Learn all about defining your market niche, selling yourself as a pro, establishing your daily schedule, pricing your services, organizing parties with ease, honing your food presentation skills, avoiding the 10 most common home-based mistakes and much more. (7x10, 224 pages, profit-and-loss worksheet, equipment checklist, master party checklist, sample catering contracts, sample menu themes, budget worksheet, business deductions).
You can saute the chicken, let it cool down, cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate it the day before your event. If you are using a household-size oven, use four 9x13-inch sheet pans, also called half-sheet pans.
Yield: 50 servings
Portion size: 1 chicken breast and 2 ounces wild mushroom sauce (1/4 cup)
Equipment: two 18x26-inch sheet pans, large saute pans, small saucepan, fine-mesh sieve, 8-quart stockpot, 2-ounce ladle
Make mushroom sauce by placing dried porcini mushrooms and chicken stock in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Turn off heat and allow to stand for 1 hour. Drain mixture, reserving liquid.
Squeeze porcini mushrooms to extract liquid, rinse in cold water, then finely chop. Strain reserved liquid to remove any sediment. Set aside.
Heat oil in saute pan over medium heat. Saute fresh mushrooms in batches until lightly brown. Add porcini mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes.
Add garlic and sage and saute for 1 minute more. Add vermouth and cook for 2—3 minutes until slightly reduced, then pour in stockpot.
Mix flour with reserved mushroom liquid to form a paste. Turn heat to low and add paste to stockpot, stirring constantly until smooth.
Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until flour mixture has cooked and sauce has no raw-flour taste.
Stir in heavy cream and simmer 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve immediately or cover surface with a layer of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season each chicken breast with salt and pepper.
Heat butter in saute pans over medium heat. In batches, saute chicken on each side until golden, then place chicken in single layer on sheet pans.
Put in oven to bake for 10—15 minutes, or until cooked through.
