Blog | Vibrant Table Catering & Events

Recipe of the Month: Sticky Toffee Pudding

March 26, 2015 Filed Under: Catering Chronicles, Festive Fare, Inspiring Ideas

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list of ingredients

1 cup & 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup pitted dates
1 ¼ cups boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten

toffee sauce

1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup pecans
1 cup heavy cream & 2T Sugar, whipped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch round or square baking dish. Sift the flour and baking powder onto a sheet of waxed paper. Finely chop the dates. Place in a small bowl and add the boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until blended. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the date mixture to the batter and fold until blended with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until pudding is set and firm on top, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack.

Toffee Sauce: Combine the butter, heavy cream and brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan; heat to boiling, stir constantly. Boil gently over medium low heat until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. After the cake is cool, cut slices and drizzle with toffee sauce, top with a spoonful of sweetened whipped cream.

*recipe photo from whatjessicabakednext.com/

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Paper Flowers: A Unique Bride’s Bouquet

January 13, 2015 Filed Under: Bridal Boutique, Brilliant Blooms, Inspiring Ideas

Vibrant Flowers had the great and rewarding experience of creating an entire bridal bouquet out of hand-crafted paper flowers. See how we rose to the challenge.

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In March 2014, we received an email from a bride who was interested in having us provide the flowers for her wedding in October. Pretty standard, so far. But as we talked more, an interesting dilemma was revealed. She was allergic to flowers. Yes, that’s right, allergic to flowers! Not just one type of flower, we’re talking ALL flowers.
Our Solution? A handmade paper flower bouquet. Vibrant Flowers is not just a florist, we are a team of artists and decor specialists!
We certainly couldn’t have our bride sneezing, tearing up and ruining her makeup before she even got to the altar.

One rose could have upwards of 100 petals!

Each flower is completely unique.	1 paper petal is made of 3 layers.	Each petal was hand-cut and shaped.
We bleached and dyed the tissue to get the colors and variations in transparency.	We even made our own stamens.	Hydrangea!

Making a bridal bouquet is always special. Being able to spend months working on this bouquet was truly rewarding. It was a very thoughtful and sweet process that translated into a unique keepsake for our bride.

Recipe: Pumpkin Creme Brulee

September 19, 2014 Filed Under: Festive Fare

Want to satisfy your sweet tooth? Our Executive Chef, Eric Petrus makes a killer creme brulee. It’s a perfect introduction for the fall season and a great way to impress, well, anybody. You get to use a torch!

INGREDIENTS:

3 egg yolks
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Whisk egg yolks and brown sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in heavy cream, pumpkin puree, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Divide pumpkin mixture between seven (5-inch) ramekins about 1/2 inch from the top.
Place the ramekins in a baking dish and fill with the baking dish hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake in preheated oven until just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove ramekins and refrigerate until completely cool, at least 2 hours.
Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of sugar onto each creme brulee. Melt the sugar with a chef’s torch until crisp and dark brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

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Awards in Equity: Vibrant Table’s Kurt Beadell

August 19, 2014 Filed Under: Biz Buzz, Catering Chronicles

We are happy to announce that Creative Director/Partner of Vibrant Table, Kurt Beadell has been selected as the honoree of Equity Foundation’s 2014 Equity Awards. Equity Foundation promotes philanthropy, and seeks to represent the interests of the LGBTQ community and those that promote diversity and inclusion, by granting funds to organizations that work to eradicate prejudice against gender and sexual minorities, and people from other diverse communities. The Equity Award is given to individuals and businesses that are champions in creating social, economic, and political equity for the LGBTQ community.
Congratulations Kurt!
To find out more about Kurt and the Equity Award visit : www.equityfoundation.org

Thank you to Evrim Icoz Photography for allowing us to use his images. These images have been stylized by Vibrant Table.

Know Your Style: A Bride’s Guide to Personalizing Bouquets

May 4, 2014 Filed Under: Brilliant Blooms

During our floral consultations we ask brides a lot of questions. For starters,
What are your wedding colors?
What are your favorite flowers?
What shape bouquet appeals to you?
What about the ribbon color and treatment of the bouquet?

We ask details, down to the tiniest pearl pinhead decoration. Choosing a bridal bouquet style while also considering your flower’s seasonal availability can be overwhelming for a bride that has to make many detailed decisions.
Vibrant Flowers is here to help! Through these questions we find out what your wedding day vision is, help you personalize your look and provide you with creative support.

If you are not sure what style of flowers you want for your bridal bouquet, here are some suggestions to help make the process more enjoyable and less stressful.

STYLE CHOICES

		Biedermeier – Composed of different layers, the placement of each bloom is strategically designed to create concentric circles, emphasizing pattern and repetition. This style became popular in Europe in the 1800s. Visit our Pinterest Board on Biedermeier bouquets to see some examples!
		Cascade – Elegant, sculptural bouquets with long trailing flowers and greens. Visit our Pinterest Board on Cascade and Trailing bouquets to see some examples!
		Round – More manicured bouquet with minimal greens, Simple, clean and classic. Visit our Pinterest Board on Round bouquets to see some examples!
		Crescent – Sculptural bouquet focusing more on line, form and symmetry (or asymmetry) to create a a two sided cascade of flowers. Visit our Pinterest Board on Crescent bouquets to see some examples!
		Garden or Hand-tied – Organic bouquet of mixed flowers, diverse textures and more and foliage/greens to give a very natural “picked from the garden” feel. Visit our Pinterest Board on Garden bouquets to see some examples!
		Pageant – Dramatic long-stemmed bouquet that the bride carries on her arm. Generally composed of focal and line flowers. Visit our Pinterest Board on Pageant bouquets to see some examples!
		Pomander – Complete round sphere of blooms often carried by a handle of ribbons or pearls. Visit our Pinterest Board on Pomander bouquets to see some examples!
		Composite – Uniquely made, these bouquets are formed from individual petals to make one large flower. This technique originated during the war, when Camellia flowers were very expensive. So instead, people took the petals of the less expensive Gladiolas and made them into what looked like a more expensive flower. Visit our Pinterest board on Composite bouquets to see some examples!