Runs 4 Food: Tapas at Home

Sharon and I had some friends over for dinner last night to welcome a couple into the building. We took the day off to prepare and really spent it cooking non-stop for one of our (slowly becoming legendary) tapas party. I am sorry to say that I completely spaced out and did not take a single picture, you my readers will have to take my word for it. Everything listed below was cooked and looked (and tasted) great.

The menu started as a copy of one tapas party had for Tim and Joy a few months back, but quickly evolved and we ended up with something almost entirely different.

Baked Idaho Potato Chips with Sweet Barnea EVOO and Ibiza Sea Salt and Peppadew Peppers - Sharon makes these and they are terrific. Slowly becoming a regular item to open our tapas parties.

Fresh Figs Baked with Mangalica Jamón and Clover Honey - These came out great. The jamon was a last minute addition when I say it at Surdyk's, where it was retailing for $78 a pound. The seven very thin sliced I got were $7. Ridiculous, but terrific.

Chèvre, Cream, Fleur de Sal and White Truffle Honey - A copy of 112 Eatery's, where they make it with ricotta instead of goat cheese. This is such a simple and great dish.

Shrimp Toast with Chèvre, Shallots, Jalapeño, Pancetta, and Lemony-Grain Mustard Aioli - A truly last minute addition as recommended by my dentist the morning of the party as I was having my teeth cleaned and she commented on a dish her husband made for her birthday 4 days ago.

Red Pepper Scallops Ceviche with Hojiblanca EVOO and Jalapeño Ice

Warm Tomato Confit Salad with Fresh Mozzarella and Truffle Oil-Kalamata Balsamic Vinaigrette - These tomatoes were in the over for 4 hours at 250 degrees with garlic, olive oil and salt. They came out sweet and delicious.

Flamenco Quail Eggs with Asparagus, Red Pepper, Palacios Chorizo and Pomodoro Sauce - This was the type of dish that I should have photographed for the blog. It looked pretty awesome.

Turkey Thigh Meatballs with Saffron-San Marzano Tomato Sauce and Saffron Home-made Crackers - A staple at our house. Sharon makes the crackers and we can never have enough of them.

Moroccan Surf ‘n Turf with Lamb, Shrimp, Cumin, Fennel and Santo Domingo Pimentón over Brava Sauce - Probably my least favorite, but not bad. Presentation was incredible with the brava sauce splattered over the top, but the meat was a little tough.

Savory Bread Pudding with Hot Italian Sausage, fennel, Asparagus and Goat Gouda - In both Sharon's and my opinion, the best dish by far. Loosely based on a recipe I found online, but greatly modified (enhanced?) with the goat gouda, fennel and cream instead of milk. I also doubled a couple of the ingredients to kick it a a few notches. We will be making this again for sure.

Vanilla Ice Cream and 2007 Don Pedro Ximénez Sherry - The Sherry is poured over the ice cream to get great dessert that sort of reminds you of a creme brûlée. This was a pairing we saw at a wine tasting that stuck with us.