How to Design a Dinner Party Menu

Impress your party guests by adding presentation to your appetizers.

Designing and preparing a successful dinner party menu involves considering guest preferences and the number of appetizer and main course choices. Whether you are planning a dinner party for a small group of guests or a large party, what you serve is a direct reflection on your hosting abilities. To ensure your dinner party is one to remember, design a dinner menu filled with tasty appetizers, mouth-watering main courses and delicious desserts to top it off.

Instructions

1. Find out how many people are attending the dinner. In the RSVP, ask if anyone is a vegetarian, has food allergies or is following a specific diet. This will help you design a menu to cater to all your guests.

2. Narrow your menu choices by choosing a theme such as Mexican, French or Italian. You can base your decision on specific ingredients, seasonal offerings and guest preferences.

3. Choose menu items that you are experienced with preparing and dishes that are not too complex. In order to socialize with your guests more, prepare most or all of the meal beforehand to minimize your stress.

4. Serve small-portioned appetizers such as soups, high-fiber crackers or stuffed vegetables. Try not to fill your guests' stomachs too early into the party.

5. Keep your menu simple but still offer a variety of choices. Use the same ingredients in other dishes so that your guest can choose between grilled or sauteed mushrooms, oven-roasted or grilled chicken, or steamed or pan-fried vegetables. Plan on serving at least two main courses with a maximum of up to four, according to Global Gourmet. If your dinner menu is limited to one option, avoid serving the same ingredient in the appetizer and the main course.

6. Print out a dinner menu your guests can visualize. If your party is large, it might be difficult to gather the attention of all your guests when you are explaining the night's appetizers, main course and desserts. If you have different course items, list the different options you will be serving and provide a short description.

References

• Global Gourmet: Guidelines on Choosing a Dinner Menu
• Gourmet Food Revolution: Planning a Dinner Party Menu

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish