Get Wild at Home…Original Recipes from Chef Dawn

Strawberry Bleu Salad

Salad Ingredients:
Baby Spinach
Bleu Cheese
Fresh Sliced Strawberries
Candied Walnuts (see recipe below, also available to buy at some gourmet stores)
Strawberry Balsamic dressing (see recipe below)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Candied Walnuts:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
¼ cup water (add only as needed)
1 pound raw walnut halves

Place brown sugar, rosemary, balsamic vinegar and water in mixing bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add walnuts and coat with sugar mixture.

Place on a nonstick cooking sheet; use a silpat(French silicone cooking sheet) if you have one. The sugar mixture is very sticky and hard to clean. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until the nuts seem golden brown. They will seem sticky when they come out of the oven but will harden as they cool. Nuts can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette:
5 fresh strawberries stem removed
1 shallot, rough chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ cup honey
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups Canola Oil mixed with ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Water

Place strawberries, shallot, salt, pepper, honey and balsamic vinegar in a blender. Blend together then add Canola/olive oil blend slowly as the blender is going. If the mixture seems like it is getting to thick and emulsified, add water while blending until you attain a dressing like thickness.

Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Mix all ingredients in a large salad bowl and serve immediately.

Themed Events

It is always a lot of fun to be a part of theme parties. Recently we had an Oktoberfest themed event! It goes without saying we worked with a fun blue and white color pallet, served German Fare and a lot of beer…

The menu featured classic dishes such as; Made to Order Schnitzel, Knockwurst with Sauerkraut, Potato Leak Soup and Apple Strudel. The decor tied it all together with traditional white and blue check design, a grand tent with long table seating for everyone and the food was all displayed in our clients 200 year old pewter dishes. The band played German tunes while the guests who were all dressed in their lederhosen enjoyed themselves and their surroundings. Our ability to create custom menus adds the finishing touches to any themed event.

Other fun theme events that we have done include; Western BBQ, Halloween, Morrocan, Hawaiian Luau and much more. If you are interested in hosting a themed party give us a call (858)527-0226.

Wedding of a Life Thyme

It is always such an honor for The Wild Thyme Company to be a part of a Bride & Groom’s big day. We feel that it speaks worlds that our clients trust us with such responsibility. Recently we had the privilege of catering an intimate wedding in Cardiff by the Sea. Both the ceremony and reception were held at a beautiful cliff-side pool and pool house. From start to finish the transformation of a simple pool house to an intimate dinner setting was amazing. From the patio adorned with lanterns to the candle lit dining room it was both romantic and quaint. The menu mirrored the feel of the wedding. Beginning with a Caprese Stack of vine ripe red and yellow tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella and crisp basil and aged balsamic vinegar. Guests enjoyed the experience and savored the meal. The main course was a custom collaboration between the bride and Wild Thyme resulting in a new favorite; Medium rare center cut fillet Mignon with Mandarin Orange Demi accompanied by Coconut Lemon Grass Prawns on a bed of creamy wasabi mashed potatoes and asparagus bundles. This delicious entree made for the perfect first meal for our newly weds. They finished their night with a perfect two tier cake from Sweet Cheeks and a glass of ice wine. Our congratulations and best wishes go out to these newly weds from all of us here at The Wild Thyme Company.

San Diego’s “WILD THYME” Nominated for Best Caterer: The 10 News A List Selects Finalist.

We are excited to announce our nomination for best caterer in San Diego on 10 News A List!!! Please vote for us. Read more below.

The Wild Thyme Company, a local San Diego catering company that specializes in premiere catering and event planning, has been selected by The 10 News A List as a finalist in the best caterer category.

The News 10 A List is a city guide that asks San Diegans to vote for their choice of what they consider to be the “best” in a selected category. San Diegans are offered the chance to vote and share their valuable input about how they think a business is performing. It is a great way for locals to show their appreciation and praise for delivering high quality.

Dawn Parks, owner/chef of The Wild Thyme Company, said about being featured in the City Guide, “Being nominated for the A List is a real honor.” She went on to say, “It really gives people a behind the scenes opportunity to express their opinion.”

The Wild Thyme Company is definitely a business deserving of the nomination. The San Diego caterer not only serves up mouthwatering cuisine, like pomegranate glazed lollipop lamb chops, ricotta stuffed pumpkin ravioli and chocolate mousse martinis, it also gives back to the community by sponsoring the local Dailard Elementary School’s Dailard Dashers running team.

San Diegans love to recognize those businesses that use talent and creativity to bring something special to one of America’s finest cities. The reason why The Wild Thyme Company is recognized as a hard working catering company is because it puts a bit of heart into every catered affair. From the unique flavors of its innovative cuisine to the warmth and artistry of its presentation, the News 10 A List couldn’t have picked a more deserving nominee.

About The Wild Thyme Company: With an innovative and fresh approach to catering and event planning, The Wild Thyme Company brings a new perspective and raises the bar for off premise catering in San Diego. For more information call Erin Ritterbush at (858) 527-0226 or visit www.TheWildThymeCompany.com.

The Wild Thyme Company Gives Back

There are so many opportunities for small business owners to give back to the community. At The Wild Thyme Company it is always our pleasure to be a part of the community and we are very excited about our latest involvement. It is with great pleasure that we announce we are the official sponsers of the Dailard Dashers. Dailard Elementary School is located in San Diego and has classes from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade. The Dashers are the Dailard Elementary School’s running team. The Dashers learn the importance of teamwork and commradery through this program and all of us here at The Wild Thyme Company can’t wait to go cheer them on. Go Dashers!!!

High School Dance Packages

The Wild Thyme Company is now offering dance packages for local high schools. These packages will offer all sorts of fun snacks and beverages for high school dances. We have created fun menu options with everything from Quesadilla Stations to Chocolate Fountains. We understand that schools work with limited budgets and have created items to fit within these budgets. Whether its a casual high school homecoming or the Senior Prom the Wild Thyme Company will help plan the perfect menu package to fit! For information on our High School Dance Packages or for help in choosing the perfect venue to hold your next dance give us a call (858) 527-0226!

Tea Thyme

There are so many different party themes that we get to create menus for. Recently one that we’ve had a lot of fun with was an afternoon tea party. What girl doesn’t want to get dressed up and have tea time with her girlfriends especially for a special occasion like a Birthday. We kept the traditional tea party items such as Fresh Scones with Clotted Cream and added some signature Wild Thyme items such as our Strawberry Bleu Salad and Curried Chicken Sandwiches. We hope you enjoy this fun new menu…for additional information about this menu or to have the Wild Thyme Company create a menu just for you please email us at info@thewildthymecompany.com

Tea Party Menu

Tea Sandwiches

Curried Chicken Salad with Green Apples and Sage Pesto on Brioche

Beet Cured Salmon Gravlax with Egg Salad on Buckwheat Blinis

Cucumber, Cream Cheese and Watercress on Rye

Black Forest Ham and Strawberry Jam with Swiss cheese on Rye

Treats

Bite Size Quiche Lorraine with Caramelized Onions,

Gruyere Cheese and Black Forest Ham

Freshly Baked Scones with Clotted Cream and Preserves

Fresh Seasonal Fruit and Berries on a beaded skewer

Strawberry Bleu Salad with Baby Spinach, Candied Walnuts, Maytag Bleu Cheese and Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Sweets

Coconut Macaroons baked fresh and drizzled with Bittersweet Chocolate

Petite Butter Cookies filled with Lemon Curd and dusted with Powdered Sugar

Raspberry Lemon Chiffon Sponge Cake Roulade with fresh berries

Mini Carrot Cupcakes with Creamy Cheese Frosting

Assorted Chocolate Truffles

Vegan Menu with Wild Thyme Style

The Wild Thyme team is always excited when our clients ask us to customize a menu. It always provides us the opportunity to showcase new flavors and unique items while accommodating our client’s needs. Recently, we were asked to create some fun vegan appetizers. While we already had an extensive list of vegetarian items we had yet to develop a selection of vegan items. Check out our fun new Vegan items listed below and if you need a special menu created, give us a call (858)527-0226!

Vegan Hors D’oeuvres

Vegan Vietnamese Style Spring Rolls

Mango, Tofu, Carrot and Cucumber

With Coconut & Lime Dipping Sauce

Miso Glazed Portobello Lettuce Cups

With fresh crispy rice noodles

Mini Garden Sliders

Served on fresh whole wheat rolls

with caramelized onions

Veggie Satay

Seasoned Grilled Vegetables on a Beaded Skewer

With Spicy Peanut Sauce

Pot Stickers

Seasoned Tofu, Ginger and Julienne Vegetables

With Ponzu Dipping Sauce

Wild Thyme at BNI

The Wild Thyme Company is proud to be a member of the international business networking group BNI. As part of our membership we were asked to give a 10 minute presentation all about the ins and outs of Wild Thyme. It was a great opportunity to showcase all the services we offer; formal catering, event planning, corporate to-go service, venue rental and even gourmet lunch boxes. We believe that to truly appreciate any catering company it is important to taste their product! For our BNI presentation we were excited to provide lunch for all the Downtown Connection BNI members. The group enjoyed our Caprese with pesto grilled chicken and penne pasta as well as Lotus with Ginger marinated steak and Thai peanut noodles. These gourmet lunch boxes are the perfect solution to business lunches on the go. They come perfectly packaged and even include dessert! BNI has been a great group to be a part of and we are always excited to have networking opportunities and spread the word about Wild Thyme!

10 News A List

The Wild Thyme Company has been nominated in the Caterer Category for Best of San Diego. We would love your support. To vote for The Wild Thyme Company please visit www.10news.com/alist. You will find us listed under the wedding section in the Caterer Category. We thank you for all the Support!

-The Wild Thyme Team