Tequila for the Holidays? Who Knew!

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a super fun swanky night out called Ladies Night In LA with Chef Marcela Valladolid (the adorable chef and hostess of the Food Network’s Mexican Made Easy). This classy top notch event was hosted by Sauza Tequila along with several other fabulous LA Bloggers @MintCool @SugarJones @laflowers @deblavdas and was designed to gather a great group of LA Bloggers to eat, drink, be merry and learn about how fabulous and versatile Sauza Tequila is.

The night began with a private car pick-up (so there would be no drinking and driving) and then arrival at Elizabeth’s home (@MintCool) for a live web cast and Q&A with Chef Marcela. We watched her make an assortment of delicious Margaritas and dishes utilizing Sauza Tequila with finesse and skill. Marcela is super sweet, genuine and a very skilled chef and she proceeded to make four different and delicious Margaritas throughout the night as well as five other dishes that showcased the tequila.

Being a foodie with a diverse palate, what surprised me the most during the evening was how delicious, versatile and smooth Sauza Tequila is and how much tequila adds complexity and depth of flavor to a variety of dishes. This experience truly shifted my old school perspective about tequila being harsh and strong, to it being food friendly and enjoyable to eat and drink. I found it refreshing to learn that tequila can be used to make festive and creative drinks and dishes for the holiday season. Marcela was so masterful, the food was so tasty and inspired, and the Sauza Tequila was so smooth that I think I have found some surprising new additions to my holiday recipe line-up.

My hands down favorite recipe of the night was the Warm Winter Margarita, a delicious warm mulled spicy cider beverage with a little kick. Perfect for cold winter nights by the fire–You are going to love it!

Warm Winter Margarita

Serves 4

Ingredients:

28 oz apple juice

1 cinnamon stick

2 cups dried fruit of your choice

2 tbs granulated sugar

6 oz Sauza ® Silver Tequila

Combine apple juice and cinnamon in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick carefully. Add sugar, dried fruit, and tequila. Mix well. Serve warm. Dee-lish!

My second favorite dish of the night was the best brussel sprouts I have ever tasted in my life, and that is saying alot cause I absolutley adore brussel sprouts. These were perfectly cooked, full of creamy spicy flavor and just heavenly! As you can see they were such a hit, I captured this pic after they were almost gone!

Brussels Sprouts in Morilla Cream

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 pounds brussels sprouts. halved

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

3 scallions (white and pale green parts only)

1 morilla chile, stemmed, seeded, and very thinly sliced

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Salt and pepper To Taste

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add the brussels sprouts and stir for 1 minute to coat them with butter. Add the broth, cover, and simmer for 7 minutes, or until the brussels sprouts are tender. Uncover and continue to simmer for 4 minutes, or until all of the broth evaporates. Transfer brussels sprouts to medium bowl.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in same pan. Add the sunflower seeds, scallions, and chile and saute for 2 minutes, or until the nuts are toasted and chile is tender. Stir in the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, return the brussels sprouts to pan, and toss to coat them with the cream. Season the brussels sprouts to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy & Happy Holidays!

Disclosure: Sauza Tequila sponsored this fun evening, they provided private car service, delicious food, tasty drinks and then they gifted us with Sauza Tequila and Marcella’s Cookbook Fresh Mexico: 100 Simple Recipes for True Mexican Flavor. While I had a great time and really expanded my culinary repertoire, I made no promises about writing about this experience or raving about the product.