The SiuPon, Popcorn and Cheesecake

Every Christmas, a bunch of us get together and do a Secret Santa event on steroids (AKA gift exchange). We fire up our creative juices just to one-up each other on giving the most sought after and original gift under $20. Last year, I won that honor. Here's how it happened. 

I was watching a Jaime Oliver episode when he hosted a spontaneous Supper Club in New York City. He created a post about a free dinner (he accepts donations to charities) at a NYC apartment tomorrow night on his social network page. Naturally, the responses flooded in. He selected 20 people to join him while he cook a great meal for them. "How cool would that be to cook for people you know (and even some you don't) and enjoy an evening of socializing and fine food", I dreamed. Then, all of a sudden (light-bulb on, ding!), I realize I can kill two birds with one stone. What if, for this year's Secret Santa gift, I design a coupon for a three course gourmet meal for two. Just like that, the SiuPon was born (get it? Like Groupon, but from matt siu?). My friends went crazy when they first saw it. It was easily the most sought after gift of last year's party. A few of my friends fought back and forth for the whimsical piece of paper - which made me absolutely thrilled. At the end, it was my good friends Sao and Jess who emerged victorious. Last week, the SiuPon was redeemed and the Siu's Supper Club was born.

the hand-drawn SiuPon - not your run-of-the-mill Secret Santa gift (photo courtesy of Deon Kwok)

I have been looking forward to this all year to this evening and it did not disappoint. Aside from a few minor setbacks, the evening went great. My friends even helped out with the cooking which made it extra special. Here's the menu:

Siu's Supper Club Inaugural Menu:

Appetizer:

Pan Seared Scallop with Crunchy Apple Salad

Main:

Slow-cooked Beef with Orange Gremolata

Desert:

Raspberry cheesecake

Slow-cooked Beef with Orange Gremolata

Pan Seared Scallop with Crunchy Apple Salad

First, let me say a few words about the salad and beef. The salad was acceptable though not the best that I've done. But the important thing is that I know exactly how I can do better. The beef was delicious. You might find it a bit strange to serve slow-cooked meat in the middle of the summer, but I desperately want a dish I can prepare ahead of time. This allows me to entertain because a stress-free host is a happy host. And happy hosts means happy guests.

The beef was perfectly cooked - moist and tender with melt in your mouth texture yet not falling apart. I used bone-in beef shin so the yummy goodness of that bone-marrow enriches the sauce and thickens it slightly. It was slow-cooked for 4 hours in the oven in a dutch oven. The pasta was al dente and steamy when served. Freshly chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil were added to finish.

All that was good and everything. But here's what I was especially excited about that day: Salted Caramel Popcorn and Raspberry Cheesecake. "Common, it's just popcorn and cheesecake. What's the big deal?" What's the big deal, you ask? Well, read on and you'll never say "just popcorn" again.

Salted Caramel Popcorn

I swear, I was like a little kid seeing Santa Claus for the first time when I saw all those kernels danced around and starts to pop. Calling it 'pop' doesn't do it justice. It's crazy if you really think about it. Imagine: a boring grain just decides to turn itself inside out on a whim and without warning then launches itself into the stratosphere (aka out of my pot) . In less than a fraction of a second, the inert object explodes into a fluffy cauliflower. This sets off a chain reaction so now there are hundreds of kernels flipping and shedding its skin. How absurd. It's nothing short of a miracle, really. Step aside, cocoon and butterfly, make room for the real deal. Somebody pass me a high-speed camera so I can capture this shit. Why hasn't somebody made a movie about this yet? (Hyperventilating. Excuse me while I catch my breath) Then, there's the caramel, oh the caramel. How can everyday plain white sugar under extreme heat just slowly oozes into a lava-like deliciousness then when cooled turns to glass? How? Ridiculous! Don't even get me started...

Ok, back to reality. Sorry, I digressed when I get excited. I need a bit of practice with the caramel since it was slightly charred but it was just so much fun. Here's my amateur video of the transformation phenomenon.

Witness the phenomenon. It'll change your life.

Raspberry Cheesecake

Now the cheesecake. I fell in love with this recipe because of the clever balance of flavor. The deliciousness and richness of the cream-cheese is cut with fresh, sweet and lovely raspberries. Lemon zest balances out the sweetness with a little hint of citrus flavor. The raspberry also add texture and color as does the lemon zest without overpower the cheese - which is still the main character. Brilliant. My first cheese-cake turned out quite good despite a few low hanging fruit to improve upon.

All in all, there's something extremely satisfying about making an idea happen. I challenge you, my beloved reader, to do the same. For me, it was hosting my first supper club.