This past weekend we hosted an event at work for a 200 person reception followed by a 50 person VIP plated dinner. We did some awesome bites for this event and so I thought I would share them with you all. I will show pics of how we served them and then I will also include the recipes. They were all great for summer and super fun and fresh. Also, easy to make in large quantities, which makes them great for your next event.
This is a jerk chicken skewer with creamy mango sauce. I like this one on the wood grain cutting board because I like the look of it almost blending in. If you want to give it a pop of color you can, but I love the rustic look of these. These are super simple to make. You can make them ahead and freeze them and then just pull out what you need for your event or you can make them and serve them right away.
I love this one for a vegetarian option. It is a grilled vegetable bruschetta and it is super simple and seasonal. You can jazz it up more if you’d like with a pesto mayo or even just a simple pesto sauce either store bought or homemade. If you are like me and have a ton of basil growing in your garden, this is a great way to use that up. Otherwise, just simply the grilled vegetables on a crostini topped with a parmesan crisp are perfect. You can swap out the vegetables for whatever is in season or what you may have extra of in your garden.
These are a super delicious twist on an old classic. Most likely every reception you have been to has had bacon wrapped scallops. Even though they are an oldie, they are still a goodie. But these have been elevated. We make them with jalapeno bacon and heirloom tomato jam. So, they have this smoky, sweet, salty and spicy yummy bite. You will love these and this is another really easy one that you can make ahead.
Saved the best for last on this one. This is a corn and lobster fritter with a basil mayo. These fritters are light and packed with flavor. They have chunks of lobster meat and whole corn kernels with fresh chives and a really light crunch. The basil mayo just pushes these over the top and really makes them pop. I always prefer to serve something with a sauce like this in a vessel where you can get the sauce and bite of food all in one without having a community dipping vessel. I love these little boats for this kind of thing.
Desserts were mainly purchased and we get them from an awesome local bakery called Lezza Bakery. Photos are below on those, but we also made one of the desserts and I will share that recipe with you.
So we have chocolate dipped strawberries, assorted mini cupcakes and yummy fresh fruit tarts. They are all delicious and Lezza always does an amazing job for us.
These we made in house and they are so fun and everyone loves them. They are pie pops, caramel apple pie pops and they fly. You can make these ahead and freeze them and then just pull them out and bake them off which makes them perfect for entertaining. Kids and adults alike will love these.
Check out the recipe section for all of the recipes for these yummy apps and bite sized desserts.
