Catering: Cebu Book Club

When a friend asked if she could host a book club meeting at my house, I said “Yes!”. But conditions applied….. Only if I could cater it. Of course she agreed.

I had been dabbling with molecular gastronomy techniques for a while, and had been happy with how my brandy balls had been received at the first event I catered.

And as it was a small group – about 8 ladies – I wasn’t under pressure with volumes of dishes and tight timing.

Two of the participants were vegetarian, so I made sure there were delicious snacks for everyone.

The Mojito explosion was a ball of booze.

Gin and tonic jelly was served in a lemon quarter.

The deep fried egg yolks are always impressive. Cooked in the sous vide then deep fried, they are crispy on the outside and soft inside.

Almond feta is a favorite vegan dish, and I used molecular gastronomy techniques to make little balls of spicy sriracha.

A platter of zucchini fritters followed, with a red pepper dipping sauce.

Then deconstructed spaghetti bolognese. This was the most challenging dish! Beef ragu was served with a long noodle on top. But the noodle was made of liquefied parmesan cheese, syringed when hot through a long plastic tube immersed in a bowl of ice water. The parmesan “noodles” were tasty but fragile.

Dessert followed – a small serving of chocolate mousse and a mango pannacotta.