I truly respect those gracious people who seem to be natural-born hosts. You know the people. They always have theperfect tablescape. They can cook dinner for twelve and still look unfrazzled and calm. They make entertaining look effortless. Now that I am getting married and have settled into a real “adult” home with my future hubbie, these are talents that I really hope to hone and perfect. I love to cook and entertain, but let’s be honest, hosting a dinner party is a lot of work! Doing it in a way that seems at the same time effortless requires real skill.
After hosting holiday cocktails and a three course dinner for 10 of our friends last week, I thought it would be useful to share some tips and advice that I will take with me for future dinner parties that I host. I learned what was successful and what wasn’t, and I learned what was successful yet a little too stressful to replicate in the future. So without further delay, here are a few Helpful Hints from an Aspiring Young Hostess. I hope you find them useful!
1. Oldies are great for cocktail hour. When sipping on champagne and introducing new and old friends to one another, nothing quite creates a mood that is warm and light-hearted like some Sinatra. My “Oldies” station on Pandora never lets me down. I probably listen to it way too much (as my fiancé and fellow coworkers would probably agree).
2. Candles and some rustic, natural elements make for a pretty, unfussy tablescape. Eating by candlelight is always fun, and the addition of some pretty yet not overdone elements is all you need for a beautiful table. Flowers are nice, but make sure that your arrangement is not so tall that it blocks your guests’ views of each other from across the table. For this dinner party, I filled an elegant crystal bowl with pinecones and surrounded it with simple white (unscented) candles. It didn’t require too much work, was seasonal, and created a nice atmosphere for dinner conversation.
3. A first course that doesn’t need to be heated is easiest. In prepping to serve dinner while attempting to enjoy some catch-up time with friends during cocktails, serving a hot first course is an unnecessary stress. Hot soups and prepared dishes are great, but a salad is too. For this dinner party my fiancé and I served our signature S&P Chopped Kale Salad (who doesn’t love the almighty, heart-healthy kale?) and rimmed the plate with tomato wedges for a pretty (and festive-looking) plate. We were able to plate it ahead of time, and our guests really enjoyed the simple yet flavorful recipe.
4. Keep dessert easy and colorful! We had a decadent (and surprisingly light) chocolate angel food cake on hand for after dinner, and while our guests were chatting after the dinner plates had been cleared, we quickly plated a slice of the cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (or coconut sorbet for our non-dairy eating guests), sprinkled a handful of raspberries on top, and then drizzled some dark chocolate sauce across the plate. The dessert was pretty, delicious, and had a nice pop of ruby red. And everyone was surprised at how quickly we were able to plate and serve it!
5. Enjoying your time with your guests is more important than perfection. A Type A personality from childhood, I always want everything to be perfect, and as my fellow Type A people probably know, this can be a downfall at times. In making all my preparations for the evening, I stressed out about relatively unimportant details: I had forgotten to buy cocktail-sized napkins to serve with drinks during cocktail hour. We do not have 10 matching placemats. We do not have a set of 10 matching dishes (gasp- won’t this ruin my tablescape?!). A bit too much garlic in the eggplant dish. I didn’t have time to make a pretty tray of hors d’oeuvres. We still had a lot of cooking to do when our guests arrived, and I didn’t want them to see that we were behind… you get the idea.
My fiancé told me not to worry so much. He said that a fun dinner party, especially as young adults, is one that is easy-going and casual. We haven’t even registered for our wedding yet, and no one is expecting us to have a full set of expensive china or Baccarat crystal! Guess what? He was right. That happens a lot! Even while preparing a daunting platter of his favorite Chicken Marbella recipe for 10 (yes, in addition to numerous other skills, he can also cook!), he remained cool as a cucumber,cooking, plating, chatting, and being a gracious host. He practiced the advice he preached to me, and the eveningwas a success in a large part to his low-maintenance approach.
Although we did underestimate how much time and effort cooking a three course dinner for 10 would be, it was fun, and we learned that simple dishes prepared with high-quality ingredients are best. In short, the key to a successful dinner party is making everyone feel at ease and at home. Your guests aren’t expecting Per Se at your apartment, and they probably aren’t there to critique your culinary prowess. In fact, most people know how daunting it is to host a dinner party, and they will appreciate the invitation all the more.
Going out to restaurants is obviously great fun, but there is something nice about having dinner together in someone’s home. New York is made up of a melting pot of young professionals from across the country and the world, and many don’t have a chance to have dinner at home with their own families more than a few times per year. The best dinner parties are those that become a family dinner among friends in a “home away from home.” And especially during the holidays, creating that feeling of being at home with family is probably the best gift you can give your friends!
Happy holidays, all!
Stephanie
DASHA wellness & spa is a luxury lifestyle brand and New York City-based wellness center created to offer a truly holistic approach to wellness. To learn more, visit dashawellness.com.
