THE ULTIMATE CHEF
Chef Mads Refslund, Co-founder of Noma, is one of the chefs appearing at 4xFour, Singapore’s ultimate pop-up restaurant. He gives us the perfect dinner party starter.
LEARN TO EXPERIMENT I’m always looking for new flavours and new things to try in the kitchen, so I don’t do the same dishes again and again. This month I’m into stocks and soups, last month my obsession was fruits. MY FAIL-SAFE INGREDIENT Lemon juice. I like the freshness, it makes you want to take the next bite and it makes everything brighter and refreshing. I like ingredients that make your mouth water. MY FAVOURITE PLACE FOR INGREDIENTS Right now it’s Union Square Market (a farmer’s market). Every season there are new things available that gives me inspiration to create new dishes. THE DISH THAT WOULD WOW VISITORS. A good dish is red berries with cream. This dish is very Danish and the red of the strawberries and the white of the cream gives the colour of the Danish national flag. MY SHOWSTOPPING RECIPE Raw Langoustine & Foie Gras with Peeled Walnuts and Burned Lemon Juice (Serves 4), 200g duck liver, 120g cleaned langoustine, 12 fresh walnut pieces, handful of wild cress, 4tsp walnut oil, 1 lemon, pinch of salt. Remove the vein from the foie gras and freeze for 24 hours. Remove heads and shells from the langoustine. Cook walnuts in milk for a few minutes, then put in ice water. Remove the walnut skin with a knife and cut into thin slices. Chop the langoustine and place on a cold plate. Cut the foie gras into thin slices directly from the freezer, then plate with the langoustine. Garnish with walnuts, lemon juice, salt, oil and wild cress. 4xFour runs until 7 December at F1 Pit Building. Visit www.4xfour.sg
THE ULTIMATE PARTY PLANNER
Jenny Lim of VIP party planners Quintessentially, reveals the secrets to throwing a great event
GIVE IT THE WOW FACTOR Know what makes your guests tick by putting yourself in their shoes. We’ve had guests go “wow” when we’ve strategically placed props so they can get a great photo with the whole of Marina Bay Sands as the backdrop. I’ve also organised interactive chef demonstrations where guests get to pluck a canapé out of a liquid nitrogen pot. SAY IT WITH FLOWERS We love flower walls for beautiful photo opportunities and better yet, we love to add them to our dishes. They add such a delicate and pretty touch to each course. ADD DRAMA Always design your lighting based on purpose (for example, performance enhancement, photo taking, reading of menu cards…) and then on mood. I like to go with warm lighting that guests can come into contact with. Candles are always a great touch—and there is such a fantastic variety in the types of candles and how to display them. HOW TO HANDLE GUESTS WHO’VE HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK… Smile, order them a taxi and while waiting, get them some mints—that should keep their breath fresh, curb any nausea and better yet, keep the noise levels down! HOW TO HANDLE UNINVITED GUESTS Having event security guards and bouncers always helps. A QUICK CONVERSATION ICE BREAKER Compliment the guest’s appearance, which can then lead to lots of other related topics… for example, “Your hair looks great! Where did you go get it done?… My favourite iconic hairstyle is Marge Simpson’s… ”
THE ULTIMATE COCKTAIL GURU
Tom Hogan, Head Craftsman at Anti:dote shows how you can conjure up some show-stopping drinks
THE PERFECT WELCOME DRINK A punch cocktail is a great welcome drink, especially one that is citrusy. The original Corpse Reviver with Vermouth and cognac or the contemporary version with gin, orange liqueur and a touch of absinthe. IF YOU WANT A SIGNATURE COCKTAIL Know your audience and their drink preferences (for example, do they prefer stiff or mild cocktails); set a goal for the flavour (for example, herbal or floral) and pay attention to how acidic or sweet it is. WHEN STOCKING YOUR BAR Cater for the first and second cocktail and be concerned about the welcome drink, limiting that to one to two portions per person. People usually migrate to wine or beer after and this will help alleviate stress on the host by catering only for the first two rounds.
A QUICK TIP THAT WILL HELP YOU KEEP YOUR COOL Make sure you use a pre-mix cocktail so that you can just pour the cocktail into a huge bowl for it to be self-serving. TRENDING NOW As retro as it sounds, Vermouth can be one of the best choices for an aperitif or a key ingredient to your cocktail because of the variety of Vermouths available. It makes your cocktail bright, herby and refreshing or dark, rustic and tenured MY SHOWSTOPPING COCKTAIL The Golden Age. You need honey, apple-spiced syrup, cognac, Angostura bitters, lemon, champagne and powdered sugar. Garnish the glass with powdered sugar. Add the ingredients (except champagne) into a shaker, add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a prepared glass. Top with champagne.
