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Late Night Noshes
Chefs Jason Sutton (Footers Catering) and Jay Varga (The JDK Group) ideated 30 different late-night snacks at Catersource
Amber Kispert
July 8, 2022
8 Min Read
The apps have been passed, the salad course served, the entrées plated, and the desserts devoured—but the culinary indulgence doesn’t end just there!
That’s where the late-night snacks come in.
Totchos are a fun and delicious twist on traditional nachos, where tortilla chips are replaced with crispy tater tots. They’re coated with homemade taco seasoning, baked, and then loaded with choice of toppings: homemade pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, black olives, and scallions.
During Catersource 2022 chefs Jason Sutton (Footers Catering) and Jay Varga (The JDK Group) showcased 30 flavorful and filling late-night menu ideas ranging from a seven-layer dip to chili cheese dogs during their session (Late Night Noshes) on the Culinary Experience stage.
“After the party, a late-night snack would be great,” Sutton said.
Chefs Jason Sutton (Footers Catering) and Jay Varga (the JDK Group) showcased 30 flavorful and filling late-night menu ideas ranging from seven-layer dip to chili cheese dogs during their session (Late Night Noshes) on the Culinary Experience stage. Photo courtesy WASIO Photography
Late-night noshes can essentially be split into three categories:
Nostalgic eats
“It’s the food that reminds you of things you had as a kid,” Sutton said.
One example would be Footer’s Pepper-Rolly, which is essentially a throwback to Totino’s Pizza Rolls.
“That’s what we ate when we were kids,” Sutton said. “But our version beats the ‘ol pizza roll out of the freezer.”
Other examples could be:
Five Layer Dip Cup, served with house made tortillas
Individual mac & cheese
Ramen
Cheeseburger dumplings featuring ground sirloin, aged cheddar, caramelized onion, and cherrywood smoked bacon served with kimchi mayo
Garlic parmesan carrot fries with a coriander dipping sauce
Sweet treats
“Sometimes after a long event, you still need to have a little extra sweet to keep you going,” Sutton said.
Examples of late-night sweets could include:
Liquid nitrogen ice cream
Cast iron a la mode
Cinnamon roll waffles with bacon and maple cream cheese frosting
Dessert poke featuring cheesecake rice pudding, sweet pickled beets, dragon fruit, fresh kiwi, micro basil, mango sauce, and coconut macaroon chips
Donut holes with Mexican chocolate sauce
Sweet potato donuts with spicy bourbon caramel
A candied bacon slider with brie, apple raisin chutney, and cinnamon buns
Dessert grilled cheese, featuring a grilled pound cake with espresso mascarpone and dark chocolate ganache. Another variation could be a grilled brioche toast with brie, blueberry compote, and maple drizzle.
Drunk foods
And lastly, it’s the drunk favorites.
“What do you want to eat to soak it up?” Sutton said.
Breakfast quesadilla with homemade green chili.
Ideas include:
Birria tacos
Breakfast quesadillas with homemade green chili
Chili cheese dogs with pimento cheese, Cincinnati chili, and IPA mustard
Totchos
Nashville hot chicken biscuit, served with white cheddar and a breadbutter pickle
Walking tacos
Bao buns
Your clients will love having the extra touch of service of a warm Birria taco being made as guests hit the dance floor for the final few songs or churros being fried as they leave the venue to head home. Here are just a few of the recipes Varga and Sutton shared during their session.
Interested in checking out the session? You can watch their session by adding the on-demand package to your previous registration by clicking here.
Candied Bacon Sliders
Ingredients
Candied Bacon (recipe below)
Apple Raisin Chutney (recipe below)
6 oz spreadable brie
12 ea. slider-sized cinnamon rolls (Pillsbury cinnamon rolls work perfect here if you don’t want to make your own)
Ingredients for Candied Bacon
12 slices of applewood smoked bacon
¼ cup brown sugar
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground Aleppo pepper
Method
Add the cayenne pepper and the Aleppo pepper to the brown sugar and mix completely
Lay your bacon out flat on a baking sheet and rub each piece of bacon with brown sugar mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes
Ingredients for Apple Raisin Chutney
2 ea. Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
½ cup golden raisins
2 T shallots, diced
2 T brown sugar
2 T butter
Method
In a sauté pan, melt your butter on medium high heat and then add in your apples, raisins, shallots, and brown sugar.
Sauté for 10 to 12 minutes while making sure everything is mixed well. You want to make sure your apples are soft and caramelized.
Remove from heat and let cool completely before using.
