serrano ham

[aznsailorboi]

Hello, I'm having a party on saturday. I bought some serrano ham from the deli but wasnt sure what to pair it with on a canape style stuff. fruit? cheese? veggie?

[little ms foodie]

I would serve it on little garlic rubbed crostini or even wrapped around blanched asparagus

[KatyM]

Hello, I'm having a party on saturday. I bought some serrano ham from the deli but wasnt sure what to pair it with on a canape style stuff. fruit? cheese? veggie?

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Nothing better than slices of serrano ham next to triangles of manchego cheese and some slices of quince paste (membrillo). In Spain, that would come with miniature breadsticks. Serrano ham also tastes delicious layered over toasted or grilled bread that's been rubbed with a raw garlic clove, the guts of a very ripe tomato and some olive oil.

[Jason Perlow]

Marinated/blanched or grilled asparagus spears to wrap the ham around.

[Malawry]

Wrap it around breadsticks. Drizzle with olive oil. Add a scrape of black pepper. A perfect canape!

[aznsailorboi]

thanks for responding guys.

KatyM I'm intruiged by your suggestion, I would like to try that. where do I get quince paste and manchego cheese? whole foods? trader joe's?

[chezcherie]

whole foods will have both manchego and quince paste. trader joe's carries manchego, but i don't think it's fabulous, and as far as i've seen, no quince paste.

the other night i chopeed the last leftover serrano ham bits, and sauteed them (augmented with a little olive oil) with some greens (collard, mustard--the trader joe's bagged blend) and white beans....it was tasty! (oh--added a pinch of crushed chile flakes.)

[little ms foodie]

In Chicago you should be able to find the cheese and quince at a higher end food store, most good markets here in seattle carry them.

[aznsailorboi]

thank you thank you thank you....I'll do a test run on thursday on all the stuff that i'd be making, and would also post pics.

any other ideas for hor d'oeuvres? just toss em at me!

[little ms foodie]

If you have access to quail eggs we like the ham on crostini topped with a little fried egg- so cute!

[Malawry]

I had some serrano and manchego hanging around from a tapas class I taught recently, so last night I made a risotto for dinner and added the ham, the cheese and a mess of frozen peas. It was most excellent!

Serrano is also a perfect addition to bechamel fritters, if you want to make something more complicated.

BTW, membrillo is often available in Hispanic markets, or mixed in with Hispanic foods in mainstream markets. I think Goya makes a quince paste that comes in a round, flat can. I bought both the manchego cheese and the serrano ham I used for my class at Trader Joe's.

[aznsailorboi]

i'll try trader joe's

Malawry.. thanks for refreshing my memory, i knew i saw "membrillo" somewhere but i can't remember where, until you mentioned hispanic groceries. thanks again.

msfoodie.. I have access to quail eggs. so what do i do with it?

[Smithy]

Add me to the serrano-manchego-mebrillo fan club! It's a great combination!

If you can't find manchego, another choice is istara. Our cheese shop (Northern Waters Smokehaus, Duluth, Minnesota) often carries istara even when the manchego has run out. They're similarly made, and quite similar in taste. I think the istara is made the same way but in a different location.

[little ms foodie]

msfoodie.. I have access to quail eggs. so what do i do with it?

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We just put the ham on a crostini rubbed with a bit of garlic, then fry the quail eggs and put one on top of the ham, a little drizzle of good olive oil, a spinkle of chopped parsely and you are set. quail eggs are great conversation makers I've found.

[angrykoala]

One word: watermelon.

[Janice]

Two good combinations would be to make little rolls filled with either celeriac remoulade or a few dressed rocket leaves, chopped dried figs and a bit of goats cheese.

[godito]

think meditarranean: figs, rosemary, most sharp cheeses, olives... in fact, most fruit goes well with serrano. Yes, watermelon, but also melon and even mango. Scallops and shrimp go well wrapped in serrano. So does asparagus. Goes great with eggs (like soft boiled eggs) and potatoes. I also like it on top of toast with aioli.