Blend Catering and As You Wish Catering Share Their Favorite Summer Dishes

Food is one of the first things people think about at a wedding reception. Couples can add their own personal touch to appetizers and small bites to wow their guests at cocktail hour. In fact, the first course can set the mood for the entire night! Food is an integral part of making your wedding stand out and using the best caterers in Lake Tahoe is a great start to making your wedding guests head home full and happy.

One of the best things about a summer wedding is the bountiful food options that a caterer can pick from when planning a wedding menu. We talked with Blend Catering and As You Wish Catering about what is on their menus and some of their favorite summer meals.

When creating a wedding menu, Mike Farrier of As You Wish Catering shared that his goal is creating and delivering the highest quality food possible for a wedding reception. As You Wish cooks all food on site using only the best ingredients.

Josh and Whitney of Blend Catering love creating new, personalized menus for every wedding, using a couple's background and interests as inspiration. Finding out what a couple loves helps helps them create the most delicious menu possible.

When summer dishes come to mind, Farrier's favorite meals include fresh, seasonal foods. Halibut drizzled with fresh basil pesto, served with fresh tomatoes, grilled summer squash and roasted red potatoes are a favorite of his to cook. He also shared that cooking in the summer is great because of the extensive variety of fresh food and the ability to grill! Nothing is better in the summer than pairing fresh veggies with quality meat or fresh fish.

Guests can expect high quality, creative food from Blend Catering. Whatever the season, they like to make sure that their menus are full of fresh, in-season ingredients. They have been seeing more and more family style dinners at weddings and love this trend. It gives friends and family the chance to have a plated dinner, while casually and comfortably passing around plates of food at the table. It gives a relaxed atmosphere, but also keeps the formality of a plated dinner.

We can't agree more that food is one of our favorite topics, after weddings of course! In the summer, the fruit always seems to taste better and the ability to get outside and grill is so fun. In that spirit, we are sharing this recipe straight from the Blend team. So, start your shopping and celebrate the arrival of summer with this amazing!

This recipe will help you create the perfect summer BBQ meal: steak with a Chimmichurri sauce, paired with grilled artichokes and a berry coleslaw. Enjoy!

Start with 2.5 pounds of steak; preferably hangar steak.

Steak marinade:

1/2 cup canola or grape seed oil

1 head black garlic, peeled

1.5 tbsp kosher salt

1.5 tbsp fresh cracked black pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp fish sauce

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor, purée until smooth Marinate steak for at least one hour and no longer than 24 hours Pre heat your grill to high heat Grill the first side of your steak over high heat for 2 minutes, without flipping or moving the steak.

Flip the steak and grill over high heat for another minute and a half then remove from the grill, while keeping the grill in high Let the steak rest for 5 minutes, then add the steak back to the grill Grill over high heat again for 1 minute, flip the steak and grill the opposite side for 1 more minute.

Let the steak rest for 5-7 minutes, then slice it

Chimichurri:

1 cup olive oil

1/2 bunch parsley, cleaned, patted dry and sliced thin

1/4 bunch cilantro, cleaned, patted dry and sliced thin

4 cloves garlic, peeled, minced

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 tsp honey or agave

1/2 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

1 tsp marasch chili flakes, Aleppo chili flakes or Calabrian chili flakes Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl, mix together and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to a hour before serving. (Stays in the refrigerator for up to one week)

Grilled Artichokes with Lemon Aioli:

4 whole artichokes

1/2 cup white wine

1.5 tbsp extra Virgin olive oil

1.5 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Add the artichokes to boiling water with the white wine, salt and pepper Boil the artichokes for 35-40 minutes, then drain them Slice the cooked artichokes in half, remove the inner choke Add just enough olive oil to coat the artichokes along with a small amount of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to each artichoke Grill each artichoke on both sides for 1-2 minutes per side over high heat Lemon aioli:

2 cups best Foods or your favorite brand mayonnaise

6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp honey or agave

2 lemons zested and juiced

1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 bunch chives, sliced very thin

Mix all ingredients into a bowl and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving

Berry Coleslaw:

1 head red cabbage, sliced very thinly

1 red onion, sliced in half, then sliced very thinly

1/2 cup best Foods or your favorite brand of mayonnaise

1/2 cup fresh raspberries, cleaned and mashed

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp honey or agave

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1.5 cups fresh strawberries, cleaned and sliced thin Mix all ingredients together and let sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving