Introducing... Tapas!!!

Ahhhh tapas! The ultimate weapon in a party planner’s arsenal. My sister introduced me to the word/concept of tapas after a trip to Spain (#lifegoals) and I have been OBSESSED ever since. Tapa is the Spanish term for Appetizer. A tapa is a finger food/small bite/snack eaten with after work drinks to tide you over until the full meal. The tapa is so ingrained in Spanish culture that they have a verb for it, tapear, meaning “to have tapas”. My sister fell in love with tapas and, being the annoying little copy cat that I am, I did too!

I entertain a lot (obviously) and have found that nothing beats tapas for a last minute shindig or a weeknight party. They are endlessly adaptable to taste, expertise and style. I could go on and on and on about the virtues of tapas but I am too excited to share one of my favorite combinations.

The keys to a successful tapa party are variety and presentation. I like to have a protein, a carb and vegetables in varying amounts. In this case I have chosen various charcuterie items, cheeses, a tart from Trader Joe’s, crostini, caprese bites and olives. The best part of this formula is that you only have to cook one thing which is huge when you live in sweltering southern heat.The tart took 30 minutes to bake and by that time I had everything else prepared and arranged on the appropriate trays.

I used Jamon Serrano (middle), Chorizo Cantimpalo (right), and Salchichon (left) for the meats (look for a multi option tray at Trader Joe's or your local store).

Garlic & Herb Goat Cheese (left cheese) & Four Pepper Goat Cheese (right cheese). Homemade Garlic Crustini. Alsatian Style Onion Tart from Trader Joe's (bottom).

In addition to the soft goat cheeses I usually serve a hard cheese, in this case it is an Iberico Cheese. Aaannnddd finally some miscellanous items such as olives, and caprese crostini. The caprese crostini are astonishingly simple to prepare. Just stack fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and sliced tomatoes on top of a lightly toasted piece of bread and sprinkle them with good balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. I skewered mine with toothpicks to hold them together. 

Finally, arrange all of the trappings on a dish of your choice. Platter, plate, bowl, tray. Just put it onto something lovely and your guests will be awed by your presentation and "preparedness". 

Pour some wine et voila! For less than $40 you can serve up a seriously impressive spread. If you add the wine ($18 bottle of chardonnay, also from Trader Joe's) the entire meal cost $56.45 after tax. Not too shabby. I would recommend having your guests bring a bottle or two to supplement the party. One of the secrets to throwing an affordable party is to have everyone pitch in but if everyone is strapped for cash, tapas are a great way to treat your friends.