Tapas Party Tips with Gluten Free and Paleo Appetizers
If you have ever catered your own party, you know that it can be a lot of work. Especially if you are catering a party with mixed dietary needs and want the food to be delicious, high quality, and memorable!
At my last party, on New Year’s Eve, I planned a tapas style menu that included Paleo, gluten free, and non-gluten free appetizers, small plates, and desserts using ingredients that align with my food philosophy.
In addition, I planned and executed the menu in four short days! Here is my experience and my best tips to help you plan an amazing menu and pull off your next party.
A tapas style spread with Paleo, gluten free, and non-gluten free appetizers, small plates, and desserts using the best ingredients possible.
Pre-Party Planning Tips
Planning an elaborate tapas menu, just four days, was not how I initially envisioned planning my New Year’s Eve party, but the time leading up to the event was a very busy time! With five days to go, my husband and I thought ahead and threw some ingredients into our crock pot to feed us the four days before party time. This was a lifesaver because we were able to focus all of our efforts on the party rather than what to cook for dinner the days leading up to the party!
Tip #1: If you are planning to cater a party, cook enough food for the days leading up to the party so that you can focus your cooking efforts on party foods.
As soon as I started to brainstorm party menu ideas (which was immediately), I started saving appetizer ideas on a note app on my phone.
I defined some initial parameters. For example, I decided that I would plan a mostly gluten free appetizer menu, offer some Paleo appetizer options, and use the best quality, local, and organic ingredients I could find.
When it was time to decide on a final menu, I had collected tons of appetizer ideas for a Spanish-style tapas menu of and Asian-style small bites menu (I was thinking chicken satay, gluten free samosas, and more).
Both ideas made my mouth water, but with the clock ticking closer to party time, I decided that the Spanish tapas menu would be easier to execute in the time I had left.
Tip #2: Write down party food ideas in one place, so that you can compare and contrast ideas and extract the best combination of dishes to offer as a final menu.
Final Menu
Here is the final menu, including gluten free and Paleo appetizers:
Non-Gluten Free vs Gluten Free Appetizers and Desserts
From my tapas party menu, you can see that providing mostly gluten free appetizer, small plate, and dessert options was a top priority for me! I knew that I wanted to provide gluten eaters with conventional crackers and conventional graham crackers to accompany cheese and dips, and s’mores, respectively. I also provided other gluten items such as pita bread, for the Herb Roasted Pita Triangles, and pecan pie because I happened to have both in my freezer (and no longer wanted them in my freezer).
Tip #3: Consider incorporating food that has been sitting around your house (AND it is safe to consume) into your party menu! Parties can help you get rid of pesky foods that linger in your home!
As for the gluten free appetizers and desserts, I made it a point to stick to recipes that are traditionally gluten free. For example, Brazilian cheesy bread, falafel, [some] salad, and crème brûlée, are all traditionally gluten free. I did not need to make or find gluten free versions of recipes or prepared foods.
Coffee and Nut Layered Merengue is traditionally gluten free and runs no risk of making “gluten free versions” that might taste different than what people expect.
This strategy helped please my gluten-eating guests. Rather than offering guests gluten free versions of their favorite (traditionally gluten-containing) foods, that might taste different than what guests expect, I fed my guests traditionally gluten free foods. No weird surprises!
Paleo Appetizers
As I mentioned in previous blog posts, I am 100 percent gluten free and Paleo most of the time. I have also told you that I plan a few “cheat” meals a week. My New Year’s party was a good excuse for a planned “cheat” meal, and I intended to drink a little wine, and eat a little dessert, a little dairy, and practice Paleo flexibility.
However, cheat meals NEVER mean that I binge eat or make myself miserable with foods I don’t normally eat. For that reason, I wanted Paleo options on my menu, so that I could keep some of my meal totally clean and Paleo, and make room for a few little indulgences.
Tip #4: Mix healthier items or diet-specific items into your tapas party spread. You and your guests can eat more of the healthy appetizers and diet specific foods and enjoy the sinful foods in smaller quantities.
I made Paleo hot wings using harissa paste, honey, and watermelon and daikon radish for garnish!
Vegetable and fruit appetizers were easy to keep Paleo, and it was a no-brainer to offer nitrate-free salami and my favorite smoked salmon on my Paleo appetizer menu for some no-cook protein options. In terms of cooking, my Paleo crackers with coconut flour, flax, chia, and pumpkin seeds, baked hot wings (it is not necessary to use flour when making wings!), and deviled eggs were a hit, and no one thought twice about them being Paleo.
Home Cooked Appetizers, Small Plates & Desserts
I would have loved to cook every item from my menu from scratch, but if I was going to pull my tapas party off, I needed to rely on a few no-cook options. I weighed my options, and considered where “homemade” would make the biggest difference.
I knew that my Spicy Roasted Rosemary Almonds would “out-taste” store-bought almonds, and that making a roasted nut blend was relatively easy! I also knew that I could whip up a quick batch of Paleo crackers that would provide unique heartiness and thickness and give me some extra Paleo appetizer options.
