What makes a successful dinner party?
Do you break into a cold sweat when it comes to planning a dinner party? Does the thought of having friends and family over for a special celebration sound stressful or fun? If it’s the former, I want to help take the anxiety out of planning a get-together by breaking it down into smaller manageable pieces that allow you to relax and enjoy yourself, too. Afterall, isn’t that the idea? To have fun? So, what makes a successful dinner party?
Menu Planning
Let’s be honest. There are a ton of great recipes online that you can find and get excited about, right? Not to mention the myriad of gorgeous cookbooks out there with stunning pictures of just what your finished dish should look like laid out on the perfect platter. I get it. And I love those, too.
However, one dish does not a dinner party make. A dinner party is typically a progression of dishes that feels cohesive and makes sense both visually and on the palate. How formal or informal the occasion varies greatly, and it should if you entertain often, but what remains the same is that you are creating an experience for you guests. You don’t have to do a six-course formal sit-down dinner to call it a dinner party. It can be a casual backyard barbeque or a wine and appetizer party where friends gather around your kitchen island. But no matter the setting the menu is the cornerstone for tying it all together. The pressure, right?
Nowadays, with social media and so many food images online, you may feel you need to come up with a cohesive 3 to 4 course menu that is not only Pinterest worthy but delicious, too. Without experience this process can be daunting. It takes practice.
The right menu isn’t just about the flavors. Just as important is answering the question of how realistic is it for you to be able to pull off this menu.? Afterall that’s what it’s about. Yes, you. Sure, it’s also about your guests and showing them how much you care about them, but the reality is it’s you in that kitchen for hours doing all the prep and cooking to make it look ever-so-seamless at the end.
So be realistic and don’t underestimate the value of taking your time to pick recipes that you not only are excited to make but also have some do-ahead steps or components and where you are comfortable with the cooking process. None of us is a superhero and, as home cooks, we don’t have sous chefs and line chefs helping us out at the last minute. Now is not the time to try making garlic foam for the first time. I suggest taking a lot of time up front planning with the menu planning. Following these tips should help. Also, you can visit the menus section of my blog for more ideas.
Do both the menu and recipes include
- Delicious flavors with seasonal ingredients
- Seasonal ingredients are not only less expensive, but they are typically more readily available and will taste fresher.
- Cohesive flavors that make sense together
- Stick with one general cuisine category
- New American or Asian fusion or Italian, etc
- Don’t make a seared ahi appetizer and then serve madras curry for the main course
- Use some of the same ingredients in several of the dishes
- Fresh herbs both in the recipes and as a garnish helps tie the menu together
- Look for recipes that include similar ingredients or flavors but different proteins
- Stick with one general cuisine category
Congratulations, you’ve picked your menu. Now what? The next step is to get organized. I cannot stress this enough. I have over twenty years’ experience in throwing dinner parties from casual to elaborate and every single time I try to skip the step of getting organized and just ‘wing it’ – I regret it. You may be able to pull it off but trust me, it’s more stressful in the end.
- Get Organized
- Create a shopping list by day
- Depending on the menu some things can and should be purchased in advance so you can prep and other items (such as fish or bread) or best purchased at the latest the day before. That doesn’t mean you should save all your shopping for the last day.
- Create a prep list by day
- I like to do this in Excel, but it doesn’t have to be done that way. Whatever method is most comfortable for you. I do this by going through my menu and looking at the different components of the dish. For example, if there is a sauce or dressing of some kind typically those can be done ahead of time. How far ahead depends on if it’s a cream-based sauce or not. I will post more about this under menus on the blog. The goal is to have a prep list by day that walks through the whole menu and allows you to do little bits each day up to and including the morning of and final steps and plating
- Create a to-do list
- This is separate from your prep list because its everything else you need to do. Buy flowers, if that’s on your decor list, set the table, set out votives. If you are a seasoned entertainer, you may not need this list but if you are newer to this dinner party thing then it really does help. And set the table in advance! The morning of or even the night before.
- Create a shopping list by day