If you haven't caught on by now, my absolute favorite way to entertain is with small plates. It gives everyone a little bit of everything and makes it really easy to make sure you're providing for allergies/dietary restrictions, which is something that means a lot to me. Plus, it's delicious, and that's really reason enough.
Here's how I do it:
- Start with olives, bread, cheese, and some other charcuterie stuff. I love salami and prosciutto but this time I went with chorizo and some Iberico ham.
- Get fancy with it. Regular almonds would be just fine, but I seasoned some and roasted them instead, which made for a more thoughtful touch. Plus, who doesn't want a spicy roasted almond?
- Pick a few "main" dishes--these are bigger than the snacks. I went with mussels and goat cheese dip with artichokes, which I served with crusty bread and tortilla chips.
- Pour the wine! It's not a tapas dinner party without some delicious wine. I served La Crema's Willamette and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs as well as a few chilly glasses of their Monterey Pinot Gris. Mmm.
Head to the La Crema blog now and get all of my tapas dinner party recipes! And if you make the goat cheese artichoke dip, invite me over so I can eat it.
Photos by Rémy Thurston for Freckled Italian.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of La Crema. The opinions and text are all mine.