Crushed Ice Catering

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Employee Spotlight: William Szenay

Employee Spotlight for Crushed Ice Catering is our incredibly talented Sous Chef William Szenay. William has been with us since December 2017 and has continued to prove just how truly gifted he is as a chef. We take a beat to sit down with Chef William to learn what his daily motivation is, why he chose this career and what inspires him to give his best in the kitchen.

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Sous Chef William Szenay creating a masterpiece.
Q: Lets get to it. What inspired you to become a Chef?
A: My Swedish grandma, she lived with us when I was a child growing up. Her life, actions, and words had a deep impact on me and stay with me even today.
Q: What do you love most about being a Chef?
A:  You are part of a lot of people’s favorite memories. Whether it be a wedding, Birthday or memorable celebration, you were a part of creating something memorable.
Q: What are your favorite dishes to create?
A: Ones that everyone can enjoy, of course!
Q: Where are you from?
A:  St.Paul, Minnesota.
Q: How did you get started in this industry?
A: I worked part-time at a Vietnamese restaurant in high school washing dishes.
Q: If you could choose anywhere in the world to be a Chef where would it be? And why?
A:  Australia.. good surfing and great local product to work with.
Q: Describe your cooking philosophy in 3 words.
A: Keep it simple.
Q: What would you say to other aspiring Chef’s?
A: Take care of both your physical and mental health. Both are crucial to maintain in order to bring your very best to the kitchen each day.
Q: Do you have any culinary hero’s?
A: Ferran Adrià. He ran the best restaurant in the world for several years.
Q: Do you have foods that take you back to your childhood?
A: I definitely have several and most of them are Swedish baked goods. Like , Toscakaka an almond and Carmel cake. Butterkaka, which is like cinnamon buns stuffed with almond paste and baked in vanilla custard.
Q: What’s playing on your kitchen soundtrack?
A: My recently played list top five is as follows. The best of all time. No contest.
  • J.S. Bach
  • Old Crow medicine show
  • Taj Mahal
  • Frozen soundtrack
  • Warren Zevon

 

Regardless of the career you choose, everyone needs a motivation that gets them out of bed in the morning and inspires them to pursue excellence in their career field. If you are an aspiring Chef, take his words of wisdom and let them fuel your culinary dreams. For those pursuing other dreams, remember to maintain physical and mental health, be ready to take inspiration from anywhere, and to turn up the soundtrack of your day.

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Why You Should Shop Local and Organic

If you’re anything like us then you like to shop local for not only your clothes but also your food. However some people struggle with the “Why?”. Why should I shop local and organic? For us, there is just something about eating a meal that you know has been made with fresh and local foods!  Because let’s face it, strolling through Kroger is just not the same as strolling through a farmers market or fresh produce stand.

With Crushed Ice Catering we go above and beyond to insure that our meals are made with as many fresh, local, and organic products because not only do we find it important, but our head Chef also believes in this. As we have written on our website this is what our head Chef, Laurence Agnew, has to say about buying local and eating organic.

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Pictured: Sample platter of the delicious local and organic items we serve here at Crushed Ice Catering!

“As a chef, I’m happy to use organic whenever possible. Organic catering is important to me because in the simplest of terms “It just tastes better!” and there is a reason for this. . not only is locally sourced organic food fresher, local foods produce something known as terroir – which means the food tastes like the area from where it is cultivated. Organic to me also means removing harmful GMOs, irradiation practices and dangerous pesticides and fertilizers. Organic farming in itself is friendlier to wildlife and helps the local economy and farmers to thrive and what they are talented at doing. Lastly organic foods have a lot more important nutrients that are lost in the modern day farming practices.”

However with shopping local and organic, people worry about the cost, accessibility, and if the benefits are really worth it. You can now stop your fretting because we are here to save the day! To keep your meals fresh and clean we have created a list of some of our favorite places we like to use here at Crushed Ice Catering to stay true to our motto of cooking with organic and local products.