Assembly
Cut cinnamon roll in half so you have a top bun and bottom bun
On the bottom bun, spread 0.5 oz of brie
Add 1 tbsp of Apple Raisin Chutney on top of the brie
Cut 1 piece of bacon in half and put both halves on top of the chutney
Top with the top bun
Liquid Nitrogen Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
5⅓ oz granulated sugar
108 g egg yolk
16 oz 2% milk
16½ oz heavy whipping cream
16½ oz pure vanilla extract
1 quart liquid nitrogen
Method
Pour heavy cream and milk into a heavy saucepan, place over medium-low heat, and heat until barely simmering, stirring frequently. Turn the heat down to low. Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
Slowly pour about ½ cup of hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Repeat three times more, whisking thoroughly before adding each additional ½ cup of hot cream to the egg yolk mixture.
Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot cream and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens and will coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 8 minutes. Do not let mixture boil.
Pepperoni Roll
Ingredients
1 ea. pizza dough (recipe below)
16 oz mozzarella cheese
1 lb cream cheese
1 quart pepperoni, sliced
4 oz ranch dressing
1 pint pepperoncini, chopped
4 oz parmesan cheese, grated
1 ea. Aleppo pepper
Method
Roll out pizza dough and smear with cream cheese. Top with mozzarella and pepperoni. Roll dough like a cinnamon roll and slice.
Proof and bake.
Heat rolls. Top with a drizzle of ranch, pepperoncini, grated parmesan and Aleppo pepper
Ingredients for pizza dough
17¼ oz bread flour
12 oz tap water
1/10 oz dry active yeast
3/7 oz kosher salt
3/5 oz pure clover honey
1/16 oz oregano leaves
1/16 oz cracked black pepper
1/16 oz garlic powder
Method
Combine water and yeast and allow it to dissolve.
Combine everything else and mix until elastic.
Shiitake Mushroom Bao Bun
Ingredients
4 oz fresh cilantro
12–16 ea. bao buns, steamed
Hoisin Shiitake Mushrooms (recipe below)
Pickled Red Onion (recipe below)
Ingredients for Hoisin Shiitake Mushrooms
½ cup hoisin
¼ cup tamari soy sauce
¼ cup sesame oil
4 tsp honey
4 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup canola oil
Method
In a mixing bowl, combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey until fully incorporated. Set aside.
In a sauté pan over medium high heat, heat the canola oil and add in the shiitake mushrooms. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly softened and brown.
Remove mushrooms and remove any water or oil left over from cooking. Add the mushrooms back to the pan and add in hoisin sauce mixture and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Ingredients for Pickled Red Onion
2 ea. small to medium red onions, thinly sliced
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 T kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp pink peppercorns
Method
Place your thinly sliced onions, garlic, and peppercorns in a container large enough for pickling mixture to cover them and that also can be sealed.
In a saucepan, heat your water and white vinegar together until it reaches a simmer. Then add in your salt and sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
Remove from heat and let cool just a little. You don’t want your mixture to be too hot to cook the onions since they are so thinly sliced. Pour cooler mixture over the onions and make sure they are completely covered. Store in the refrigerator for at least one hour before using. The thinner the onion, the sooner they will be ready.
Assembly
If you don’t have a traditional steaming basket for the bao buns, you can easily use a perforated pan or colander sitting above boiling water to get steam from. They should only take a couple of minutes to steam that way as well.
Open your Bao bun and put 1.5–2oz of mushrooms inside.
Next add in a pinch of red onions, about .125oz
Top and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Birria Tacos
Ingredients for consommé
2 lb beef chuck roast
1 lb bone-in beef short ribs
5 ea. dried ancho chiles
5 ea. dried Guajillo chiles
2 ea. dried Morita chiles
1 ea. whole cinnamon stick
1 T whole coriander seed
1 T black peppercorn
4 whole allspice berries
2 whole cloves
6 dried bay leaves
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 ea. large yellow onion, chopped
4 ea. Roma tomatoes
8 cloves garlic
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
8 cups water
Method
Season and sear the chuck roast and short ribs in a little olive oil and set to the side.
De-seed the chiles and toast in the same pan until likely smoked and set to the side.
Add in garlic and onions and sauté until translucent.
Combine all ingredients back together and braise for 8-10 hours at 225 degrees.
Remove the beef to chill and be shredded.
Strain the braising liquid which is now your consommé and season with salt, pepper, fresh diced onions and cilantro.
Ingredients for tacos
12 ea. corn tortillas
1 lb shredded queso Oaxaca
Pickled red onion
Sliced radish
Fresh chopped cilantro
Lime wedge
Consommé
Braised chuck roast
Short ribs
Method
Warm the consommé and dip corn tortilla into the broth.
Lay the tortilla on a flat top pan with a bit of oil and top with shredded cheese and a pinch of braised beef.
Fold in half like a quesadilla and let toast on each side.
Garnish with pickled red onion, sliced radish, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Serve with consommé on the side.
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