Fall Wrapped: Dinner Party Edition
A truffle-centric menu, a South American & Southeast Asian collision, and a conservas potluck.
The leaves were falling but my heart rate did not. Across September, October, and November, I hosted six proper dinner parties, which I consider separate from “having friends over for dinner.”
P.S. happy Spotify Wrapped day to all who celebrate! Of course I would send my music recap on the same day as Wrapped, which was pretty lackluster as far as fun stats go. Pretty obvious that Spotify laid off a big chunk of their staffers a year ago.
You should throw a conservas potluck
It can be as simple as opening a can of seafood, placing it next to some crackers and bread, and then uncorking good wine. I had brought back a bunch of tins from my trip to Spain in the summer, and it was finally time to share the goods.
I also had three final packs of jamón ibérico, which is about 5-6x more expensive in the US (apparently, there’s sort of a cartel controlling jamón imports).
My friends contributed some great stuff, too. Including, but not limited to: Liane made a delicious lentil salad that we had in Lyon at Café des Fédérations. Byron brought gelato from Café Panna; I hadn’t had it before but immediately understood why lines were forming around the block. At my request, Amy brought the best cheese in Denmark (Gammel Knas), and John-Carlo picked up a bunch of tinned fish from his local shop.
This was also the party where I re-created a cocktail from Paris’s The Cambridge Public House. Later, I worked with David to force-carbonate the concoction, which came out beautifully. The finer bubbles make for a more pleasant sip, and more finely tuned than merely topping off a glass with seltzer.
As with any good potluck, I ended up with more conservas than I started with, and didn’t get to open everything I had planned. Guess I’ll have to throw another party!
Truffles, Truffles, Truffles
Recently, I met Jackie, who is currently the Executive Chef at RH Guesthouse. She was down to co-host a dinner party with me, and our showcased truffles! Usually experienced only in oil form, poured over french fries, the real deal are far subtler in flavor, and mostly an asset for their distinctive aroma. Thanks to her professional connections, we got seven ounces of truffles at a far, far cheaper price than I could ever get.
Collaborating with a full-time chef was also a crash culinary school. I’m pretty good at cooking, but when it comes to the mechanics of mincing shallots or handling a hot pan, Jackie definitely had me beat. But she still made it feel like true teamwork! Hoping to work with her again in the near future.
Menu
Every single thing was with fresh black truffles. Wine pairings from Eric.
Finger food/amuses
Ricotta, truffle infused honey
Sourdough crackers
Sourdough and butter
Mushroom omelette (w/ Boursin cheese inside)
Seared scallop w/ beurre blanc + side salad
Wine Pairing: Paumanok, Chenin Blanc 2023 & Gavi di Gavi, Tenuta Il Bergo - 2023
Seared Potato Gnocchi
Wine Pairing: COS, Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2021
Duck pho
Wine Pairing: Tinto Tradicional, Fronton de Oro (this is a crazy crazy good wine!!!)
Cheese course w/ grapes and kiwiberries
Cocktail Pairing: Truffle Negroni
Truffle infused honey, gelato, french press toast, Rolex-branded chocolates
Drink Pairing: Digestifs or Amaros upon request
Later this month I’ll share my slapdash recipes for that Duck Pho and a truffle oil-infused negroni.
Ecuador & Colombia & Vietnam & America
A couple weeks after that truffle dinner, I co-hosted yet another dinner party. Aaron has a new concept he calls “The American In Me,” wherein two chefs meld together their respective backgrounds to create a unique menu (don’t call it fusion!). I’m Vietnamese, but mostly cook seasonal American, and I paired up with John Carlo, whose background is Ecuadorian and Colombian, but largely grew up in Maine. We found that our respective cuisines had a lot in common: pork belly, steamed fish, condensed milk. I am pretty confident that the dishes we put together have never been done before. We’re definitely running it back as soon as we can.
The menu, with wine pairings from Aaron:
Pan de bono & Bánh mi crostini
Bún chicharrón con salsa de maní y nưởc chẩm
(Braised and fried pork belly, rice vermicelli, peanut sauce, fish sauce)
Deidesheimer Herrgottsacker Riesling Kabinett Trocken, Kimich - 2023
Phở bò con rompe camisa guisada
(beef oxtail & short rib pho with marinated tendon stewed with Jimmy Nardello peppers, bean broth, cilantro, and mint)
Steamed trout with achiote oil, a mushroom medley, and tostones
A cool trick to faux-steam a bunch of fish at once: butterfly the fish, lay it on a parchment-lined sheet pan, add your aromatics and seasonings, pour some water into the bottom of the pan, then stick the pan into a hot oven, or even try broiling it. This steams the flesh while getting the skin just a wee bit crispy.
Tsolikouri White, Teliani Valley - 2022 & Viña Zorzal, Graciano - 2021
Pandan waffle with helado de tres leches
I’ll post a recipe or two if I can wrangle them from John Carlo. Big big thanks to my brother Brian for taking this wonderful photos in exchange for a free meal.
Other dinner parties: Eric and I ran a five-course dinner for my work team (peep the confit byaldi below, AKA the fancy ratatouille from Ratatouille), the ill-fated election dinner party, and a Friendsgiving featuring dry-brined, mayo-rubbed turkey.
That’s all, folks! Back to regularly scheduled movie reviews shortly.