Catering for the Hypersthene Group

This past week, Yulree and I were cooking once again, this time for the launch party of the Hypersthene Group. It’s a company committed in bringing together diverse social circles by providing avenues and events—the brain child of the lovely Mini and Jueun.

We were given free reins, but with the challenge of serving in a venue with no stove nor oven. Not a problem however, for we were equiped with a microwave, a hot plate and the newest addition to the collection, a mini deep fryer! We rocked it out for 80 people with a menu inspired by the World’s Fair, paying tribute in our own ways to different regions. Here’s a little taste of the night’s offerings: 

1. The Mojo

An amuse bouche if you will. The Mojo cures all with a blend of salted peanuts, chili limon, sun dried mangoes held together by a cloak of bittersweet chocolate. Gives me an excuse to work with chocolate ;)

2. Vegetable Samosa

Vegetarians needn't suffer boring food with Indian inspired curried vegetable pastries paired with a mango and Granny Smith chutney. Our little fryer-that-could was invaluable for this through the night—my heartfelt thanks to Presto and Target!

3. Bruschetta Neapolitan

This dish was inspired by Italian vineyards with hearty garlic crostini topped with sweet tomatoes, salumi crisps, fresh basil and shaved Grana Padano. Tip to home entertainers: save time by having the bakery slice the bread ahead of time, your hands will thank you.

4. Hawaiian Cowboy Meatballs

Stumbled on this a while back when confronted with too many pork chops and not enough BBQ sauce. To make the sauce stretch, I blended pineapples, onion confit, garlic and various spices into the existing BBQ sauce. The result was a tangy, lighter sauce that complimented the richness of the pork.

Using the sauce as the base, we used it to glaze beef meatballs. The final touches were pineapple nuggets and a sprinkling of toasted sesame for these mini kabobs. The crowd favorite of the night!

Didn’t get to pay gastronomic homage to France, but I made do in other ways with freshly designed business cards. A fun project!

For dessert, our friend Grace from Cake Bar created a collection of cocktail inspired mini cupcakes. All were lovely, but I kept going back for the Irish Car Bomb confections. Guinness chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache and a Bailey's buttercream—it’s better than the actual drink!

Congratulations to Hypersthene's momentous launch. Can’t wait to check out future gatherings!