passed trays) or with the skewers on the side (for a platter).

View more from Chef Lacroix on phillystylemag.com.