Avoiding Dinner Party Disasters
Do's and Don'ts for a Successful Evening
If you want to make your dinner party a success, never do anything last minute. Prepping ahead of time is always the best rule of thumb.
— Trevor Zimmerman, executive chef and owner of Deuce Events
In theory, dinner parties are a fabulous idea: great food, great friends, sophisticated background music to set the mood.
But one missing ingredient in your wild mushroom risotto, and suddenly you’re the frazzled star of your own twisted cooking show called “Amateur Chef Meltdown,” trapped in a scene with famished guests banging on the table for the belated main course, a broken refrigerator icemaker, and an overcooked chicken in the oven setting off the fire alarm.
But with a little planning, a well-stocked pantry and realistic expectations of your aptitude in the kitchen, you can pull off a dinner soiree that will impress even the snootiest epicurean.
Planning the Meal
Robert Mozejewski, a former catering director for the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, suggests building your meal around a centerpiece protein entree.
“Think about whether you want to serve beef, chicken or fish,” said Mozejewski, now operations manager at Groundwork Coffee Company in Venice, California. “Then think about what starch you want to serve -- potatoes, rice or pasta.
“Then think about side dishes -- a beet salad, fruit salad, big pasta salads with lots of ingredients like pine nuts, olives and tomatoes. Always make sure to have good bread with butter or olive oil with rosemary.”
To determine how many side dishes you should make, Mozejewski recommends dividing the number of guests you’ve invited by four and preparing that number of side dishes. If your invitation list is below eight, you still should offer two sides.
“That way everybody gets an opportunity to eat what he or she wants to eat,” he said. “They can try this and try that.”
Trevor Zimmerman, executive chef and owner of Deuce Events, a gourmet catering outfit in Glendale, California, says offering a variety of dishes serves other purposes. “It’s always nice to provide a few different options, especially if you have vegetarians or people with certain dietary restrictions,” the in-demand chef said.
Pots de creme (custards baked in small cups), cupcakes in miniature terra-cotta pots and baked Alaska lollipops are particularly on trend and some of Zimmerman's favorite dinner-party delicacies.
Selecting the Appetizers
When putting together appetizers, Zimmerman encourages food aficionados and novices alike to think beyond the standard, humdrum crudites and spinach dip.
“There’s far more interesting things out there,” he said. “You can buy great cheeses from all over the world or make a tray of Vietnamese spring rolls or chicken Caesar salad spring rolls.”
Also, says Zimmerman, never underestimate the importance of plating and presentation. Like anything else, food that looks better often is seen as better. Guests will gravitate toward a lasagna cupcake with far more gastronomical gusto than they will a plate of messy macaroni and cheese.
Avoiding the Pitfalls
All cooks, but especially rookies, should beware of overshooting their culinary abilities.
“Don’t plan a menu of foods and items you haven’t made before,” Mozejewski said. “You can try those dishes separately at a different time, but only after you’ve done them once or twice do you want to introduce them in a dinner-party setting.”
And being a fan of “Iron Chef” doesn’t make you one.
“Cooking shows present people with so much information that sometimes they forget the necessary basics that keep you sane when cooking,” Zimmerman said. “For example, always clean as you go along, and remember to keep your knives sharp. It’s easier to cut yourself with a blunt knife than it is with a sharp one.”
Another important rule: Always prepare what you can ahead.
“If you want to make your dinner party a success, never do anything last minute,” Zimmerman said. “Prepping ahead of time is always the best rule of thumb.
“For a Saturday party, I’ll prep my sauces on Thursday, buy my meat on Friday, clean it, marinate it overnight and then prepare it on the grill. You can always reheat it for the party.”
Calling in Backup
What if, despite all your efforts, a major dish goes awry and you feel your evening sliding toward that “Amateur Chef Meltdown” scenario? You can rescue the dinner if you planned a backup dish, Mozejewski said.
“Pasta dishes work really well, salads are an easy replacement, any display with fruit or vegetables,” he said. “Make sure to keep a solid supply of go-to ingredients like seasonings, oils, pasta, flour and rice in the house in case things don’t go according to plan.”
Another last-minute option is a Mexican meal. “Tacos on the fly work great for a dinner party,” Zimmerman said. He recommends maintaining a stash of onions, garlic and chili powder for throwing together a quick yet tasty Mexican dinner.
If all else fails, there’s always the dependable, partially prepped, whole roast chicken from grocery store chains such as Costco, Safeway and Trader Joe’s.
“It’s affordable,” said Zimmerman. “You pop it in the oven and you’re good to go.”
- Photo Credit Thomas Jackson/Lifesize/Getty Images
