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TAPA
derived the verb tapar, "to cover", Spanish origin
According to The Joy of Cooking, the original tapas were the slices of bread or meat which sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips. Evidently they did this to prevent fruit flies from hovering over their sherry. Bar owners started to take advantage of this by serving salty meats to encourage more drinking!
Another version has the tradition of tapas beginning when Castile's King (Alfonso X of Castile or Alfonso the Wise) recovered from an illness by drinking wine mixed with small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered that taverns were not allowed to serve wine to customers unless the beverage was accompanied by a small snack or tapas. Wonder if this is where Happy Hour began???
In León, a city in northwest Spain, an entire zone known as the Barrio Humedo is dedicated to tapas bars each serving their own unique dish!
Do you have any facts or interesting tidbits about Tapas? Have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? Post it in the comments below - The Diva of Tiny Foods is all about sharing our favorite recipes and foodie fun!
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If you have a Tiny Food question, please feel free to ask me in a comment and I'll respond back here in the comments section or in a new post!
My Favorite Tiny Food Recipes at PopArtDiva.Com
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Serve your Valentine a Tart from the Heart with these tasty, tiny
Mini Chocolate Raspberry Heart Tarts. They're easy because the pie dough is pre-made and all you have to do is shape it into little heart shaped tart shells, pipe in a little classic chocolate ganache and top off with fresh raspberries and some powdered sugar and chocolate shavings! Drizzle a little raspberry coulee around the serving dish for some extra flair.
Really, chocolate ganache sounds complicated but it's easy-peasy! You can also make chocolate truffles from this ganache recipe and a score of other great chocolate dishes. It's simply a matter of pouring melted cream and butter over semi-sweet chocolate bits!
I've done this in several variations for all sorts of holidays and special occasions. I've used done is as a lemon meringue pie with a chocolate surprise, I've piped in sweetened cream cheese and topped it with strawberries - I've even used this shaped pastry idea for mini meat pies as a savory Tiny Food!
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If you have a Tiny Food question, please feel free to ask me in a comment and I'll respond back here in the comments section or in a new post!
My Favorite Tiny Food Recipes at PopArtDiva.Com
All my recipes for food and drink at the PopArtDiva Bistro
Buy Great Products at The DIVA of TINY FOODS Shoppe!
Nothing says love like dipping stuff in chocolate! This is a basic
Chocolate Fondue Recipe I've used for years, one I started using way back in the seventies when fondue was a fad - remember those orange and lime fondue pots? In fact the recipe probably came with that pot, lol!
This recipe serving size will serve 2 perfectly - exactly what you need for an intimate Valentine's Day dinner for two.
A lot of recipes for fondue these days have you microwaving the chocolate. I do NOT microwave chocolate - it's just as easy to melt chocolate in a double boiler and you are less likely to burn and ruin the chocolate. If you don't have a double boiler you can use a regular sauce pan and an aluminum bowl that will sit on top of the sauce pan.
Feel free to get creative with your dippers - one of the most popular I've served with chocolate fondue is pretzel sticks and potato chips! Of course you want the standard fruits, marshmallows and cookies - but don't you ever wonder how great a Twinkie would be dipped in chocolate?
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If you have a Tiny Food question, please feel free to ask me in a comment and I'll respond back here in the comments section or in a new post!
My Favorite Tiny Food Recipes at PopArtDiva.Com
All my recipes for food and drink at the PopArtDiva Bistro
Buy Great Products at The DIVA of TINY FOODS Shoppe!
Chocolate Crème BrûléeCrème brûlée is French for "burnt cream", it is also sometimes simply called
burnt cream or
crema catalana, or
Trinity cream. It is a rich custard topped with a layer of caramelized sugar. The hard caramel topping is created by torching a sugar topping under a
broiler or with a
blowtorch which is the fun part! Nothing like using a little fire to heat up your Valentine's Day dessert, right?
This is a good recipe for a chocolate version Crème Brûlée
- you can't do Valentine's Day Desserts without chocolate, am I right?
And if you aren't a big fan of custards, don't worry because I'll be posting three more Valentine's Day Chocolate Desserts through Friday!
FORGOT TO GET THAT VALENTINE A VALENTINE GIFT?
Save your Valentine's Day! Express Ship Gifts below:
POP ART LOVE on Tees, Home Decor and other Gifts!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE on Tees, Home Decor and other Gifts!------------------------
If you have a Tiny Food question, please feel free to ask me in a comment and I'll respond back here in the comments section or in a new post!
My Favorite Tiny Food Recipes at PopArtDiva.Com
All my recipes for food and drink at the PopArtDiva Bistro
Buy Great Products at The DIVA of TINY FOODS Shoppe!
Here is the entree in my ongoing Valentine's Day Menu recipe marathon. Check the past few days for the appetizer, soup and bread courses! Desserts are coming next week!!!
The entree course is a juicy beef roast featuring a tri tip cut. The tri tip is often an overlooked cut of beef and one of my favorites. It's flavorful and can be quite tender if cooked properly. The key to the whole process is to get the heat up high, especially in the first ten minutes or so, to seal in the juices and flavor. I find that marinating overnight also helps to tenderize the roast.
And always remember to let you meat "rest" - meat will continue to cook after you take it away from the heat source and resting allows for this plus it helps keep the moisture in. Here's one of the
most thorough explanations of why you should rest your meat I've ever found.
I like my beef pretty simple usually, just a little rub of garlic and rosemary - though you can leave the garlic out of this recipe for Lovers if you choose! And the next recipe post will be for the lovely roasted red potatoes that complement this roast quite nicely.
Don't forget,
The Martini Diva is posting special Valentine's Day Martinis until the 14th of February.
THERE'S STILL TIME TO SEND YOUR SWEETIE A VALENTINE YOU MADE WITH LOVE!Print Your Own Valentines for Less - Right now at home!CONVERSATION HEARTS VALENTINE CARDPOP ART LOVE VALENTINE CARDIf you have a Tiny Food question, please feel free to ask me in a comment and I'll respond back here in the comments section or in a new post!