Tip # 5: Make the party foods that you do best, and where homemade makes the biggest difference, from scratch.
I chose a few home cooked options that would provide a good return (A.K.A. culinary satisfaction) for less investment (A.K.A. effort and time) to help me manage my time. For example, the roasted shishito peppers were delicious and easy to throw together (I even had my brother cook them, at the last minute, with my instruction) and they made a great gluten free and Paleo party food! The Bacon Wrapped Almond Stuffed Dates also don’t require much effort, but everyone loves them! I offered Harissa Honey Hot Wings, another party favorite, and prepared them with a quality jar of harissa paste and honey to cut back on time.
Tip #6: Choose party foods that require less effort, to make from scratch, but make a big impression and help you manage your time.
Blistered shishito peppers, bacon almond stuffed dates, smoked salmon, and Paleo crackers make great Paleo appetizers and require little effort!
When it came to making homemade marshmallows, I knew I could save time by buying pre-made marshmallows, but I pictured my cute jars filled with powdery, fluffy rectangles, and the kids and adults at the party enjoying their first taste of homemade marshmallows, and I went with it!
On a nutritional note, while homemade marshmallows are not healthy, I used organic sugar, organic corn syrup, and quality gelatin to make mine, so I felt better about them! On a personal note, my daughter helped me make the marshmallows, and it was so much fun to have her use the candy thermometer and monitor the marshmallow mixture as it grew and expanded!
Tip #7: Have fun and bring your family in on the fun when you cook for your party.
Quality Prepared Foods
The hardest foods for me to entrust to the world of prepared foods was the falafel, hummus, and baba ganoush. I knew that I could make REALLY great versions of each of these dishes, but I had to choose my battles, and I did not have the time to make everything from scratch!
Lucky for me, I was able to source some really delicious, whole ingredient falafel, from a local vendor, and since I opted not to make my own baba ganoush, I chose another local vendor, to provide baba ganoush for my party. Thank goodness for good local vendors!
Speaking of good local vendors, I also bought frozen Brazilian Cheesy Bread that sells at my local farmer’s market, on a whim, when I was shopping for some salad ingredients the day before the party. The bread is naturally gluten free and it was the first dish to disappear at my party. I am so glad I got to eat one before they were all gone, they were delicious!
Tip #8: Choose quality prepared food options to substitute prepared foods on your tapas party menu. Just because the grocery store sells it does not mean that it is good!
Even though I have made delicious harissa paste before, I opted to buy a quality harissa paste for my Harissa Honey Hot Wings. Other premade items like olives, cheese, salami, fruit, crackers, and chocolate were the easiest of all, simply requiring me to slice and set out or just set out the ingredients.
Gluten Free Dessert Ideas
Like I mentioned, I made two traditionally gluten free desserts and homemade marshmallows (also gluten free) as an accessory to the fire pit and s’mores.
Merengue and marshmallows are definitely a sweet, sinful treat, but both are naturally gluten free desserts.
I did not originally plan to make crème brûlée, but what else can you do when you make a merengue with six egg whites and are left with six egg yolks? Crème brûlée, of course! Crème brûlée and merengue are both grain free, and gluten free and are the perfect compliments to each other. The merengue was light and airy, while the crème brûlée was rich and dense! I made six individual crème brûlée, and they made the perfect sharing vesicle for couples and siblings. Plus, we torched the tops, which was another fun activity (aside from toasting marshmallows and lighting sparklers) for the kids.
Tip #9: Don’t stress out about having exactly enough for everyone to have one of everything. Sometimes sharing food brings people closer together.
Good Ingredients Equals Good Food
If you have ever read my blog or checked out my website, you know that sourcing the highest integrity ingredients is very important to me. Most of my ingredients were organic, clean, pure, or made with whole ingredients.
I usually avoid dairy, but I selected quality Manchego cheese from Spain, made with milk from pastured sheep, and I have never had a poor reaction to this cheese. My party desserts used more dairy than I would normally eat, but I used organic, grass-fed cream. I also used pastured, farm-fresh eggs.
I selected several local ingredients, from the baba ganoush, to the pita, to the falafel, to the Brazilian cheesy bread, and nitrate-free bacon. I also sourced local fennel, mandarins (from my Aunt’s citrus trees), radishes, and pea sprouts from the farmer’s market.
Quality ingredients make food taste better and are better for you and your guest’s health. Pictured: Patatas Bravas (made with organic potatoes), Fennel Citrus Salad (made with organic veggies from my local farmer’s market), nitrate- and hormone-free salami, and pastured sheep’s milk cheese from Spain.
A Tapas Party End
At the end of the night, I had a ton of leftover food (all part of my master plan), melted marshmallow all over the door handles and patio furniture, just enough champagne for everyone (of age) to have a toast, and everyone had smiles on their face. It was so worth it to cater my own party, and my gluten free and Paleo appetizers, small plates, and desserts were a hit!