Dinner Party Planning
August 7th, 2007 by
Chef Mom
Planning a formal dinner party isn’t really that hard but it is time consuming and there are a lot of details to see to. I’m trying to keep track of everything with a checklist. Here are some basic planning steps:
- Determine the when of the dinner party and who/how many people you will invite. Then you’ll actually need to invite them. A formal dinner party really requires written invitations. I’m not sending written invitations since all of the dinner guests save one live here and the one that doesn’t is my child. I’ve invited her by phone.
- Determine the number of courses and general menu
- Check that you have enough dinnerware, glassware and flatware for the number of courses you plan to serve. Make a note of anything you need to purchase or just change the menu to match what you have. I’ll be mixing 2 dish patterns that coordinate well together. This would have been a no-no back in the day, but is completely acceptable these days.
- Determine what serving pieces you will need and whether you have them on hand.
- Finalize your menu including determining wine pairings and other beverages that will be served.
- Plan your prep and cooking schedule. Ask yourself these type of questions:
- What can I purchase ready-made? Some items won’t suffer quality or taste-wise by being purchased ready-made and can really help with the amount of prep time required. I have decided to purchase my dessert from the bakery and just add the final touches myself. I’ll also be using store-bought sorbet.
- What can be made ahead?
- What can be made early in the day and either kept warm (like in a crock pot) or reheated just prior to serving?
- How will you plate & garnish each dish? Can the garnishes be prepped ahead of time?
- In what order do you need make each dish? How long to prep and cook? Any steps that can be done ahead of time?
Here’s the menu I’ve decided on:
1st Course: Stuffed Mushroom caps and Stuffed Cherry Tomato appetizers; Garnish with fresh parsley; serve a Sauvignon Blanc
2nd Course: Roasted Tomato Soup; Garnish with Sour Cream star; serve a Sauvignon Blanc
3rd Course: Caesar Salad; no additional garnish needed; serve a Chardonnay
4th Course: Baked Cod with a Lemon Butter Sauce and fresh steamed Asparagus; Garnish with a Lemon Rose; serve a Chenin Blanc
Sorbet: Serve a Lemon Sorbet garnished with mint leaves
5th Course: Grilled Chicken with Wild Mushrooms & Cream on Linguine; Garnish with Tomato Rose; serve a Chardonnay
6th Course: Beef Tenderloin on a bed of Onion Mashed Potatoes; Garnish with Tomato Petals; serve a Zinfandel
7th Course: New York Style Cheesecake with a Strawberry glaze; Garnish with a Strawberry fan; serve with Coffee
And here’s my to-do list for the next couple of days:
- Make a shopping list and purchase all grocery items.
- Purchase wines. I’ve chosen the general type of wine for each course but will need to make my actual selections based on what is available.
- Wash & dry glassware making sure it is spot-free.
- Polish flatware and any silver serving pieces.
- Iron table linens.
- Order or make centerpiece.
- Fill individual salt & pepper shakes.
- Make & freeze butter pats.