A NIGHT OF FINE WINES AND ASSORTED BITES – the ultimate party food guide

It’s been a while since I had organised a wine drinking session with fellow wine lovers.

It all started out as an innocent “Bro we should get together soon to crack open a bottle with some simple bites” over morning coffee at a Kopi Tiam.

Then it snowballed into a ten course and ten pax affair.

Shit happens.

Assorted Cheese Platter

The trick is first to get a nice looking wooden cheese board.

If the cheese board is beautiful, you can put shit on it and everything will still look good.

See what I mean ?

We had French Brie, parmigiana Reggiano, hot nibbles and some buttered toasts and pita bread.

Soft boiled eggs with gouda bits, truffle salt and beurre noisette

This dish is a great party appetizer as it can be prepared in advance.

Grate Gouda cheese into a small baking dish and bake at 180 c for 20-30 minutes until you get the desired brownness. Leave it out to cool then with a metal spoon, break it up into coarse bits.

Beurre noisette is basically fancy French for “make butter brown duh”.

In a heated pan on medium heat, melt a quarter slab (or less) of butter. Let it melt and go through the bubbling and foaming process until it turns brown and starts to form brown bits then take it off the heat and let it cool.

By now, it will have a hazelnut aroma which is what you want for your eggs. All you need is 4-5 drops of this into you bowl of 2 eggs for each guest.

To assemble, make 4-5 minutes half boiled eggs. Crack 2 into each bowl, add a generous teaspoon or two of Gouda bits into each bowl, 4/5 drops of beurre noisette and a trickle of truffle salt (or normal salt) and you have an orgasmic appetite whetting appetiser for the evening.

(Optional) If you have truffle oil, add half a teaspoon of truffle oil for added decadence.

Buttered Brioche Toast with minced prawns and bacon bits

I used French brioche bread because I am damn Hao Lian and want that rich buttery texture but any bread will do.

I chopped some prawns and bacon and seasoned it with salt and pepper and Worcester sauce. This is spread thickly on top of the small slices of brioche bread and fried in butter about 1-2 minutes on each side.

Remove and place in a baking dish.

Grate over Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven at 180 c for 10 minutes.

Home made Dumplings with crabmeat and crayfish fillings in Sake Cognac seafood broth

Prepare crayfish meat (cut into medium chunks) and Crabmeat. Season with salt, light soy, small dash of 5 spice powder, a teaspoon of sesame oil, garlic powder with some grated ginger and set aside.

Add finely chopped water chestnut to the above for some crunch.

Wrap the above in wonton skins and set aside.

For the broth, I fried crayfish shells and 10 prawn heads and one kg of clams over a large flame with olive oil and butter. I added sake, cognac, white wine and mirin and let it simmer for 5 mins.

This was then transferred to a large pot of water and I added in one large yellow onion, 5 garlic, 3 celery sticks and 3 Bay leaves, and 3 blanched big chicken bones.

Cook over medium heat for 2 hours, strain and then return to boil. Season with salt and pepper, more mirin(if desired) and a few tablespoons of cream (if desired).

Just before your guests arrive, steam the wantons for 15 mins.

Remove the wantons and place in shallow serving bowls.

Just before serving, heat up the seafood broth to boil, spoon the broth over the wontons and grate some parmesan cheese over and serve immediately.

Burnt Aubergine with ricotta cheese and lemon juice wrapped in Prosciutto Ham

Burnt aubergine sounds crazy but this method ensures that while the skin is burnt, the flesh remains unburnt but it will be soft and with an amazing smokiness no other method of preparation can achieve.

Poke holes into the aubergines on all sides before the burning starts.

If you have a gas hob, put the aubergine directly onto a lit ring to char completely, turning occasionally with kitchen tongs, until burnt all over. Set aside to cool on a plate, then peel off the charred skin. Roughly chop the flesh and set aside.

Add ricotta cheese into the chopped aubergine. Squeeze half a lemon into this concoction and mash well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve wrapped in Prosciutto ham, smoked salmon or simply on cold lettuce leaves or crackers.

Cold angel hair topped with abalone, sakura prawns and crab meat

And turgid male genitals

This dish can and should be prepared early to allow the angel hair to be cold.

Cook angel hair until al dente and drain. While it is hot, toss the angel hair with Japanese wasabi soy, melted butter, abalone juice (heat up and stir in cream and leave to cool), mirin and fried garlic. Season with pepper and salt and a few squirts of lemon juice. Add in minced chives if available.

Once it is cool, refrigerate.

Just before serving, toss the pasta with a little olive oil and top the dish with sliced abalone, crispy sakura prawns, toasted almond slices and pine nuts, and a few drops of truffle oil (optional).

Decorate with turgid male genitals (pasta) if you have any.

If you have male genitals pasta lying around, you need counselling.

Fried Zucchini fritters with mayo chilli coffee sauce

Mix Yoghurt with grated garlic , mint , lemon juice, salt and pepper, honey

Grate two medium zucchini and about ¼ of an onion and one potato into a bowl, add salt and let sit for 30-40 Mins .

Add 2 beaten eggs, grated garlic, cumin powder, 1 teaspoon of baking powder , 1 teaspoon of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and ⅓ cup of flour, chopped parsley (or thyme) and mint, and stir.