My Mexican Inspired Luxury Dinner Party

Project Food Blog Challenge #3 Prompt: Celebrate! You’ve made it this far, and the next challenge is to hold a party for your friends and family. Whether you’re an experienced host or an entertaining newbie, get creative and host a luxurious dinner party where your guests will discover new tastes and exotic flavors. Share your hosting secrets with readers, like how to cook for a crowd, plan a menu, or involve guests in the prep.

My very first dinner party was a rousing success! My goal in the menu planning was to incorporate fresh, exotic ingredients, and bold, Mexican-inspired dishes that my guests would be tasting for the first time. Not only did I introduce them to some new flavors but myself as well.

Appetizers:

Sweet and spicy, finger-licking good Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings.

Sonoran Quesadillas with Manchego Cheese and Poblano Peppers and Onions. To make these a thin, flour tortilla is smeared with butter and baked until golden brown and crispy. The tortillas are then topped with shredded Manchego cheese and roasted, sauteed poblano peppers and onions.

Thick, creamy and mild Butternut and Chayote Squash Soup with Chipotle Cream and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds packs a sweet little kick of heat from the chipotle cream.

Mountains of hand-fried Tortilla Chips.

Two kinds each of salsa and quacamole.

Frozen Mango Margaritas.

Entree:

Melt-in-your-mouth, slow-cooked Shredded Flank Steak, tender and packed full of flavor, this was the main object of our affections.

Printable Steak Taco Recipe (Opens in a New Window)

Along with the “Puffy” Taco, filled with steak and topped with the fresh, clean taste of home-made Crema. The ‘puffy’ taco is made by quickly deep-frying corn tortillas; light, crispy and delicate, they put a whole new spin on the classic taco.

A take on much-loved Mexican street corn, this Roasted Corn with Queso, Cilantro and Chile Powder may be the reason I never look at corn the same way again.

Dense and starchy Yuca Fries dusted with chile powder and salt with a Sour Cream Salsa Dipping Sauce were a nice change-up from regular french fries.

Vibrant, sweet and refreshing Prickly Pear Aqua Fresca.

Desserts:

A decadent Chocoflan with Dulce de Leche and Walnuts. The bottom half is a deep, dark, dense chocolate cake, the top half is a traditional flan, rich and creamy, topped with luscious homemade Dulce de Leche and walnuts. 

A traditional Mexican Churro, similar to a donut, mini-sized, with cinnamon and spice and a Dulce de Leche dipping sauce. We drank Mayan Hot Chocolate (not shown) with dessert, a hot chocolate drink seasoned with red pepper and cinnamon.

Chayote squash, yuca and prickly pear were new to all of us. For some it was the first time eating manchego cheese, tomatillos, poblanos and flan. And it was the first time for all of us eating the famed “puffy” taco. I can say with all certainty it will not be the last! Everything was well received and loved by all! The puffy tacos, chicken wings, soup and chocoflan received the most praise

For my first dinner party this was very ambitious. It would not of been as successful without my meticulous planning. I did it all myself aside from a little bit of help with vegetable prepping the morning of the dinner and my family kindly washing lots of dishes for me.

I cannot stress enough the importance of mapping things out, right down to the tiniest detail.

This is what worked for me:

I will be spotlighting these recipes over the next week or so and adding the recipe links here, if there’s a recipe you would like before then just let me know.

Here is a Printable Copy of My Three Day Plan (Opens in a New Window).
And a Printable Copy of my Shopping List.

So what do you think, would you like to R.S.V.P. to my dinner party? Please click on the badge below to vote for me and keep my dream alive. You can sign in with your foodbuzz, twitter or facebook. Thank-you! xoxo