Recipe of the Month: Not Your Average Carrot Soup

This is one of Chef Nadia's recipes. It's not your usual carrot soup because it doesn't have any ginger, but it does have apples and beer! Enjoy.

Peel one and a half pounds of carrots, and cut into wedges. Toss with 3 TBL olive oil.

Roast at 425 degrees until golden brown, approximately 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Peel and chop 1 fuji or gala apple. Slice 2 stalks celery. Dice 1/2 yellow onion or 2 small shallots.

Saute the apple, celery and onion in 2 TBL olive oil in a medium sized pot on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until very nicely caramelized. Sprinkle in 2-4 TBL ground cumin and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add carrots and deglaze pan with 3/4 bottle of dark beer and keep cooking until beer is half reduced. Turn off and let come to room temperature.

Blend with 1-2 qts veggie or beef stock (tastes WAY better with beef stock) until creamy to desired thickness. Add 1/2 cup cream if you like (optional). Add salt and pepper to taste. Can be frozen up to 1 month. We like it served with a dollop of sour cream. You can also substitute squash or pumpkin for the carrots.

Soulmates Bridal Soiree

It's not everyday you get married. Which is why selecting your wedding location, the caterer, your cake, and the all important dress can sometimes feel like some of the biggest decisions of your life. We know, you want everything to be perfect. That's where we come in, like a superhero, eager to save the day and ease your worries.

This week we participated in the Soulmates Bridal Soiree at one of our favorite new venues, the Museum of Ventura County. We met soon to be brides and grooms, future mother in laws, and hard-working maids of honor, all in the throws of wedding decision making. Throughout the evening they met with photographers, cake bakers, cupcakers, makeup artists, videographers, DJ's, and more. And, since its what we do best, we fed them. Here's a peek at the menu:

Fried Mirliton with black bean pico de gallo and ranch dressing
Goat cheese stuffed figs with pomegranate molasses
Baked apple mac n' cheese bites
Mango, mint, and crab summer rolls with chili lime dressing
Pomegranate macaroons
Coffee macaroons with hazelnut ganache
Vanilla bean macaroons with white chocolate rose ganache

Thanksgiving extras...

Sautéed Chard & Kale with Sweet & Sour Raisins

Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS

2-3 tbs olive oil

2 shallots, minced (can substitute red onion)

½ cup raisins

2 tbs white sugar

¼ cup red wine or sherry vinegar

A little thyme, picked

¼ cup olive oil

4 heads chard, cleaned and chopped

3 heads kale, cleaned and chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. In a medium pot, heat the 2-3 tbs olive oil. Add the shallots, and sauté until soft.

2. Add the raisins, sugar, and vinegar and cook over medium heat until the raisins are soft and the liquid is nearly gone. Sometimes I need to add a little water or juice as well. Just keep an eye on it. Stir in the thyme when the raisins are juicy and the liquid is nearly gone.

3. In another large pan, heat the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil. Once hot, add the kale and chard, and cook, stirring often, until the kale and chard are soft, about 10 minutes if using one large pot. You may not have a pot that is big enough in which case you can easily sauté the greens in two or three batches. Remove the greens to a casserole dish, and pour the raisins over the top.

4. Keep in a warm oven until the rest of the meal is ready to serve, or if you only have a hot oven, pour a little stock in the casserole dish, put a cover on it, and bake. Either way, the greens taste great

Apple Ginger Fizz

Serves 8

Ice Cubes

3 c Martinelli’s Apple Cider non-carbonated

1 c lime juice fresh

1c lemon juice fresh

¼ c simple syrup

2 Bottles of Ginger Beer (Reeds Brand Ginger Beer)

1 Bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Cider

Garnish glasses with sliced apples or sugar cane sticks

1. Fill 8 highball glasses with ice.

2. Fill a large pitcher or bowl with the apple cider, fresh lime juice, lemon juice and simple syrup, stir all ingredients

3. Pour in the ginger beer, pour in the sparkling apple cider

4. Pour or ladle above mixture into glasses, garnish with apple slices, serve at once.

Thanksgiving turkey in three hours, really.

The Simplest Roast Turkey from Gourmet | November 2005

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Active Time: 20 min

Total Time: 3 hr

You'll rejoice as white and dark meat alike come out juicy and tender in a bird you can set and forget — and then enjoy. We do not recommend this high-heat roasting method for turkeys weighing more than 16 pounds. However, for turkeys weighing less than 14 pounds, start checking the temperature earlier. If you only have a dark-colored metal roasting pan, add 1 cup water to the roasting pan before putting the turkey in the oven.

