A Spanish Tapas and Paella Dinner

Spanish food embraces a world of sun and color. This served as my inspiration in preparing and styling this dinner to start the new year, 2012. To my twin sister, it brought back memories of the orange trees and flowers in Seville, Andalucia, Spain.

Baked aubergine, red pepper and anchovies

Jamon Serrano and manchego cheese

Pan fried scallops and chorizo with parsley salad

Meatballs in red sherry sauce

Paella Valenciana

Mushroom Paella

An Asian dinner 2011

By now, I'm kinda getting the hang of hosting, cooking and plating dinners. So here's another challenge I decided to accept. A group of doctors decided not only to try my private dining but to watch me prepare their dishes! This was new to me and although I warned them that my kitchen cannot accommodate all of them at one time, they were open to moving in and out of my kitchen in groups. This was exciting and it turned out to be another fun evening as not only did I demonstrate the cooking, I asked them to actually try doing some of the procedures called for in the recipes. With their laughter adding spice to their dinner, everything just turned out right!

Again it starts with the menu, Asian this time, and everything else follows. I always choose to do my own hand embossed menu cards to create my brand so that is a given, then the styling just flows with the evening's theme. Not to forget the music to complete the ambience.

Sauteed scallops with Cilantro chili butter and Orange jicama salad

Asian mushroom soup

Thai barbecue chicken with Jasmine rice

Asian poached pears with Ginger chocolate truffles and Caramel lychees

An Aphrodisiac Dinner for Valentine's Day

What is Valentine's without surprises? This is one dinner I truly enjoyed planning with two men for their Bible study group of seven couples. As I was told, each year these men look for a new restaurant to take their wives for a special dinner. This year (2011) however they wanted something more special, more private and with more surprises. So having found my private dining venture, they booked me and we carefully planned this evening. Bouquets of roses were delivered in the morning and kept in my house for each of them to give to their wives. But for that special surprise, I asked my driver to stay for the night and pretend to deliver them just after dinner and was never discovered by the women. To top it all, to their amusement a guy came to serenade the wives!

Let's not forget though that food and ambience are the most important for the success of a special event.  I went on to research on aphrodisiac ingredients and created a menu with each dish having one of these ingredients. Three single red roses were held by vintage wine bottles on each table strewn with rose petals and illuminated by candle light. And to cap the evening, special giveaways of chocolate truffles I prepared in simple gift boxes tied with a red ribbon were given to the women.

It was indeed a wonderful Valentine's surprise!

To start off, here are my two table settings, each with three roses in vintage wine bottles and menu cards framed by dinner napkins

The menu

Crostini with cream cheese, chives and CAVIAR

OYSTER soup with frizzled leeks and cayenne pepper

Roasted chicken with GARLIC confit, saffron scented couscous and pine nuts

Wicked hot CHOCOLATE mousse

GINGER tea

The Home Chef... a Private Dinner

It all started with a Christmas dinner for close friends in 2009 (see previous post).  All coming from the south, we refused to brave the holiday traffic in search of a restaurant and so they hatched an idea.  "Why not cook for us and we'll just pay you?"  Were they serious?!?

In June 2010, I launched The Home Chef private dinners in my home. Having participated in two of the food blogger, Anton Diaz's Ultimate Taste Test events where I got the public's approval and had therefore earned the honor of being featured in his blog, I invited him to be the first to try it.  Little did I know that he would ask Nancy Reyes Lumen to join his group.  I welcomed my first guest into my home and after the introductions and a little conversation, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach and tried not to dash off to my kitchen.  Trying to quell my excitement I slid beside my daughter who was taking photographs in the kitchen and let go of a muffled scream in her ear.

"Guess who's here for dinner?!?"
"Who?"
"Oh, just the editor of Cook magazine!"
"Whaaaaat?!?"

Sensing both my apprehension and excitement she went on to assure me.  "Oh mommy, you can do it!"

I gave her a smile and just like that, I went back inside wanting to make sure the other guests had arrived.  Then I returned to the kitchen and went head on with the cooking, praying to God that all turns out well.

I cooked, plated and, after the last course was served, joined my guests, relaxed and just enjoyed the evening.  Nancy excused herself as she had to leave early but not without first asking me if I would agree to be featured in her magazine.  Of course, I was enveloped with a sense of pride and thanked her for gracing my first private dinner.

Not only did I get featured in the Cook magazine, I too was again featured in Anton's blog.  Later on, I was again honored to be included in "Private Kitchens" in Lifestyle Asia magazine and "10 Private Dining Spots in Manila" in www.spot.ph.  Thank you for the features.  It was indeed a pleasure having you as my first guests.

It all starts with the menu, all personally hand crafted for that elegant look...

then the table is set

back in the kitchen, the food preparation starts, fresh tomatoes are ready to be chopped

and while it's roasting in the oven

cocktails are prepared, Orange Pineapple Spritzer with Apples and fresh Mint

and Crostini with Roasted Vegetables and Sardines in Olive Oil

preparing the salad now for service

Arugula Roasted Pepper Salad with Seared Rib-eye Steak

then the rest follow, Pasta with Seafood and Anchovies

Pollo al' Aretina

and to cap the dinner, Bailey's Chocolate Mousse on Graham Cookie Crust

Thank you!

A MEDITERRANEAN DINNER


Dining Room Setup


Bright pink bougainvillas, inspired by the Mediterrenean


White bougainvillas


Multicolored bougainvillas


A fully laden buffet


Spanish: Coca de Pisto y Sardinas


Spanish: Pelotas en Salsa Roja


Greek: Mixed Green Salad with Grapes, Olives and Fried Camembert


Spanish: Chorizo and Meat Paella


Tuscan: Pollo all' Aretina


Sicilian: Pasta with Seafood and Anchovies


Greek: Garides Sto Fourno

MY BEST FRIEND'S ASIAN TREAT!

Home for a visit, I indulged my best friend with an Asian treat.


A simple yet colorful setting


Fresh Spring Rolls


Crispy Calamari


Sour Fish Soup


Chicken Pomelo Salad


Five Spice Beef


Sticky Rice with Mango