[Daval]

Originally Posted by shroomgirl

blackened does not go over well in this area.....not sure where you are at, but it's important to know your demographics' eating preferences.

If you have one entree cold, you are ahead of the game....especially part time catering newby. Two hot entrees with potential of hot sides.....+ you never mentioned other staff.

I will have one assistant with me to help with serving.

[boar_d_laze]

Setting aside the pork for the moment, some of your best choices for salmon are a butter lemon sauce of some sort -- perhaps a play on beurre nantais with lemon and capers (been on my brain lately); a horseradish and/or mustard cream with dill; a bechamel based sauce such as a (shrimp) Nantua; and a cool , slightly sweet, creme-fraiche or yogurt based sauce -- again with dill, mustard and/or horseradish.

Like you, I like the salsa ideas too. But, while they contrast with the mushroom-cream sauce for the pork, they don't compliment it. Ask if you really want both on the same plate. Whatever your answer, trust your virtual palate and not mine. I'm not trying to make you into a mini-me, big-you works just fine.

At the end of the day, the best idea is probably to let go of the cream based sauced for the pork and move on to a wine and/or stock based sauce. There's a lot you can do combining one of those with fruit -- Such as a maple/ginger/peach sauce, a port/fig sauce, apple/calvados, etc.

Otherwise you might want to go with fresh lemon for the salmon, and leave it at that.

BDL

PS. If it's possible for you, do think about hot smoking the salmon and/or the pork rather than grilling either or both of them. Huge increase in the level of interest, aroma, and tolerance for reheating.

PPS. (Added on a subsequent edit). I just though of a sauce for the salmon which is exactly right, works cold and hot, and compliments your mushroom/cream with the pork. Ravigote. It's a classic sauce, pre-Escoffier, so there are recipes all over the web. It allows a tremendous amount of freedom in terms of what herbs to use, and how you want to place the lemon/vinegar balance. Just an all around good idea for your particular problem. To give you an idea of what it looks like, it's a sort of French pesto with herbs, anchovies, capers, vinegar, lemon and ... well, it allows for a lot of variations.

Don't use Emeril's Creamy Ravigote though, it's really more of a remoulade than a ravigote, and wouldn't go well on the same plate as the mushroom/cream.

_______________________________

Ex owner/operator Predominantly French catering, ex cook at a couple of good joints

[petalsandcoco]

With Pork Tenderloin there is always the option of sauce a l'orange.


1 Large Orange (zest the skin for sauce , keep segments for garnish )
4 fluid oz (100ml) French Red Wine
4 fluid oz (100ml) Fresh Orange Juice
2 fluid oz (50ml) Duck or Chicken Stock or drippings
1 Tablespoon of Honey or Brown Sugar

Bring to a slow boil then simmer...

For the salmon....actually BDL is very right, Beurre Nantais with lemon and capers. These ingredients enhance one another.

Petals

[ED BUCHANAN]

Originally Posted by petalsandcoco

With Pork Tenderloin there is always the option of sauce a l'orange.


1 Large Orange (zest the skin for sauce , keep segments for garnish )
4 fluid oz (100ml) French Red Wine
4 fluid oz (100ml) Fresh Orange Juice
2 fluid oz (50ml) Duck or Chicken Stock or drippings
1 Tablespoon of Honey or Brown Sugar

Bring to a slow boil then simmer...

For the salmon....actually BDL is very right, Beurre Nantais with lemon and capers. These ingredients enhance one another.

Petals

Try adding some good orange marmalade!

[petalsandcoco]

Now your talking !!!!!


Petals

[shroomgirl]

Pork dregged in porcini powder, searred then finished in oven with a fruit sauce, I like rosemary cherry or apricot/orange/rosemary with porcini.

ravigote is what my francophile friend makes at this Provencal restaurants.....aka sauce verte.....

2 staff for 40 guests.....someone is tending the bar, putting out aps, cleaning up the front....you are essentially solo in the kitchen....think of that when you are thinking of cooking of two meats with sauces (obviously at least one sauce premade is easier than making both on site), oven space for warming bread/rolls, finishing meats, heating vegetables.....

*I apologize for any rudeness on my part. Blackened would not work here in St. Louis, there are just too many customers that don't eat hot spice. Not that there aren't alot of habanero or spice eaters here, there are just a significant # that don't. If we're serving hot there's also a mild version. Different parts of the country have different eater demographics. That is MY clientel base.
If you are new to catering being aware of your audience is important. Each of us that has been catering for years has a sense of what people like wherever they may live.

[ED BUCHANAN]

I agree a lot depends on ethnics, and what people grew up with.