INGREDIENTS

1 (14- to 16-lb) turkey, neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for stock

2 1/2 teaspoons salt (2 teaspoons if using a kosher bird)

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

Special equipment: pliers (preferably needlenose); a small metal skewer (optional); kitchen string; a flat metal rack; an instant-read thermometer

PREPARATION

1. Remove any feathers and quills with pliers (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others).

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly in turkey cavities and all over skin. Fold neck skin under body and, if desired, secure with metal skewer, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with kitchen string.

3. Put turkey on rack in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of each thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours.

4. Carefully tilt turkey so juices from inside large cavity run into roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter (do not clean roasting pan) and let stand 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 180°F). Cut off and discard string from turkey.

For a Stuffed turkey:

Twelve cups of stuffing will fill both cavities and leave you extra to bake separately. Just before roasting, spoon room-temperature stuffing loosely (stuffing expands as it cooks) into the neck (smaller) cavity. Fold the neck skin underneath the body and secure with a small metal skewer. Then loosely fill the body (larger) cavity, and tie drumsticks together. If you don't want any stuffing to spill out, cover the opening with a slice of fresh bread, tucking it inside the cavity before tying the drumsticks. Follow roasting directions above. (Timing for a stuffed bird may be slightly longer, but start checking the temperature at 1 3/4 hours.) Immediately transfer stuffing from body cavity to a shallow baking dish (separate from one for stuffing baked outside the turkey). Take temperature of stuffing in neck cavity and if less than 165°F, add it to the baking dish. Bake (covered for a moist stuffing or uncovered for a crisp top) until it reaches a minimum of 165°F. This can take 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the temperature of the oven, which you may have lowered to reheat side dishes.

Roast turkey breast:

The same method used above can be applied to a whole turkey breast (instead of the entire bird). For a 6- to 8-pound breast (with skin and bone), reduce amount of salt to 1 1/2 teaspoons and pepper to 3/4 teaspoon. Use a V-rack instead of a flat rack. Roast, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted in thickest part of each breast half (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Let stand 30 minutes (temperature in breast will rise to between 175°F and 180°F).

Big changes this holiday season...

Dear Friends,

When Robert Jacobi and I came to Ventura 2 ½ years ago to open our catering company, we knew this was a great place to have our business. It is halfway between our two major catering areas: Malibu and Santa Barbara. We thought we'd do a little take-out lunch business on the side - nothing major. This lunch business evolved into our bistro and we began to offer sit down service with wine and beer, too.

In the meantime - and in spite of the horrid economy - our catering has continued to pick up. We've done our best to keep up with our fabulous lunch bistro customers - many of whom are great friends of ours - as well as grow our corporate and private catering and our private chef divisions. Amazingly, we've been doing all of this with a talented yet very small staff.

Yet, while we LOVE running our bistro, it is getting harder and harder to maintain a thriving, service-oriented bistro while growing what we really do best: catering. We have occasionally needed to close the bistro due to catering events, and we know how frustrating that is for all of you when you think we're open but then we're not. Much to our dismay, we cannot provide the level of customer service we demand from ourselves while running a bistro and catering company during the same hours.

We liken our lunch bistro to the rocket boosters on a space ship - absolutely necessary to provide the lift off the rocket needs, and once the rocket is in space on its journey, the rocket boosters are no longer needed. Having our bistro and building relationships with you has been a true gift, but we are ready to move forward.

Therefore, we are both saddened and very excited to share with you that we will be closing our lunch bistro as of December 4th. We know it is bad news for many of you, and we wrestled with the decision for a long time, but the truth is, we'd be closed most of December anyway because we have lots of catering events that necessitate our Chefs' and Servers' time.

The silver lining is that we hear you all loud and clear that you LOVE our cooking classes, and you've been asking for them to be more frequent for many months. We will now have the time to present you with more classes as well as special dinners that are not only focused on a theme - such as the excellent German wines we brought back from Europe last year (and have been waiting for us to put on a dinner for y'all) - but also offered at a good value - something you can come back to Main Course over and over again to enjoy.

And of course, the entire reason why we are doing this is so that we continue to excel at what our purpose is: provide unparalleled service and flavorful food for our discerning clientele. We welcome you to come in for one more bite within the next few weeks. We'd love to see you, and remember, we are here, having fun, catering events - for you!

Sincerely,

Rachel Main and the Main Course California Staff

Imperfect is the new perfect

In the wedding and catering industry, trends change as fast as the speed of light. It used to be fondant cakes were all the rage, now there has been a shift back toward old faithful, thick and creamy butter cream icing. For a while it was tiny, bite size architectural bites that often left people wondering, what is this? Yet, now we’re seeing more of a shift back to comfort food, foods that are recognizable to the eye and comforting to the soul…like little grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and fried green tomatoes.

We even laugh sometimes around Main Course that “imperfect is the new perfect.” While, yes, we do strive for perfection in our kitchen, at our events, in our interactions with clients, and in our service…we don’t always believe that “perfect” makes for the best food or the best atmosphere at an event.