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Recipe of the Month – Beer Batter for Fish

ALMOST as vital as green beer, Beer Battered Fish and Chips is next up on the list. Be inspired this St. Patrick’s Day with Chef Agnew’s Beer Batter for Fish!

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  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups cornstarch
  • Two 12-ounce beer (ale, larger or dark beer if preferred )
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup all purpose flour or cornstarch for dredging
  • For the Batter: Whisk together flour, cornstarch, beer, egg, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Make sure there are no lumps. Cover bowl and place in fridge for at least 20 minutes, and up to 3 hours before batter will be used.
  • Tips:
  •  Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream, don’t be afraid of trial and error
  • Dredging : Always pat dry fish fillets or other items you may be frying before dredging into all purpose flour or cornstarch. Also tap off excess dredging flour before dipping into batter.
Frying Oil and Temperature:
Optimal temperatures should range from 360-380 degrees Fahrenheit
Safflower or Peanut Oils are great for frying for higher smoke points.
If your looking for more flavor focused oils try lard or beef tallow.
Draining: When removing fried fish or any fried item for that matter, it’s been to place on an oven rack or grate as to allow the crispy coating to cool without trapping steam underneath to cause the coating to get soggy.
Paper towels will drain the fat from the fish but can still trap steam causing excess moisture on the coating.
If you are going to season with salt or other spices do so immediately after removing from fryer onto draining rack.
Lastly don’t over crowd your fryer with too much at one time. Overcrowding will cause a steep decrease in temperature and cause crispy fish to be greasy.
Pour yourself a Guinness and give Chef Agnew’s Recipe a shot! You won’t be disappointed.
May the winds of fortune sail you,
May you sail a gentle sea.
May it always be the other guy
who says, “this drink’s on me.” 

Cheers!

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Recipe of the Month: Mardi Gras King Cake

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Mardi Gras King Cake

Crushed Ice Catering‘s February Recipe of the Month is near and dear to our Chef’s heart. Before landing in Louisville, Executive Chef Laurence Agnew was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, just a short ways away from New Orleans. When he was 20 years old, he decided to move to the Big Easy – and held culinary positions at both the Ritz Carlton New Orleans Victor’s Restaurant , and John Besh’s Restaurant August.

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Executive Chef, Laurence Agnew

With Mardi Gras just right around the corner, it only seemed appropriate for Chef to tie in his Cajun roots with the greatest “free show” on Earth. Pour yourself a Hurricane, throw on some jazz and whip up Chef Agnew’s King Cake for a true Mardi Gras celebration! Interested in the history and tradition behind the King Cake? Check it out here.

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The Big Easy

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

  • 1 cup lukewarm milk, about 110°F
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dry yeast
  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup melted butter
  • 5 egg yolks, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • Several gratings of fresh nutmeg

For the icing:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • Purple, green, and gold decorative sugars
  • 1 fava bean or plastic baby to hide in the cake after baking

PREPARATION

  1. For the cake, pour the warm milk into a large bowl. Whisk in the granulated sugar, yeast, and a heaping tablespoon of the flour, mixing until both the sugar and the yeast have dissolved.
  2. Once bubbles have developed on the surface of the milk and it begins to foam, whisk in the butter, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the remaining flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a large rubber spatula. After the dough comes together, pulling away from the sides of the bowl, shape it into a large ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a draft-free place to let it proof, or rise, for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in volume.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough between your palms into a long strip, making 3 ropes of equal length. Braid the 3 ropes around one another and then form the braided loaf into a circle, pinching ends together to seal. Gently lay the braided dough on a nonstick cookie sheet and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes.
  4.  Once it’s doubled in size, place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake until the braid is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
  5.  For the icing, while the cake is cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, condensed milk, and lemon juice in a bowl until the icing is smooth and very spreadable. If the icing is too thick, add a bit more condensed milk; if it’s a touch too loose, add a little more powdered sugar.
  6.  Once the cake has cooled, spread the icing over the top of the cake and sprinkle with purple, green, and gold decorative sugars while the icing is still wet. Tuck the fava or plastic baby into the underside of the cake and, using a spatula, slide the cake onto a platter.