Patina Catering, Los Angeles

Patina Restaurant Group in Los Angeles catered the prestigious 62nd Creative Arts and Primetime Emmy® Awards Governors Ball for the 15th year on August 29. Keeping the “celestial” theme of the fête in mind, Joachim Splichal, chef and founder of Patina Restaurant Group, created a seasonally-inspired three-course menu for each Emmy® celebration (the Creative Arts awards were given a week earlier than the Primetime awards).

“Because the Emmys were in August instead of September this year, we were able to take advantage of some fabulous summer produce like eggplant, zucchini blossoms and heirloom tomatoes,” says Alec Lestr, Patina catering executive chef.

All of the food preparation was done in a massive kitchen that is built on-site just for this event, in which 13 executive chefs from Patina Restaurant Group’s restaurant collection oversaw 180 cooks and 1,200 staff to ensure that each dish was perfect.

The menu development for this year’s dinner began just after last year’s festivities ended. More than 50 dishes were eventually pared down through a series of tastings with board members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The first course, Summer Vegetable Salad, combined farmers’ market vegetables with creamy avocado mousse, salsa verde and a tangy heirloom tomato gelée. The main course explored Mediterranean flavors with a succulent Rack of Lamb accompanied by dried fruit crumble, chickpea purée, basil-marinated grilled eggplant and summer vegetables. Fish lovers enjoyed Lemon Studded Salmon Ratatouille served with sweet basil and fried zucchini blossoms. The vegetarian option was Portobello Mushroom Ravioli with braised baby artichokes, crisp mushrooms and micro basil. The Dark Chocolate Decadence marked a sweet ending to the evening: a chewy fudge brownie enhanced by smoked fleur de sel.

By the Numbers:
62nd Primetime Emmy® Awards Governors Ball

•    3,500 guests
•    3,500 place settings
•    10,000 pieces of china
•    2,500 champagne flutes
•    1,200 staff on-site
•    200 technicians
•    180 cooks in the kitchen
•    13 executive restaurant chefs on-site in the kitchen
•    85 managers
•    45 bartenders
•    2 Grey Goose ice bars
•    4,416 bottles of Beaulieu Vineyard® wine
•    360 bottles of Beaulieu Vineyard® dessert wine
•    Beaulieu Vineyard wine bar featured in the center of the ballroom
•    437 pounds of Dungeness crab
•    1,750 California avocadoes
•    900 pounds heirloom tomatoes
•    984 pounds of rack of lamb
•    300 pounds of chickpeas
•    15 pounds of fresh rosemary
•    800 pounds of dark chocolate.
•    Basic prep took place at the Patina Central Catering Kitchen over a five-day period by a crew of 50 people per day
•    Most proteins and basic components were cooked at the event site immediately before service
•    15th year Patina has prepared the food for the Emmys:  95, 96, 97, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10

Summer Vegetable Salad, Avocado Mousse, Salsa Verde, Heirloom Tomato Gelee
Serves 4


Ingredients
6 ripe red tomatoes
2 ounces basil
3.5 grams agar (available in Asian supermarkets)
2 cloves peeled garlic.
½ head romaine lettuce leaves
2 avocados
1 oz lime juice
3 oz lemon juice
2 oz cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, peeled and seeds removed
2 cobs corn
2 oz piquillo peppers, diced small
1 oz parsley, chopped
½ cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
1 oz chives
4 oz fava beans, blanched and peeled
4 oz fresh peas, blanched
4 oz green beans, blanched, cut in ½ inch lengths
1 artichoke bottom
2 Tbsp crème fraiche
2 roma tomatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 large heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Method
(A note on jalapeno peppers: jalapeno peppers vary in degrees of heat. One week you can make a dish where one pepper is almost too hot, and the next week two peppers are barely hot enough. For these recipes, the heat should be subtle. We suggest making the recipe with less than needed, than adding more to taste.)

For the Tomato Gelee
Core the tomatoes, cut into ¼’s and puree in blender, seeds and all. Measure out exactly ½ liter puree, and place in saucepot along with 2 leaves of basil with branch, 2 cloves peeled garlic, and bring to simmer. Add agar and simmer for an additional 45 seconds. Remove basil and garlic, and pass thru fine mesh sieve. Place in a 1/3-inch-thick layer in pan and chill. Once chilled, cut into cubes.

For the Salsa Verde
Saute the romaine in olive oil with a pinch of salt. Puree with 1avocado, lime juice, 1 oz chopped cilantro, and 1 jalapeno.

For the Corn Salad
Grill corn on the cob until charred, and remove from cob. Add piquillos, 1 oz chopped cilantro, chopped parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and chives. Season with sea salt.

For the Avocado Puree
Puree 1 avocado with 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 2 tbsp cream fraiche. Season with sea salt.

For the Vegetables
Mix the fava beans with the green beans, peas, sliced artichokes and tomato cubes. Season with lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt.

For the Tomato Salad
Mix the heirloom tomato wedges with olive oil, sea salt and basil dice.

To serve
Fill a ringmold 1/3 full with corn salad, then a layer of avocado puree, and topped with a layer of vegetable salad. Place onto serving plate, and remove mould. Top with small salad of mixed herbs. Place a mound of tomato salad on plate, along with a dollop of salsa verde and some cubes of gelée. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top, and serve.