We use all local, organic tomatoes in our soups, sandwiches, and salads. And if you know anything about tomatoes, you know that while the tomatoes you pluck from the produce section at the grocery store may look perfect, often times they can be mealy and tasteless. On the flip side, that rugged looking tomato you get at the farmer’s market that looks anything but perfect – just might be the sweetest thing you’ve put in your mouth all week. And since we’re in the business of making stop you in your tracks good food, we tend to err on the side of imperfect, if it means the end result is a dish that makes you say, “wow,” and leaves a lasting impression on your palate.

When it comes to presentation, our table designs are impeccable and classy, but oftentimes rustic, drawing inspiration from nature and local produce, both of which are beautiful in their imperfection. Maybe it’s an artisan cheese display on an old wine barrel, where twigs and herbs mingle with decadent cheeses and refreshing local fruit.

Maybe it’s a table topped with flowers cut from a client’s garden early that morning…imperfect and stunning at the same time.

Another time, using an old family recipe, a bride's mother in law baked the wedding cake in our catering kitchen, making for a perfectly delicious imperfect cake full of soul and family history.

Recipe of the Month: Baked Apple Mac n' Cheese

This is one of our most recent recipes, created for a client who wanted a casual autumn supper. This just might be the perfect addition to your holiday table, a new holiday tradition, a dish that both adults and children will gobble up with delight.

Baked Apple Mac N Cheese

Serves 8-10

1 pound Small elbow noodles

1 T Salt

5T Unsalted butter

6T All purpose flour

¼ tsp Hot Sauce

¼ tsp Sugar

½ tsp Minced garlic

6 cups Whole milk

¼ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

1 ½ pounds cheese, shredded (we used cheddar, swiss, and Parmesan)

3 cups Curry Roasted Apples (recipe follows)

1 tsp dried thyme

For the Pasta:

1) Bring 4qt of water to boil over med high heat. Add the elbow noodles and 1 tablespoon on salt. Cook until the pasta is tender. Drain the pasta in a colander and set to the side.

For the Cheese Sauce:

1) In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium- high heat until it is foaming. Add garlic, sauté for 1 minute, add the flour. Whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture has a nutty fragrance, and cool deepens, about 1 minute.

2) Gradually whisk in milk and hot sauce; bring to a boil, constantly whisking. Mixture must come to a full boil for mixture to thicken properly. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally until thickened to consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes.

3) Remove pan from heat, add in the cheese whisking to fully incorporate and all the cheese has melted.

4) Add the cooked noodles to the melted cheese mixture; add thyme and curried apples. Taste and add the salt and pepper as needed.

5) Pour the noodle and cheese mixture into a prepared baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

6) Bake in pre-heated oven set at 365 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Until mixture is bubbly and golden brown on top.

Roasted Apples

6 apples, medium dice (we like Fuji)

2 stalks celery

¼ cup olive oil

2 tbs curry powder

1 tsp sugar

Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper

1) Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2) In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together. Pour the apples onto a sheet tray, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until they are just soft.

*Note you can do some of the prep ahead of time, just keep the apple mixture and the macaroni mixture separate. On the day of your meal, mix the two together and bake.

It's like having the Food Network in your home. Literally.

Maybe it's the economy, maybe its due to the increased popularity of cooking shows, or maybe we've all just slowed down a bit...but lately we've been doing more and more cooking demos in client's homes. We staff one of our private chefs for your party, they prepare all of the food, demo a few of the recipes, and take care of all the clean up. Sounds pretty relaxing, huh? You get to entertain in the comfort of your home, but without all the hassle and stress.

Here's a menu we've created for a client in Valencia, for her "Supper Party" this Sunday. Chef Rachel will be demo-ing a few of the recipes, and then everyone will sit down to enjoy the decadent meal. Manuela, from Ventura Limoncello, will be there as well - mixing custom cocktails for guests.

Appetizers

Chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates

Caramelized Shallot and goat cheese tart tatin

Little cauliflower pancakes with Asian pear chutney

Selection of cheeses and fresh fruit with baguette and crackers

Beverages

Ventanna Riesling and La Langa Garnacha Wines

Ventura Limoncello Cocktails

Supper

Sweet potato rosemary biscuits

Tahitian Squash Soup

Herb seared beef tenderloin with fresh horseradish sauce and red onion marmalade

Roasted tomato mac n' cheese

Baked apple mac n' cheese

Braised savoy cabbage

Dessert

Pumpkin creme brulee

Bourbon Tree Roasting Company Coffee

Farm to Table...Literally

McGrath Farm Dinner , originally uploaded by Main Course California.

