2018 Fall Catering Trends from Toronto’s Top Catering Companies!

One of the most popular go-to menu options for fall is our 24-hour Braised Beef short rib. It sits on a bed of smoked sweet potato purée, charred broccolini, grilled baby bell peppers and a red wine jus. Certainly a crowd-pleaser that people love and just can't resist! The melt-in-your-mouth beef can be enjoyed without a knife! This makes it perfect for any type of event, whether you’ve got seating for your guests or it’s standing only.

Hot on trend for Thanksgiving and fall festivities, our Stuffing Bites are a sure-fire crowd-pleaser. Mouthwatering stuffing is baked into a crispy prosciutto cup topped with zesty cranberry-orange sauce and a fried sage leaf. Many of our clients are getting more adventurous and moving away from serving the traditional turkey dinner to making food a part of the entertainment throughout their event. We recommend passed seasonal hors d’oeuvres like our mini turkey burgers, stuffing bites and pimento mac n’ cheese bombs coupled with some live action cooking on a feature food station to deliver that wow-factor.

This gluten free dish, made up of goat cheese, compressed squash, pickled fennel, horseradish crema, basil purée, maple walnuts and balsamic glaze is perfect for the fall - great colours and an even greater pop of flavour, what more could you ask for?

As fall quickly approaches, we’ve created some innovative twists on classic dishes like our Bacon Baklava. The sweet and salty combination of baklava topped with Gorgonzola, pistachio and candied bacon is sensational! Your guests will want to enjoy this by the spoonful’s during the holiday season – it’s quite addictive!

Mackerel is a testament to Toronto’s changing palette - cooked correctly, mackerel is delicious! This fall, we’ve seen a surge in mackerel on our event menus as Toronto welcomes this sustainable and flavourful fish for the first time. New to our fall and winter hors d’oeuvre collection, we introduce the Candied Mackerel. Chef / Owner Daniel has paired it with a Fennel Orange Salsa for sharpness and to include fall flavours and colours.

The fall season is one of our favourites because it gives us a chance to play with food items that are rich in colour and really pop. This is why we can’t get enough of our Herb Roasted Cornish Hen. Comprised of broccoli purée, charred sugar snaps, radish, manchego crumbs, romesco, heirloom carrots, king oyster mushrooms, and grilled lemons, this dish not only presents beautifully, but really captures the flavours of the season.

We are really excited about our Heirloom Tomato and Lemon Ricotta Salad with arugula, basil and cellar radish, topped with balsamic and charred tomato vinaigrette. It’s a beautiful and vibrant dish that really makes a visual impact when served. The recipe was inspired by Chef Ryan O’Flynn at The Guild in Calgary, except we’ve added our own twist. When the guest cuts into the tomato, it reveals the light and fluffy lemon ricotta, adding another layer of deliciousness - perfect for fall!

Forget everything you knew about Shepherd’s Pie. Our vegan take on this classic dish serves up golden russet potatoes, peas, carrots and lentils, all drenched in our savoury mushroom gravy. This dish will have you fall-ing for our elegant spin on a cozy classic.

This Fig and Almond Tart celebrates the bounty of fresh figs available in early fall. It pairs wonderfully with an almond cream filling. Our favourite honey for this dish is a fragrant one such as heather honey. Honey is used both to flavour the almond base and as a glaze. It is one of our most popular dishes to serve up this fall.

When you think of fall, sweet and savory flavors are the first that come to mind so we wanted to reflect all these flavors with a mouth-watering dish. I combined Pan Roasted Ontario Duck Breast, roasted Ontario grapes with puy lentils, caramelised shallots, broccolini, wilted kale and beet greens to make the perfect bite, while also embracing the fall season. I felt that duck is a stylish, unexpected alternative to chicken or beef, while also rich and flavourful!

There's nothing more comforting during the brisk days of fall than a kitchen full of aromatic spices and hearty foods. Our kitchen is no exception! Our Beef Barbacoa starts out with the earthy scent of guajillo and ancho peppers marinating. Here they rest for 24 hours before going to the oven to be slowly braised with the addition of sharp, Mexican oregano, avocado leaves, coriander seeds, and a tiny touch of cumin. Hours later, it is impossible to resist the smell of that carefully braised beef and a barbacoa taco with that refreshing finish of pico de gallo.