Pho for Pho-ty

While we haven't had any ice storms this winter (thank goodness), it was still cold enough for our annual Pho Party a few weeks ago.

This year's dinner party was the largest crowd yet! Around 40 people came for dinner, which meant it was a lively fun night. 

Since I knew it was going to be a larger crowd, I did get a few more pounds of extra beef bones and made an extra large pot on the stove to add to the large turkey fryer when I got low on broth. Since I was already at Sam's Club picking up brisket and eye of round, the store had some good looking ox tail so I grabbed a package of that and added it to the broth. 

I added pre-made veggie eggrolls to the apps roster this year. While I know how to make viet eggrolls, timing was an issue so I decided to cheat and get the Saigon Eggrolls. The Saigon Eggrolls are actually pretty legit and are a good option if you're in a hurry but still want quality. 

From left to right: banh pate chaud, veggie eggrolls, turkey meatballs, tofu spring rolls. (Photo Credit: Angi W.)

The other apps were the same: banh pate chaud, tofu spring rolls and turkey meatballs.

I also made 4 gallons of cider (recipe will be up later) and Micah made some tepache (pineapple wine) along with several other brews.

Manning the noodle line.

While it was a BUSY night, we had a great time and people left with full tummies. That's all a hostess can ask for. 

By the end of the night, I only had a few quarts of broth leftover. Success!

Previous Pho Parties

• 2011 in San Antonio
• 2014 
• 2015

Pho For a Crowd: Dinner Party For Two Dozen People

Over the past few months, we've had half-a-dozen winter storms" in Austin. What city am I living in? I only like one ice storm every five years, please. When it's cold, it's only appropriate to warm up with a hot bowl of pho!

I had my annual pho party a few weeks ago and the only proof of said party is this one picture that a friend took of me!

In the midst of prepping noodles for my guests, I completely forgot to take pictures of the appetizers.

I made three dozen banh pate chaud and rolled nearly 60 tofu spring rolls! To give myself some time, I premade the pate chauds the week before, froze them and baked them the night of the party.

Banh pate chaud is basically puff pastry stuffed with a ground meat mixture. I'll post the recipe soon!

I'm still using the same electric fryer to make my broth. For this 5 gallon container, I used 13 pounds of beef bones and another 3 pounds of short rib bone. I got the short ribs from the Korean grocery store and it definitely made the broth richer and sweeter. I started the broth at 10 a.m. and dinner was served around 7 p.m.

My original pho recipe (on a smaller scale) can be found here.

What was my biggest hiccup of the night? Hungry people waiting for their bowl of pho! Even though I had plenty of appetizers and there were plenty of drinks to go around, most of the two dozen guests descended around the same time. I left the invite dinner time open-ended so I was hoping for staggered guests but hungry bellies prevailed.

I started an assembly line to cook the noodles and then the guests chose their cuts of meat and filled their own bowls with the broth. We had two tables set-up with pho accoutrements, chopsticks and soup spoons.

Even though it was a busy night, it all worked out great in the end and Micah and I had a fabulous time chatting, dining and drinking with friends.

I'm not a romantic...

But I sure like foods that are in heart form! Micah and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day. Granted, we did exchange gifts the first few years we were together, but after more than a dozen years together, we've pretty much abandoned V-day.

Although we don't do gifts, I do like to cook us a nice little dinner just for kicks -- besides, I really wanted to use my new cast iron heart pan!

For dinner, I made risotto with caramelized onions and chicken. I used the recipe from my Food & Wine cookbook.

I won't re-post the recipe, since you can find it here. I did omit the bacon and added chicken (had some rotisserie chicken leftover in the fridge) and cremini mushrooms.

1. Caramelize the onions (this takes the longest time). When the onions were almost done, I added the diced cremini mushrooms.

2. Starting the risotto part. I added a 1/4 c. of white wine after the first batch of stock was soaked into the rice.

3. Have to get the cheese ready!

4. The risotto is almost there. It takes a good 20 minutes to cook the risotto, bit by bit.

5. Finished product. I made a side of roasted brussels sprouts for some necessary greens. I just trimmed and halved the brussel sprouts. Coated them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt/pepper and roasted them cut side down in a 375°F oven for 15-20 minutes.

For dessert, I knew I wanted to make a cake with beer, so I found this Chocolate Stout Cake from King Arthur Flour. While the recipe on the site makes for a large cake, I decided to use my mini heart pan and turn the rest into cupcakes.

Cake:

• 2 cups stout or dark beer, such as Guinness
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
• 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream

Frosting:

• 1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. For the cake: Place the stout and butter in a large, heavy saucepan, and heat until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the cocoa powder.

{Micah had this robust porter in the fridge, which was perfect since it had tons of roasted malts and was very rich. I debated between this porter and the Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, but ended up with the porter.}


{Butter and porter}


{addition of cocoa powder}

3. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
4. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

{dry ingredients}

5. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sour cream.

6. Add the stout-cocoa mixture, mixing to combine.

7. Add the flour mixture and mix together at slow speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and mix again for 1 minute. [I did this by hand instead of getting my mixer dirty]

8. Fill heart cake pan (or muffin tin) and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Once done, let cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan.

{Seriously, how adorable is this?!?! Hearts for everyone! I even got the pan on clearance from QVC and they're still available!}

For the frosting:
1.Place the chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan.

2. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the mixture is completely smooth.

You can use it as a smooth ganache glaze or let it cool completely and whip it to make a lighter frosting.

{Finished product. I also made a quick raspberry sauce to complement the chocolate. Tres romantique!}