Aah....we love farms, we love farmers, and we love the produce they produce. We also love feeding people good, fresh, local food just pulled from the ground. Alas...our McGrath Farm dinner held last Sunday night- where guests dined in the fields, amidst tractors, dirt, pumpkins, and good friends.

Though it was overcast, and the skies grew dark early, our wonderful little group enjoyed an exquisite menu, a tour of the farm, local wine, and one another's company. Here's a glimpse at the menu that Executive Chef Nadia Licea created for the event:

House Made Focaccia, Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar

Roasted Heirloom Tomato Napoleon with Crispy Basil

Roasted Squash Cannelloni with Pumpkin Seed Cream Sauce

Stuffed Squash Blossom

Corn & Sweet Pepper Relish

Fall Spice Roasted Chicken with

Arugula, Cherry Tomato & Haricot Vert Salad

With Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette

Lemon Pudding Cake

Roasted Strawberries & Rose Geranium Anglaise

The State of the Union

The following is a letter from one of our owners, Robert Jacobi. He talks about Main Course California - past, present and future. Take a listen.

The idea for Main Course California started back in April of 2008. Back then Rachel Main and I often hired one another as staff for our respective companies. The economy was still holding steady and there was clearly enough business to go around, so we started Main Course. Back then our space had a walk in refrigerator, storage space and a prep-kitchen, and we knew that over time we could build the space out according to our own specifications.

Sure enough, as time went by and our customer base grew, our customers told us what they wanted and we complied. We added an outside seating area and I moved my office into the back warehouse. That is where Rachel now works alongside me as the Catering Director.

Due to the economic decline in the winter of 2009 and the slow climb that occurred afterward, we decided to expand on our services. Some things worked out well for us while others just didn’t quite make sense after a while. We tried to have a presence at the farmers market in Ojai. But that ended up costing us more money than we would take in. We provided dinner for a while. That too didn’t work out.

Already franchised operations and big companies are still our primary challenge as we are trying to break into a market that is still peppered with heavily subsidized industry foods. I’m talking about the great big established catering companies who source most of their food from other and sometimes developing countries just to sell a hormone, sulfate, sodium and sugar rich product. They can outbid us anytime because they have sourced their industry food cheaply. We as human beings are creatures of habit and we will eat cheap industry food if it is cheap enough. Just add some ketchup and you’ll be fine…at least that is what I used to do….

Wedded Bliss

Bridal bouquet, originally uploaded by michelenicolephoto.

We can't get enough of the beautiful ways in which talented photographers capture the essence of an event. In this series, photographer Michele Nicole captures the simplicity, grace, and natural feel of a wedding we catered in August at Taft Gardens in Ojai. Enjoy!

Knife Wielding Dominion

This summer we've been focusing on knife skills in our cooking classes, trying to offer students knife wielding dominion in the kitchen. Our August class focused on basic knife skills, where students learned how to cut, chop, julienne, chiffonade, and brunoise with the best of them. Each recipe built on a skill we learned in the previous recipe….we made roasted potatoes, chicken picatta, ratatouille, a chopped salad, then made strawberry fans to go with our frozen caramel-vanilla bean whipped cream dessert.

Below is Rachel's recipe for the ultimate chopped salad - not only does it taste delicious and look pretty, but it's also the ultimate way to practice all your knife skills. As for the dessert recipe...when you don’t have an ice cream freezer or churner, have no fear! You can whip cream and then freeze it, as we are doing in this recipe. It is delicious when it is icy cold but not quite set. Serve it with fruit, or strawberry fans if you fancy. And if you missed our August class, there's still time to sign up for our September 14th class, where our chefs will show you the art and science of home meat butchery. Give us a call at 658-8900 to sign up.

Chiffonade & Chopped Salad

Serves 10

6 hand fulls of romaine lettuce, chiffonade

½ of an onion or red onion, finely sliced (fine julienne)

3 large tomatoes, diamond cut

4 green onions, bias cut

3 avocados, cut in quarters and fan cut

1/2 cup kalamata olives, finely sliced

1 handful of basil, chiffonade

2 red bell peppers, fillet and then brunoise

1 large carrot, fine julienne

1 cup croutons

¼ cup preserved meyer lemon vinaigrette

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients, toss to coat in dressing. Enjoy!

Frozen Caramel-Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Serves about 10

½ cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

3 cups heavy whipping cream

¾ cup caramel sauce, thin

5 cups strawberries, washed and dried

Cut the vanilla bean in half length-wise, and using the back of your knife or the back of your fingernail, scrape the vanilla seeds into the sugar. Squeeze the vanilla beans into the sugar, being sure to evenly distribute the seeds throughout the sugar.

Put the vanilla sugar and the heavy cream into the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat on medium-high speed until the cream is as soft peaks.

