Cocktail Party Recipes

Looking for some recipes for your cocktail party? Here are some that your guests will find tantalizing:

Lychee Mojito
Lychee nut is a prized fruit grown in China. It is now grown in some parts of Florida. We used canned lychee, which can be found in Asian grocery stores, for this recipe. You can also serve them on ice for a simple dessert.

For the simple syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

¼ lime, cut in thirds
6 fresh mint leaves
3 lychee nuts
1½ Tbsp simple syrup
1½ oz light rum
seltzer or club soda

To make simple syrup:
In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil. Simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool syrup, cover and chill. Can be made 2 weeks ahead.

In a cocktail shaker or bowl, mash mint leaves, 3 lychee nuts, and lime with the back of a spoon.
Stir in simple syrup and rum. Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour rum mixture into the glass. Top off with seltzer or club soda. Stir. Garnish with a lychee nut and a sprig of mint leaf.

Guacamole

2 ripe Haas avocado, cut into ¼ inch cubes
½ medium-size tomato, seed, and diced
¼ cup cilantro, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
salt to taste
Juice of ½ lime

Halve avocados lengthwise, peel and pit, and slice lengthwise. Add salt and lime juice and mash coarsely with a fork. Add cilantro, tomato, and jalapeno pepper. Serve with tortilla chips.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

14 large shrimp (21/25 count), deveined, and with shells on
5 lettuce leaves
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
½ of a jalapeno pepper, sliced thin (optional)
2 Tbsp olive oil

Wash and brine shrimp in ½ teaspoon salt for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Wash and dry lettuce leaves. Cut crosswise into ½" slices and place in a serving dish.
In a large saucepan or wok, under medium high heat, dry fry shrimp (yes, no oil!) for about 2 minutes. When the color of the shrimp turns pink, turn it and sear the other side for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle in the pepper and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt (and jalapeno, if using). Stir until shrimp is well coated. Add olive oil and shake the pan or wok so that the shrimp is well coated with the spice and oil. Pour over lettuce in serving dish. Normally eaten with white rice, this dish is also great as an appetizer!

Lo Mein
Lo Mein in Chinese means "tossed noodles." If using Chinese egg noodles, do not overcook, as they become very gummy. Cruising doesn't always get me to ports where I can easily stock up on Asian goods, so often times, I use angel hair pasta instead. It is just as good.

6 Chinese egg noodles or 16 oz package of Angel Hair pasta
3 Tbsp vegetable or Canola Oil
3 green onions, julienned at a slant
1 2" piece of ginger, julienned
2 4-oz cans sliced button mushrooms
4 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
pepper to taste
5 sprigs cilantro, minced

In a pot of boiling water, add noodles and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and toss noodles with 1 Tbsp of sesame oil and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, remaining 1 Tbsp sesame oil and pepper.
Drain and rinse mushrooms.

Heat a saucepan. Add oil and heat it until just about smoking. Saute ginger and green onions until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir for another min. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in noodles and sauce mixture, and toss gently. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with hot chili sauce.

Bon Appetit and enjoy your party!