Back blog 3... Spanish paprika is smokey!

So, I had the girls over for dinner. My first girls night in a loooong time. I ended up making paprika shrimp, which were bright red gorgeous! The cream sauce that went on them, um, not so gorgeous. Sigh. Lesson learned. I just wasn't patient enough with it. It needed to reduce by a lot more, so the flavors were great, but the consistency was just off. Too liquidy. Sides were asparagus and couscous. My go to sides. I also made lovely nectarine tarts that are SO easy. But I forgot to take pictures! Boo. Anyways, it was plated nicely. I stole Dean's silver serving platter, which makes everything look better! Oh, and I started the meal out with homemade hummus. Super easy, as long as you know where to find the Tahini in the grocery store!

The menu:
Hummus: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/hummus-recipe/index.html
Shrimp: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/grilled-shrimp-marinated-in-paprika-garlic-and-thyme-with-white-wine-sauce-recipe/index.html
Tart: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/danny-boome/honey-apple-and-nectarine-tart-with-whipped-mascarpone-recipe/index.html

A little tip for the mascarpone - add a LOT of cointreau if you actually want to get that lovely orange taste. I've made this recipe twice, and both times I added a whole heck of a lot more than what the recipe called for. But it was totally delish.