Add the caramel sauce in a thin stream, and continue to beat the cream until it reaches stiff peaks. Transfer to a freezer, safe bowl (or keep it in that one), and freeze for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, brunoise half of the strawberries, and the other strawberries make into fans (or just slice them if you like). To serve, scoop ice cream into 10 bowls, sprinkle with the brunoise strawberries, and place a strawberry fan on top of each scoop of cream.

With love, from another happy bride

To those lucky enough to have found Main Course,

My husband and I married on July 10, 2010 in Ojai, California. Rachel Main and Main Course handled all the catering for the reception. When I met with Rachel and her team for a tasting I knew they had a tall order. I had asked for a Southern menu (hailing from Texas and Mississippi that was a must), but one that was elegant enough for a wedding without being stuffy. I also couldn't have pork in the menu (a Southern staple!) and they had to accommodate vegetarians, vegans, and siliacs. The food was fantastic! Every bite reminded me of home. They had managed to make fried green tomatoes, BBQ, and stewed southern greens refined and exciting. Friends and family are STILL complementing me on the food and service at our wedding. I could not have asked for more, and I wouldn't have changed a thing were we to do it all again.

I must say, as superior and thoughtful as the food was - that was not what impressed me most about this company. What I loved - what I was blown away by - was their customer service. When I wanted to try a beef brisket just to make sure I still wanted the short ribs - no problem. When I wanted not 1, not 2, but 3 different but equally wonderful signature southern cocktails - no problem. When we decided we wanted my mother to make the wedding cake to add to homemade feel - no problem. They even let my mother use their kitchen! Rachel came to my florist meeting just so she could get a feel for the style of the wedding. She instantly got my vision of "grandmother's backyard party". So much so that I entrusted her to pick out and rent all of the serving platters for the wedding, and since it was a family style service that was about 200 platters. They were spectacular and I couldn't have done better myself. Every single person at that company goes above and beyond.

On the day of the wedding never did I see "the chaos" of the behind the scenes of a party. Everyone was professional, calm and efficient. All of the servers had a smile on their face and I didn't see a glass that needed a refill all night. They took such good care of my guests from the welcome drinks before the ceremony all the way to smores by the fire at the end of the evening. Rachel and her staff made my day bigger, better, and easier. You won't be disappointed.

Sincerely,

Hillary Croll

Eating fresh from the farm

Fresh tomatoes at McGrath Farm, originally uploaded by Main Course California.

“If the food isn't fresh, we don't put it on the plate”
- Chef Nadia Licea & Rachel Main

Main Course California and McGrath Family Farm invite you to the field for a unique dining experience. We use food and community as a way to generate awareness of the importance and vitality of our local farms and the delicious, wholesome and abundant food we provide. The McGrath Farms Dinners highlight the richness of our local traditions of farming and the often-forgotten value of eating vibrant food – freshly harvested by a dedicated farmer you know and trust.

Sunday, October 3rd

5:30 Welcome Reception, Wine Pouring & Appetizers

6:00 Dinner

$150 per person

1012 W. Ventura Blvd, Camarillo

Soup

Three Bean California Cassoulet

Flageolet, Tiger Eye and Tongue of Fire Beans

simmered with spices, sauteed onion & baby chard

Entree

Braised Watkins Ranch Beef

Glazed Cippolini Onions, Turnips, Tahitian Squash & Rapini

with Chili Flake & Garlic

-or-

Local Chicken Breast stuffed with Basil & Home-made Mozzarella

Heirloom Tomato-Oregano Chutney, Grilled Red Carrots, Baby Squash,

Green & Yellow Bean Bundle & Roasted Lemon Oil

-or-

Home Made Tagliatelle

Glazed Cippolini Onions, Turnips , Tahitian Squash & Rapini

with Chili Flake & Garlic

Dessert

Chocolate Lava Cake with Candied Beet Trio & Roasted Strawberries

Basil-Orange Mascarpone Gelato

For reservations email: mcgrathfarmcenter@gmail.com or Info@MainCourseCa.com. For more info visit www.mcgrathfamilyfarm.com or www.MainCourseca.com.

Recipe of the Month

Is your garden overflowing? Are you wondering what do with all those tomatoes and cucumbers that decided to ripen at the exact same time? Well then, Main Course California Executive Chef, Nadia Licea, has just the recipe for you:

Heirloom Tomato & English Cucumber Salad

1 english cucumber

1 1/2 pounds heirloom tomatoes

1/4 red onion, thinly shaved

4 oz. roasted mini sweet peppers

1/3 cup kalamata olives

1/2 cup crumbled feta

1/2 bunch chopped fresh oregano

zest of 1 lemon

Combine the following in a medium sized bowl:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoon sugar

3 Tablespoons olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

You will also need:

Your favorite lemon vinaigrette

Quarter the heirloom tomatoes and lay down on a platter in a single layer. Next, cut the cucumber in 1/2 lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and then julienne into 1/4" batons at an angle.

