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