Rack Of Lamb with Dried Fruit Crumble, Chickpea Puree, Basil Marinated Grilled Eggplant with Summer Vegetables and Rosemary Juice
Serves 4


Ingredients
1 rack of lamb
1 branch thyme
2 cloves of garlic
1 whole shallot, sliced
1/4 carrot, cut in small cubes
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
¼ oz fresh chopped rosemary
black pepper
6 oz butter
2.4 oz sugar
4.4 oz flour
4.4 oz ground almonds
pinch salt
pinch cinnamon
1 pinch ground cumin
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-½ cups drained canned chickpeas
¼ tsp paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1 green zucchini
1 Japanese eggplant
1 oz fresh basil
12 small fingerling potatoes
8 pattypan squash—blanched
2 oz pea tendrils
4 leaves Bibb lettuce

Method
For the Lamb and Sauce
Sear the lamb in olive oil until nicely browned on all sides. Add the thyme, garlic and 1 tbsp butter, and place in a 375º preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes, until cooked medium. Remove lamb and set aside to rest. Place pan on stovetop along with the carrot and shallots, and cook until golden. Add the wine and cook until evaporated. Add the broth and reduce until ¼ cup remains. Strain thru fine mesh sieve and season with rosemary, salt and black pepper.

For the Linzer Topping
Mix the 5 oz of the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add flour, almonds and cinnamon, and continue beating until mixture becomes slightly stiff. Shape dough into a ball, and let rest for 1 hour. Roll out dough onto an ungreased baking sheet 1/8 inch thick, and bake at 325º for 10–15 minutes until light brown. Let cool 20 minutes, and crumble.

For the Chickpea Puree
Sauté garlic and cumin in 1/8 cup of the olive oil, for 1 minute, add chickpeas, paprika and cayenne, and continue to gently sauté about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and bring to boil. Place in blender with 1/8 cup olive oil, to achieve a thick puree. Season with salt and pepper

For the Basil-Marinated Eggplant:
Slice the zucchini and eggplant lengthwise, 1/3 inch thick. Brush with olive oil and grill until cooked through. Let cool, and lay eggplant strips down on sheet of plastic wrap, overlapping each other. Top with a few pieces of fresh basil, and then lay the eggplant slices on tip, with the slices overlapping each other. Top with a few more leaves of basil, and roll up. Cut rolls into 3-inch lengths, and set aside.

For the Vegetables and Potatoes
Cook the potatoes gently in olive oil until cooked through and golden. Sauté the pea tendrils in a touch of olive oil until slightly wilted. Sauté Bibb lettuce leaves in butter until wilted.

To serve
Warm all components. Place a dollop of chickpea puree on the right side of 4 dinner plates. Cut the lamb into 4 double chops, and place one piece on top of the puree. Put the eggplant in the plates center, and top with the crumbled linzer. Surround the plate with remaining vegetables, and pour some sauce over the lamb. Serve.

Dark Chocolate Decadence with Smoked Fleur de Sel on Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie
Serves 4


Brownie
185 g Duncan Hines dark chocolate premium brownie mix
18 g eggs
25 g water
25 g vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place 6 ringmolds with 2.5 inch diameter on top. In an electric mixer, whip all ingredients together one minute. With a pastry bag, pipe the batter into the rings, and bake approximately 20 minutes until cooked. Let cool. Cut circles into 2-¼ inch diameter circles.

Chocolate Ganache
75 g dark chocolate, chopped
15 g glucose
95 g heavy cream
1 pinch smoked fleur de sel
25 g chocolate pop rocks

Line the six 2.5 inch ringmolds with plastic wrap or acetate strips, and place the 2.25-inch circles inside.

Warm the cream and glucose together, and pour over the chocolate. Add the fleur de sel, and mix with a handheld immersion mixer until smooth. Let cool to lukewarm, so the ganache is thick and spreadable.

In a pastry bag, pipe the ganache on the brownies and sprinkle the pop rocks on top.

Dark Chocolate Mousse
65 g heavy cream
6g g milk
13 g sugar
26 g egg yolks
187 g dark chocolate, chopped
235 g heavy cream—whipped to soft peaks

Combine the 65 g of heavy cream with the milk and 7 g of the sugar, and bring to a boil.
Mix the egg yolks with 6 g sugar and whisk until it turns a pale yellow color.
Whisk half of the hot cream mix into the egg yolk mix and then whisk this mix back into the remaining hot cream. Cook this mix until it reaches 18º, and then pour over dark chocolate and blend with a handheld immersion mixer until smooth. Let cool to lukewarm, and then fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Place this mixture into a pastry bag, and pipe into rings, over the ganache and brownie. Let cool in refrigerator. When very cold, unmold, and remove acetate strip.

Chocolate Glaze
125 g milk
50 g glucose syrup
2 sheets gelatin
150 g dark chocolate, chopped
150 g Pate a Glacer

Soften the gelatin in cold water, for 5 minutes. Mix the chocolate with the Pate a Glacer.
Bring to a boil the milk and glucose, then add the gelatin. Pour over the chocolate and blend with a handheld immersion mixer until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool down. When slightly lukewarm, pour over cake to glaze. Reserve leftover glaze to sauce plate

Milk Chocolate Chantilly
110 g heavy cream
60 g milk chocolate
Warm the cream to 140º and pour over milk chocolate. Blend with a handheld immersion mixer until smooth. Let sit overnight.

To serve
Place cake on plate, and decorate with a few additional pop rocks. Place a scoop of Chantilly on top of the cake, and drizzle some of the chocolate glaze around plate. Enjoy!

About Patina Catering
Based upon his vision of unique restaurants emphasizing fresh, seasonal ingredients and unparalleled service, Joachim Splichal opened his flagship restaurant Patina in 1989. What began as a few intimate dinners in the homes of Patina’s most loyal patrons slowly developed into Patina Catering. The commitment to bring Splichal’s impeccable food and quality service to catered occasions has made Patina Catering the premier caterer on the West Coast. With a loyal and longstanding clientele, annual events include the Primetime Emmy® Awards, the City of Hope Spirit of Life Dinner, Los Angeles Philharmonic gala, Heal the Bay Benefit dinner, as well as numerous entertainment and fashion events.