Toss the cucumber and the red onion in the vinegar mix and let sit for abot 5 minutes.

Then place the cucumbers on top of the tomatoes and sprinkle the rest of the ingredients over the cucumbers. Drizzle with lemon vinaigrette. This salad is great with grilled hanger steak. Happy gardening and happy eating!

Put a little South in your mouth

Main Course co-owner, Rachel Main, was raised in southern Louisiana, so you can probably imagine just how much fun she has when given the opportunity to create a catering menu for a Southern themed event. Recently, she had one of these opportunities, and boy did she have fun with it.

The wedding took place at Twin Peaks Ranch in the beautiful Ojai valley. Guests were greeted with Lavender Iced Tea, Lemon Water, and Sparkling Peach Spritzers before the ceremony.

During cocktail hour, guests enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes with black eyed pea salsa & ranch dressing (see photo above) and Feta, Mint & Local Honey served in ice-cold water melon cups.

Dinner was served family style, and included Buttermilk Biscuits & Sweet Cream Butter, Grilled Peaches with basil & honey, Slow-Braised Boneless Chili Shortribs, and Stewed Southern Greens with sweet & sour raisins. And then there was the dessert buffet...s’mores next to the Fire, Chocolate Fudge Wedding Cakes, Buttermilk Pie & Strawberries, and more. If you want to read more, here is the full menu.

What makes us different?

We're pretty confident that we're not your average caterer. There's no average food, no average service, no average presentation at Main Course California. Our goal is to make your event, party, wedding, and even your sandwich platter make you look like a rockstar host.

If the food isn't fresh, we don't put it on the plate. If a server doesn't have the gift of customer service, we don't hire them. If our schedule is crazy and we've got too many events going on on a single day, we won't take on another event just to make an extra buck. We're a catering company with a conscience, a sharp eye for the details, and a team of killer chefs.

You also won't ever hear us say, "That's not my job." Sure, its not really our job to make your flowers look pretty if you've hired a florist to do so. Sure, its not really our job to make sure the parking goes smoothly at your wedding when you've hired a valet. But when we cater your event, what's most important is that the whole thing goes smoothly, that you don't have to worry about a thing, and that your guests first and last impressions are nothing but spectacular. So, if we have to pitch in and help with the flowers, track down the valet, or share supplies with your bartender to make your event a success, you betcha, we'll do it.

What our clients are saying...

"I have been running events and parties in Santa Barbara for twenty years. I can honestly say that Rachel's food is fabulous, in both taste and presentation. Each guest raved about the food being the best they ever had. Her food is scrumptious! She is organized, dependable and great natured. My guests always end up watching her in amazement and chatting with her in the kitchen. Rachel will deliver a meal to remember." Valerie Williams

"Rachel and the Main Course California team did a fantastic job for my wedding. I gave her a food concept and a style of service that I wanted. She hit the nail on the head! The food was delicious and the presentation of the small plates was spectacular. The specialty drinks served at the bar were also great. My guests really enjoyed the food; and the staff was friendly and accommodating." Tabitha

"I just wanted to thank you all again for making our wedding one of the best days of our lives. It was beyond all our expectations...the food was so incredibly memorable..." - Andy Marcus, Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs Fox Media, Los Angeles

"...Food was fantastic! Service - excellent - nothing but great comments from all the guests." Christine Garvey, Director - Habitat for Humanity, Santa Barbara

"Thank you so much for all your assistance... you were a true pleasure to work with! Throughout this entire process I kept having the feeling I was forgetting something - then I realized that you were doing it! I appreciate the fact that you followed up with me; and that was really huge! The food was great...the bacon wrapped chorizo was everyones favorite!" Kathy Aschoff, Operations Manager, Jaguar Land Rover Ventura

Ask the Chef...

Do you ever find yourself in the kitchen, wishing you could just pick up the phone and call the Food Network directly with your cooking and baking questions? Maybe you're wondering if you can use salted butter in a recipe that calls for unsalted? Maybe you don't have any buttermilk, but you vaguely remember that there's something else you can use instead? Maybe you keep burning cookies even though your oven thermometer says all is well in your oven? Some of you might call Mom, some may hop on the internet and ask Google what to do. Well, we've got a few talented chefs with lots of years of experience kickin' around at Main Course, and we'd love to answer some of your burning kitchen-related questions. Leave a comment here...and we'll try to get you an answer within a day or two. Happy cooking!

Main Course Does Cakes

Cake, originally uploaded by Main Course California.

Buttercream icings, sweet yellow cake, dense flourless chocolate cake, rich red velvet, pumpkin cheesecake, thick cream cheese icing....when it comes to our cake offerings, we could go on and on.

This is a cake we did for a wedding in May...and yes, it is covered in a thick layer of chocolate shavings and finished with fresh flowers. To see more of our cakes, here's a Flickr slideshow of some our favorite cake photos.

Yet another of our favorite farmer friends...

Fresh picked, sweet as candy strawberries. Vibrant leafy greens just pulled from the ground. These are just some of the fresh foods we get from our farmer friend, Dave Pommer of Santa Paula. We utilize a lot of his produce in our bistro, but also in our catered events.

And, boy, did we have fun when Dave's daughter got married in May on his farm in Santa Paula. We know that you know that we love working with local food - so having all the bounty of Dave's farm at our fingertips made us feel like a kid in a candy store. The end result? A menu in which 95 percent of the fruits and veggies came from the father-of-the-bride's farm, where the wedding was being held. How cool is that?

Here's some of what was on the menu for the day:

Jennifer’s Salad

French mixed greens, strawberries, candied nuts & parmesan tossed in balsamic-citrus vinaigrette

Red & Gold Beet Salad

with tangerines, arugula & shallot vinaigrette

Lemon Grilled Chicken Breasts

with citrus-avocado relish

Grilled Tri Tip

with fresh grated horseradish sauce & smoky blueberry bbq sauce

Pommes de Terre Truffade

Wafer thin layers of yukon potatoes baked with gruyere cheese, herbs

& finished with white truffle oil

Grilled Heirloom Carrots & Leeks

with garlic, herbs & just a hint of honey

Photos worth a thousand words...

Barn setup, originally uploaded by Main Course California.

During the month of May, we've been blessed with the opportunity to partner with photographer Lesley Bryce on a few of our events. Not only is she great to work with, but Lesley also has a knack for capturing the essence of a moment with her camera lens.

If you take a peek at the Flickr album from this wedding we catered on May 8th in Santa Paula, surely you'll be wowed by Lesley's pictures. There are color photos of the tablescapes, closeups that capture the freshness of the food, black and whites of the barn where the reception was held, and festive shots of the whimsical wedding cake.

Farmer of the week: Tom Shepherd

Roasted veggie crudite, originally uploaded by Main Course California.

We have a thing for farmers. And there's nothing like having a relationship with the person who grows your food (except maybe growing it yourself, of course). Anyway, one of our longtime loves is Tom Shepherd, an organic farmer up in Carpinteria. He's been farming organically in the Santa Barbara area since the 1970's. He grows his bounty on a 40-acre piece of land at the base of Shepherd Mesa in Carpinteria, and has another space in the Santa Ynez Valley.

And boy does he believe in the power of eating locally. As he said in an interview with the Santa Barbara Independent, "Food loses vitality when it sits around for a few days...And when it comes from Mexico or Argentina, it's just dead. It's filler. It's like chips." Currently, we are getting our white beans (for our house made hummus) and Tahitian squash (which you see in our roasted veggie sandwich and salad) from Shepherd. And co-owner, Robert Jacobi, is a member of Shepherd Farms CSA, where you buy a share of the bounty and get a box overflowing with fresh fruit, veggies, and herbs every week.

Table talk

Artisan Cheese display, originally uploaded by Main Course California.

Everyone has their own style. Maybe yours is crisp and modern; or maybe its earthy and organic. When helping you plan your event - whether big or small, indoors or out, night or day -we'll take the time to pinpoint your style and build the vision around that.

One of the ways we articulate your style and brand your event is through the table displays, including how we lay out the food, garnish it, and present it. Every little detail, all the way down to the platters and serving utensils is an opportunity to make your event more personal and more perfect.

Above you'll see one of our most favorite displays... a bounty of artisan cheese surrounded by fresh homemade breads and fresh, local fruits and vegetables. If you want to see more of our table displays, you can browse through the set on our Flickr page.

Tempt your sweet tooth with this

Chocolate dipped dessert display, originally uploaded by Main Course California.

Tired of the same old cookie and brownie platter? Then why not try one of these for your next party? We can do chocolate dipped strawberries and our one of a kind truffle pops in a variety of flavors. Ventura Limoncello, White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate & Champagne, Strawberries & Cream, Pistachio & Rose....and that's just the beginning.

And if chocolate's not your thing, we also offer individual fruit tarts with a lemon mascarpone filling, cheesecakes (key lime on macadamia nut crust), traditional French pastries (cream puffs, napoleons, and petit fours), and a variety of cookie bars (lemon, pecan, and more).

