One More Bite Catering and Events

Category: Fresh

Spiceology Contest!

In case you weren’t aware, I like to participate in food contests. My favorites are the ones hosted by Chefsroll (www.chefsroll.com). My first competition with them was over a year ago, where I came in the top 10 (out of 500) with my Southern Fried Chicken and Mac and Cheese Waffles.

I then competed again in their Callebaut Outside the Box Chocolate Contest and had two of my entries move on to the final rounds. That was a fun competition because I literally just had to use Callebaut chocolate in what I was making, and choose from one of the categories. My Chocolate Balsamic Lamb and my Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcake both made it.

So now, Chefsroll and Spiceology (go check out their site if you haven’t, they have such amazing spices!) are having a contest. So OF COURSE I am competing. And time permitting, in multiple categories. I’ve already finished and submitted one.

The first category I am competing in is the Best “Blend” Dish, using Spiceology Vadouvan. Vadouvan is an Indian Curry Blend with added aromatics like onion and shallots. It’s just such a warm and wonderful spice blend. I decided to use it to make a fried chicken dish. My Vadouvan Fried Chicken with Roasted Fennel and Pickled Carrots has already been submitted to Instagram and you can see it there @chefzoe.

Stay tuned for more of my submissions to the Spiceology contest!

July 6, 2019
3 Day Croissants and Pain au Chocolat

Since culinary school, and even more specifically, since my Intro to Bread Making class, I have wanted to be good at making croissants. However, since they are time consuming and fairly difficult to make, I never really made the attempt. At least, until now.

I tackled the croissant this week, and I have to say that the results were very very good for a first attempt. For a good croissant or pain au chocolat, you need layers, lots of layers. The more layers the better in my opinion. They need to be buttery and flaky and have depth of flavor.

You can quite literally see the layer and layer of flaky croissant in these pain au chocolat that I made. Despite the amount of butter, these were light, flaky and absolutely delicious.

If you want to attempt your own croissants, and have the time to try them out, check out my recipe here.

May 13, 2019
Greek Pasta Salad: Cheeselovers Cookbook Review

This month we are reviewing a cookbook where every single recipe includes CHEESE!

Zoe’s Take:
8/10

The pasta salad is really good. I definitely recommend using tri-colored rotini because it really adds that something extra. I do wish there had been more seasonings, I pretty much found the dressing overly oily. But otherwise, this is a very tasty pasta salad.

Eric’s Take:
8/10

This pasta salad was very good, filled with classic greek flavor. I’m a big fan of dill, but this recipe could have done without. I agree with Zoe that some other herbs may have brought this to life a bit more. My major complaint was that the proportions in the dressing seemed off. I too felt there was too much oil. I had extra pasta though, and added it in to balance out. This was definitely a solid start to a cookbook I have high hopes for!

April 3, 2019
Beef Tartare with Harissa: Final Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take
8.5/10

I really liked this recipe, it’s not perfect, but it’s still pretty great. The sirloin is incredibly tender, and when mixed with the harissa and the other ingredients, it’s absolutely lovely. When on a crostini, it’s even better. I added extra harissa and extra garlic to mine because that’s just how I roll.

Eric’s Take
9/10

This recipe was darn near perfect. I don’t typically like tartare’s, and don’t recommend eating any meats raw. I went all out and used a filet for this recipe. It’s much more tender and has less fat marbled through. The only note I have on this recipe was that there needed to be some tweaks. I felt there was too many capers and not enough hairssa. Overall there was a great balance of sour, spice, and saltiness. A great end to this cookbook!

March 28, 2019
Cumin and Lime Spiked Grilled Skirt Steak with Avocado Corn Relish: Cookbook Review

This recipe is from Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken from the Border Grill.

Zoe’s Take:
9/10

I really enjoyed this steak and that’s saying something because I am easily bored by steak. The cumin comes on really strong and it’s supported really well by the lime. I marinated my meat for 24 hours and the meat was quite tender, but I really want to go for 48 and see how tender it gets then. the avocado corn relish is amazing, I want to eat it on everything. My biggest issue is the marination time, and also, I prefer not to use skirt steak unless I have access to a grill (which I do not at the moment).

