Get ready for your best season ever with these fresh menu ideas.
Summertime catering events draw a fresh batch of challenges. Tweaking your menu to accommodate the weather with today’s challenges of labor and inflation calls for fresh thinking about your menu. Here are 5 quick menu ideas to set you apart from the rest.
1. Keep It Light
Summer calls for lighter fare with fresh, colorful seasonal berries and melons for grazing. Wrap melons with prosciutto for a visual and culinary delight. Seafood in summer is always a winner, from shrimp cocktails to mahi mahi filets. Or try a serving station with an array of shellfish finger foods, like pre-cracked crab legs, shrimp, or lobster cubes near a choice of sauces. For pastas, look at light butter sauces and brown butters rather than heavy cream or tomato sauces. Save time and labor in prepping butter sauces with Butterball Farms Quik-Creations® Butter Sauce Base. Perfect for across dayparts, Quik-Creations has a variety of delicious menu applications that can elevate your menu.
2. Indulgent Breads & Elegant Butters
Baskets of decadent breads or rolls are welcome year-round. Make it more memorable by serving shaped butters in the form of premium butter balls or roses. Butterball® Farms Premium Balls® present beautifully in a ramekin or dish and are great for grazing stations or on the tables while guests await their salad or entrée.
3. Caprese Skewers
Nothing speaks to summer more than a fresh caprese salad with succulent, fresh tomatoes. So why not make your caprese mobile this summer with elegantly skewered caprese ingredients. It’s as simple as cut cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic. Try this tip and you will have everyone talking.
4. Tropical Combinations with Proteins
Few things suggest the flavors of Hawaii like combining pineapple with proteins, such as pulled pork or chicken. Try a Hawaiian chicken or pork taco or a slider with BBQ sauce and shredded pineapple to bring the light flavor of the tropics to a serving station. Another powerful pairing is watermelon with bacon or pork belly. The same can be said with mangos, peaches, and Kiwi.
5. Veggie Rolls & Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
Bright seasonal appetizers come best inside a pre-cut wrap or within rice paper, paired with a light Asian sauce. Another way to make your vegetables a hit is with the savory flavor of bacon-wrapped asparagus. Serve them atop wooden trays for a feeling of nature and the outdoors.
Embracing nature’s harvest for your summer menu wins time after time when you have a bit of fresh inspiration. Your business will earn buzz that delights customers and builds some free word-of-mouth advertising for your business.