Moroccan Fantasy Party

There is no better way to honor the summer than to make luscious fruits and vegetables the center of your feast. In this Moroccan fantasy they will be eaten and used in the decorations. The colors and smells will relax your guests, transporting them to an exotic island miles and miles away. The tastes will have your guests wondering how you imported such an incredible spread. Luckily, most of the dishes require very little cooking and are eaten as finger foods.

While a menu of finger food seems simple, it does mean a little extra work in the presentation. To limit the craziness and the monotony of all these perfect little pieces of artwork, keep the guest list simple by having only three couples.

Invitations

Give your guests a hint of what to expect with some exotic touches. You will need:

• 3 to 6 plain invitation cards and envelopes

• Colorful beads

• Copper wire (thin, 20-guage found in the jewelry section of craft stores)

• Wire cutter or scissors

• Single-hole punch

• Colorful fine-point markers (hot pink, turquoise, and gold preferably).

Note: Keep extra wire and beads for personalized drink markers you'll make later as party favors.

Hopefully you are crafty enough to print the party info and addresses on the invitations and envelopes using your word processor and a printer. Portrait layout is preferable. If not, do your best printing with a superfine black pen. Now for the fun part.

Start by punching a hole in the top of each invitation ½" down from the top of the paper. Then take a small length of the copper wire and a few beads, depending on size, and string the beads through the wire so they lay as flat as possible against the top of the invitation. One end of the wire goes through the hole and the other goes over the top of the paper. Secure on the back of the invitation by twisting tightly and flattening. Trim excess if needed. Then hold two marker pens at the same time (like a hot pink and gold, for example) and make frilly lines stemming from the beads to outline the invitation. Do the same using a different color combination to outline the envelopes.

Decorations
To decorate your space, you may have to move around some furniture, as this meal will be served very casually with your guests seated on the floor. Pick a space in your living room or family room that can easily handle eight people seated on the floor with enough space for food in the middle and an unencumbered walking area.

On the day of the party, move the furniture out of the designated eating area while still maintaining the integrity of the room. Set the eating space apart by putting down a colorful tapestry or tablecloth, eight floor cushions and eight trays. On each tray, in addition to a plate, a stemmed glass and a water glass, add the following:

• Tealight or votive candle

• Single flower in a small vase, jar or bottle

• Small finger-cleaning bowl filled ¾ with water topped by a thin slice of lemon.

Keep the lighting soft by adding candles around the room. You can enhance the Moroccan flair with beaded napkins and candleholders. You can also drape lamps (carefully) with scarves or small tablecloths. Remember the extra wire and beads? Use them to make the glass markers that your guests can use during the party and then take home as a reminder of the wonderful evening.

Glass Markers

To make a glass marker you will need:

• 4-inch length of copper wire
• 3 to 5 beads, depending on size.

Start by making a small loop on one end and twisting to secure. Add beads to straight end of wire. You can make curls in the wire for fun shapes. Bend the beaded wire into a circle and add to the bottom of your stemmed glass. Slip the straight end through the loop and bend back to secure. Be sure to make each marker look different so your guests can easily identify their drinks. At the end of the night, each guest can remove their marker and take it home as a party favor.

During the meal you can offer two beverages: mango margaritas and cucumber mint water. Kick off the party by offering a sweet beverage and spicy amuse-bouche to your guests at the door as they arrive.

Greeting Beverage

• 8 oz. dry white wine

• 8 oz. peach schnapps

• 4 oz. guava nectar.

Add one ounce of wine and peach schnapps into each glass, then add ½ ounce of guava nectar and stir. Do not add ice, but refrigerate until cold.

Amuse-Bouche

• 8 oysters (best quality, freshest you can find)

• 2 egg whites, very lightly beaten

• 2 tablespoons oil

• Cracked green and black pepper (for dipping)

• Finely ground cornmeal (for dipping).

Heat the oil over medium heat in a small pan. Dip each oyster in the egg white, cornmeal and pepper. Saute in pan until coating is dark and crispy. They can be served at room temperature.

Have a tray ready for your guests with the beverages in small, colorful glasses and the oysters on a plate. At arrival, ask each guest to have a spicy oyster and wash it down with sweet wine drink.

To prepare the rest of your beverages, you will need:

• 1 Cucumber, sliced into thin pieces

• 5 sprigs of fresh mint

• 2 mangoes, diced, or 1 Can mango nectar

• 48 oz. margarita mix

• 16 oz. Cointreau

Fill a pitcher 1/3 with ice. Add the sprigs of mint and cucumber slices. Fill with cold, filtered water. It is helpful to wrap a napkin around the handle to prevent slipperiness from condensation.

Add the mango chunks (or nectar), margarita mix, Cointreau and ice into a blender. Blend at high speed until smooth and creamy. Pour into stemmed glasses (with guest markers) and top with a paper umbrella and a colorful straw.

For the main course serve veggie wantons, chicken wraps and sugar cane skewers. Plan for three of each for each guest. Serve on colorful platters in exotic shapes, such a bright-green leaf or a red elephant.

For a colorful and sweet dessert, serve passion fruit raspberry custard with toasted coconut.