Tapas Party April 6, 2011

Check out my April 2011 column on The Family Groove for info. on how to host a great tapas party.

http://www.thefamilygroove.com/apr11_EntertainingOnTheEasy.htm

Tapas Menu September 26, 2009

Tapas is one of my favorite theme menus to serve when hosting a cocktail party.  Compliment delicious small bites with a big batch of sangria.  Several items on a tapas menu – such as olives, nuts, cheese, bread and cured meat – don’t require any cooking.   Here’s a menu to get your tapas party started.

Tapas Menu

Marcona Almonds
Gazpacho “Shots” (served in tall shot glasses)
Spanish Cured Olives or any mixed olives
Spanish Tortilla Bites
(link to recipe below)
Patatas Bravas (fried spicy potatoes)
Gambas Al Ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce)
Spanish Green Bean Salad with Pimientos
Garbanzo Bean Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Spanish Cheese Platter: include Manchego (sheep’s milk cheese), Calabraza (Spanish blue cheese), Iberico (cow, sheep and goat’s milk cheese), Tetilla (soft cow’s milk cheese), Membrillo (quince paste – link to post about Membrillo below) and paper thin slices of Serrano Ham wrapped around store-bought breadsticks
Country-style Bread or Sourdough, sliced thin

Mini Delce de Leche Brownies (link to recipe below)
Caramel Flan

Sangria (link to recipe below)
Spanish red wine, such as Rioja, Garnacha or Tempranillo
Cava (Spanish sparkling white wine, similar to Champagne)
Spanish Cervesa (Beer), such as Mahou, Voll Damm and Mahou Negra

Spanish Tortilla Recipe
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spanish-tortilla-recipe/index.html

Membrillo
https://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/membrillo-quince-paste/

Dulce de Leche Brownie Recipe
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2006/06/dulce_de_leche.html

Sangria Recipe
https://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/hip-twist-on-traditional-sangria/

Traditional Sangria With A Hip Twist February 28, 2008

Sangria is the perfect party drink.  It’s festive, flavorful and great for a crowd.  Unlike flavored martinis, which require you to shake each one individually, you can mix up a huge batch of sangria the day before your party and simply transfer it to a pitcher or serve it in a vase with a ladle.
Sangria should be made at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours in advance so the flavors have time to merry.
Don’t let the selection of fruit used below stop you from trying other fruit combinations.  The possibilities are endless.

Hip Twist on Traditional Sangria

2 bottles Spanish dry red wine, such as Rioja

1 C. Spanish brandy (preferably Brandy de Jerez)

1/2 C. orange juice

1/8 C. agave nectar (or ¼ C. superfine sugar)

20oz can Lychees (or Litches) in light syrup, undrained

3 apples, cored and cut into small cubes

2 oranges, cut into thin rounds

2 lemons (Meyer, pink, regular or a combination), cut into thin rounds

4 Key limes or 3 regular limes, cut into thin rounds, divided

2 cups club soda

Ice
 

 

1.       In a large pitcher, combine the first 4 ingredients and stir well.  Add the lychees and their liquid.  Add the remaining fruit (reserving 12 lime rounds to use as a garnish).  Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.   

 

2.       Remove from the refrigerator and add the club soda.  Gently stir with a large a ladle.  Serve immediately in a sangria or wine glass filled with ice, ladling some fruit into each glass.  

 

3.       To add the limes as a garnish to the glass, cut a slit in the remaining lime rounds (beginning in the center and cutting outwards through the rind on one side).  Put one lime round on the rim of each glass.  Drink up! 

 

Makes 12 servings

•  Penedès Brandy is another Spanish brandy, which is a good substitute but it tends to be drier than Brandy de Jerez.  If you cannot find a Spanish brandy any brandy or cognac will work.
•  Agave nectar is a vegan sweetener that is similar in taste to honey.  It is perfect for sweetening sangria or iced tea because it dissolves easily in cold liquids.  Also, it is known to have a lower glycemic index than other natural sweeteners.  Agave nectar is widely available in the natural/ organic section of grocery stores and at smaller health food stores.
• If you have never tasted a lychee you are in for a treat.  Lychees have a sweet, translucent white flesh and are similar in texture to a peeled grape.  Look for them in the ethnic sections in the grocery store or at an Asian or Mexican market.