A Tulum Inspired Dinner

This cold weather has me dreaming of beaches in Tulum! If you can’t escape to the warm weather of Mexico, than your next best bet is to create a tropical evening at home. I threw this Tulum Inspired Dinner for a few girlfriends a couple months ago, but I will definitely be re-creating it tonight!

I started the planning of this dinner with the theme and décor. When I think back on my travels to Tulum I remember a very laid-back vibe with natural beach huts scattered down an off-the-grid beach road; lush rainforests draping the small restaurants and boutiques; and wood burning outdoor stoves cooking up delicious authentic Mexican food. Also, maybe because of the bright pink room I stayed in once, I think of pink! With this in mind I set my base table linens as pink, layered it with lots of natural wood serving dishes and added accents of tropical plants.

Whenever I host a Mexican inspired party, the Mexican street corn salad by Camille Styles has to be on the menu – guests LOVE it!

https://camillestyles.com/food-and-drink/from-camilles-kitchen/mexican-street-corn-salad/

I wanted to include some meat, so I adapted the tequila lime chicken recipe from Rasa Malaysia to chicken skewers. I cut the skewers in half to make them into more bite size portions. I really liked this recipe and will definitely use it again.

http://rasamalaysia.com/tequila-lime-chicken/2/

And of course, every good Mexican party must have guac! I’ve developed my own recipe over time which is on the limy/garlicy side (see recipe below). I like to serve my guac with blue nacho chips to add some colour to the spread.

4 avocados diced; two tomatoes diced small; 1 clove of garlic chopped; juice of half a lime; handful of cilantro; salt; mix together and enjoy!

Last, but definitely not least, is the wine selection. As Mexico is not known for it’s wine, the closest option to stay on theme is a Spanish wine. Rosé is a good wine to pair with Mexican food, as it’s typically versatile and food friendly. A warm weather Spanish rosé will compliment warm weather Mexican cuisine quite well. I chose the 2016 Conde Valdemar Rosé from Rioja. Made with Garnacha and Macabeo grapes, this wine’s floral flavours and extra dry/light body paired with the dishes perfectly. The Conde Valdemar Rosé is available in the LCBO vintages for $13.95

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/conde-valdemar-rose-2016/168278#.WlETHoWcGhc