Category General

Parties That Cook’s Chicago Team Mixes Things Up with Wrigley

A couple of weeks ago, Parties That Cook knocked out 11 events in 3 days… Last week was no different! Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were filled nearly to the brim with corporate team building events, public cooking classes and recipe testing! Sneaking in right before the madness began was a Monday evening corporate event hosted by Wrigley. The company opted to entertain all 24 guests in a private home in Chicago.

Guests arrived from Mexico, Canada and all over the U.S. for this Chef’s Table event. Brandy, our Chicago Operations Manager and Chef Instructor, led the guests through a quick cooking demonstration outdoors before splitting the group into teams. Don B., the Wrigley host, worked with Beth, one of our great event planners, to create a custom menu. The result was a complete success! Guests enjoyed the Italian options like the Savory Plum and Thyme Bruschetta with Shaved Pecorino Romano Cheese , Flash Fried Cornmeal Calamari with Sauce Arrabbiata and a Warm Chocolate Budino with Raspberry Sauce. They also liked dishes from our Taste of Napa Menu, including Chilled Vegetable Gazpacho with Spice Watermelon Relish, Grilled Filet Mignon with Ricotta Salata Salsa Verde and a Savory Garlic and Cherry Tomato Strata. All great choices!

In the end, Brandy reported that the guests loved the event! They were really invested in their recipes, and after the meal, many guests made a point to let Brandy know what a great time they had – we love that! Don reported that the best part was “seeing what my coworkers created, then eating it. This was successful because the team definitely worked together and enjoyed the evening… It was fantastic.” What great feedback!

Want to see your event featured in a blog? Let us know! And we’ll keep you posted with more event blogs in the future!

Parties That Cook’s Last-Minute Summer Recipe: Grilled Avocado Tacos with Tomato Salad

It’s coming. You can’t avoid it. You can just prepare.
The end of summer is fast approaching, and while some of us (cough, San Francisco) have a late “Indian Summer” to look forward to, most of the nation will have to pack up those grills and enter the fall season. Give your grill a proper goodbye, for now… These fun little Grilled Avocado Tacos have a deliciously fresh combination of flavors that might just inspire a summer fiesta! For a seafood twist, try our Little Fish Tacos with Tomato Salad and Chipotle-Lime Crema! You can find these featured at our upcoming Date Night Couples Cooking Class in San Francisco!

Little Grilled Avocado Tacos with Tomato Salad and Chipotle-Lime Crema
This recipe and others like it can be found in our Appetizer Recipes Library!

Ingredients
Avocado:
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 small red chili, seeded
2 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 Haas avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
Toothpicks for serving

Tomato Salad:
20 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, sliced in half, seeded and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
2 green onions, sliced
2 Tablespoons cilantro chopped, plus some whole leaves for garnish
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Chipotle-Lime Crema:
1 cup sour cream
1/2 chipotle in adobo, minced plus 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
2 limes, cut into wedges

Tortillas:
24 small 4-inch corn tortillas

Methods/Steps
Marinade: Put cilantro, paprika, cumin, chili, lime zest, lime juice, olive oil and salt in a blender and process to a paste. Halve, pit and peel the avocados. Place avocado halves in a bowl and gently coat avocados with the marinade (do not mash the avocado in any way).

Grill Avocados: Heat a ridged grill pan over high heat. Place each half on the grill for cook for about 30 to 45 seconds. Don’t be afraid to take the cooking outdoors, instead, and grill the avocados for a bit longer.

Cut Avocados: Transfer grilled avocado to a cutting board and cut each avocado half into thin wedges, about 4 wedges per half.

Tomato Salad: Cut up and mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Tortillas: Using tongs, grill each tortilla over a gas burner for 15 seconds a side. Transfer to a plate; cover with foil to keep warm. Alternatively, wrap all tortillas in foil and warm in a 350ºF oven for 10 minutes.

Make Crema: Place all ingredients into a small bowl and mix well.

Assemble Tacos: Place a piece of avocado on each tortilla. Put a dollop of the crema on the avocado then top with a spoonful of tomato salad. Garnish with some cilantro, roll into a cone and secure with a toothpick. Serve on a platter with lime wedges.

Makes 24 little tacos