Perfectly Pairing Your Beer with Your Food

In case you missed our Flights of Fancy beer and fine food pairing event this week, here's a peek at the menu:

Radish & Butter on Pretzel Bread with Sea salt
Grilled Cheese and Candied Walnut Panini with Manchego, Goat, Swiss and White Cheddar
Hot Italian, Mild Italian and Habanero Sausage with Sauerkraut & Pretzel Bread
Light Potato Salad-Celery, Chives, Sour Cream & Shallot Vinaigrette
Super Spicy Rice Noodles in Peanut sauce with Shrimps, Shaved Carrots Basil Julienne
Butter Lettuce, Crab, Orange & Radish Sprout Roll Pistachio Dipping Sauce
Vanilla & Orange Flan with Stout Caramel

And if you couldn't make it, we thought we'd share some pointers. Are you wondering what kind of beer to serve with a spicy meal or what goes best with dessert? Well, here are a few starting points, based on many of the beers and foods we served at our event:

1. Spice goes with spicy. Hoppy Beers such as brew pub ales, Samuel Smith, or black Bavarian lagers go well with dishes like spicy peanut noodles. India Pale Ales, Island Brewing Company Blond Ale, and Telegraph Brewing Company Wheat Ale are all great with BBQ chicken wings with either a spicy or tangy sauce.

2. Mild lagers such as Einhorn, Weltenburger Urtyp, and Rieder Maerzen go well with bratwurst and sauerkraut, manchego cheese with pretzels, and even a Reuben Sandwich. Ayinger wheat beer pairs well with Schnitzel- either pork or chicken - and potatoes.

3. Bock (like Weltenburger Wintertrau), Doppel Bock (like Einhorn Unikator) and Oktoberfest Beers (like Innstadt Stadlbeer) go well with seafoods like crab salad and shrimp cocktail; but they also work well with tacos and burritos because they are a bit spicier but not too bold.

4. Dark beers go with dessert. Think Ayinger Celebrator, Islands Bluebird Porter, Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, and Guinness and you're on the right track. Try these with flan, sachertorte (a dense dark chocolate cake that hails from Austria), and even with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And if you're not afraid to mix your beer with liquor, sweet shots like Wild Turkey and Jaegermeister go well with stouts and bitters.

The difference between good and delicious

I used to think all tomatoes were the same; these round red orbs were good but needed a lot of salt and pepper to make them delicious. It wasn't until I tasted them fresh out of our own garden, that I realized what a fresh tomato tastes like. I used to think tomato soup was good, until I tasted the roasted tomato soup here at Main Course. That was when I realized that tomato soup, when made correctly, should taste like tomatoes, pure and simple. It shouldn't taste like cream or salt; it should taste like those tomatoes we pulled from the garden last summer. I used to think that all beef was the same, until I experienced my first grass fed burger. Who knew a burger could be so tender and delicious, and so different from all those other burgers I've consumed over the decades.

People throw the word local around a lot these days, but at Main Course we really mean it. This important detail - where the food comes from and how fresh it is - really does matter. It matters to our tastebuds because once you've experienced it, you know it tastes better. And eating local is also better for the environment and helps our local farmers (and therefore our community).

Sure we could use canned roasted peppers, regular old caged up chickens, or your standard grain and corn fed beef. But because we are conscientious about what we put in our food, we go the extra mile. We use free-range chicken from Petaluma, olive oil from Ojai, and we even get the white beans for our hummus fresh from local farmer, Tom Shephard. Sure it takes a lot of time and energy to clean and wash them, but to us its worth it. And if you taste our hummus, you'll know what we're talking about.

While many chain restaurant menus are bulging with items, the food is often frozen, highly processed, and yes, microwaved. Our menus are simpler and based on what's in season - whether its asparagus, strawberries, beets, or tomatoes. Because the food is fresh, we don't have to do a lot to it, drown it in sauce, or cover it with salt to make it taste good. And this, my friends, is what makes Main Course unique; and this is the difference between good and delicious.

Where's the beef?

If you know Main Course, you probably know that we're pretty particular about where our food comes from(local is best), what it has been through before making its way to our plate, and how long that journey took (the shorter the better). So, you might wonder, where does our beef come from?

We get our beef - for our burgers, our steaks, and even our delicious braised short ribs - from Watkins Ranch in Ojai. Owned by John Watkins and his son Shane, this unique little farm produces truly grass fed beef. To be more specific, they are happy cows that roam on land in Piru, Cuyama, and even a bit in Oak View. Since they aren't fed grains or corn, this beef has a different flavor. And this flavor is improved as the beef is aged for 22-23 days before being cut and packaged to be sent out. Some say its a little "gamier" than grain fed beef...we like to say it tastes a hundred times better.

At Watkins Ranch, the herd is still small (only about 56 head we are told). Right now their beef is available at Main Course California, the Ojai Farmers Market, and the Ventura Wednesday Farmers Market.

Stop into our bistro for lunch and try our Watkins Ranch burger - local, grass fed beef full of fresh herbs and seasonings and layered with fresh local lettuce, tomato, homemade pickles and our red onion marmalade.