Eric’s Take:
9/10

I was skeptical with this recipe at first. I had made something similar before, and it wasn’t my favorite to say the least. However, this recipe called for toasting cumin seeds and that made a big difference. The aroma held up to the other strong flavors. The cilantro paired well with the jalapeños, making it not only complex, but delicious. The accompanying corn relish was incredible. By far my favorite bite from this cookbook yet. This recipe lost a point due to the choice of meat. Skirt steak is not always available and is typically better grilled. The long marinade time required to develop a stronger flavor and break down the meat means you can’t just make this dish on a whim. There needs to be long preparation. However, other cuts would likely work very well with this recipe too.

February 20, 2019
Huevos Rancheros

On this lovely Monday, we are celebrating a holiday called: President’s Day! In order to celebrate correctly, and have some fun, Eric and I looked up the documented favorite foods of all the Presidents!

Some were incredibly boring, old fashioned or gross, and some were just not so doable. We settled on this delicious dish, a favorite of our 43rd President, George W. Bush. According to the Lifestyle section of Wide Open Eats, W. would have a post-church meal of Huevos Rancheros every Sunday they weren’t at Camp David.

Traditionally, this is a breakfast dish served in the style of large mid-morning fare on rural Mexican farms. The main ingredients are tortillas, eggs, a tomato-chili sauce, refried beans, rice, avocado or guacamole.

In order to make one that I would eat, and that I could keep improving on, I changed some of the ingredients to make mine. I did not use refried beans as I don’t like them, used a salsa verde sauce, and fresh tomato salsa and added a cheese element that isn’t necessary tradional. I kept the rice and the avocado of course because who doesn’t want that?

Sound good? Find the recipe here.

February 18, 2019
Livened Up Fettuccine Alfredo

I am a pastaholic. I could literally eat it every single day, for at least two meals of the day. Normally though, I wouldn’t order fettuccine Alfredo at a restaurant. Why? Because most Alfredo are made with cream and milk. Not only is that wayyyy too heavy, but I just don’t think it tastes nearly as good.

The best Alfredo in my opinion is made with butter and cheese, no cream required! My Fettuccine Alfredo is light and yet so creamy with just a touch of acidity from the lemon, a little bite from the pepper and some extra fiber and green from the peas. During the summer, I would use fresh sweet peas from the garden, but not in the winter when going outside is like… cold. Especially with the polar vortex going on.

Get the recipe here for something to keep you warm on these loooong cold nights.

February 7, 2019
Brie, Pear and Almond Puffs

When I think hors d’oeuvres, I think one bite. Passed hors d’oeuvres should be easily eaten and not messy at all. At the most, you may need to wipe your fingers on a small cocktail napkin.

These little bites are perfect for your next party. These are good when passed on a tray by a well dressed server, or placed on a lovely serving platter, center stage on your food table.

I had a lot of fun building mine. I decided to make cute little flowers with mine ( and then made some that just looked like puffs). These could be made into a variety of shapes and forms, making them incredibly versatile for any affair.

Get the recipe here.

February 4, 2019
Fluff Cakes

The giant souffle pancakes that you can find in Japan… they look so good don’t they? These are a version of that. I love fluffy food, and these are the definition of fluffy.

The pancakes themselves, are not dense, but rather very light as they are mostly meringue. While my pomegranate chocolate chip pancakes are very heavy, these ones you can keep eating forever.

Now, mine look small because I only filled my molds 1/4 of the way. But if you fill them 1/2-3/4 of the way, they will be much bigger because they will rise in the mold ( i was being a little lazy).

Oh, please make these. They’re so delicious.

January 28, 2019
Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

While I am not providing your a recipe for these spring rolls this time around, rest assured they are fairly easy to make. They require rice wrappers that you must soften yourself in a bowl of water prior to using.

The reason that I am not giving you a recipe for these is because I plan on making more (lots more) with less traditional filling. I’ve never been one for doing something the classic way, so, if I’m going to give you a recipe, it’s going to be my take on it.

Classically, these spring rolls have prawns (or shrimp), vegetables, pork and rice vermicelli in them. These are served fresh and cold.

The ones I made here are entirely vegetarian (no pork or shrimp). Consisting of mango, avocado, vermicelli, red onion, carrots, green onions and cucumbers, these spring rolls are perfect to eat on a warm day, or when you just need something light.

January 24, 2019