Attending a dinner party is always plenty of fun, but the idea of hosting one may send a shiver of fear down your spine. If you haven’t hosted a dinner party before, our first piece of advice is to relax and take everything as it comes.
The rest of our advice can be found in our guide to hosting a dinner party like a gentleman.
Cook What You Know
While you may be tempted to wow your guests with a MasterChef inspired dinner, it isn’t a good idea to cook a dish you’ve never made before for a group of friends.
While we aren’t suggesting that you should make scrambled eggs on toast, focus on recipes which aren’t too complex, but are still completely mouth-watering. There are plenty of simple recipes which look really fancy, but don’t require a week’s worth of preparation.
Consider Your Courses Carefully
A great dinner has courses which complement each other and provide a good balance of flavours. For example, you don’t want every course to involve pastry as this will be too heavy and too similar.
Consider a set of recipes which are meant to be served together in order to make sure that your menu is cohesive and progresses naturally.
Make Allowances for Dietary Requirements
It’s a good idea to check with your guests for any special dietary requirements ahead of time as you want to avoid surprises as at all costs – just like when you’re playing the top 5 slots bonuses at https://australianslotsonline.net/top-five-slot-bonuses/. For example, if a friend is vegetarian or gluten intolerant, make sure that at least 2 courses are suitable or provide alternatives for every course.
There is no need for every course to consist of meat or gluten dishes and allowances should be made.
Create a Timeline
In order for your dinner party to run as smoothly as possible, with as little time spent away from your guests as possible, make sure to create a timeline for cooking. You don’t want to end up rushing through a course because you know the next course is about to be ready.
Make use of timers to remind you of when dishes need to be prepared and you won’t break into a stress-sweat!
Prepare Ahead of Time
Preparation is imperative when it comes to hosting a stress-free dinner party and plenty of time can be saved on the day of the event if you plan carefully. Prepare as much as the courses as possible ahead of time and focus on recipes which can simply be heated through before serving.
If dessert isn’t your strong suit, consider serving a fruit and cheese board with crackers instead.
Homemade is Best
If you really want to wow your guests, attempt to make as much of the dinner homemade. If you opt for a cheese board appetiser, consider making your own cheese straws, or serve a freshly baked no-knead bread alongside your main course.
Chocolate truffles are also an excellent addition to any dessert and can easily be made ahead of time.