Now that you've graduated from college, got your first professional job, rented your own apartment, and even bought some real furniture, dishes, and other household effects, you're probably looking ahead to holiday entertaining in your home. You're probably longing to show off your matching dishes, silverware, and glassware, so why not plan a holiday dinner party? Dinner parties provide an ideal way to bring together loved ones for a holiday celebration, but few things are more uncomfortable than a dinner party gone wrong. Following are some strategies designed to help ensure that your first grown up dinner party doesn't make you wish you'd asked your mom to help you prepare.
Don't Try a New Recipe
One of the biggest mistakes made by those hosting their first dinner party is deciding to try a fancy recipe they've either never prepared before or have only made once or twice. Choosing something you're familiar enough with to be able to effectively troubleshoot in the event that something goes wrong in the cooking process is an essential part of throwing a successful dinner party. Ask any seasoned host, and he or she will tell you that a dinner party is no time to be messing around in unfamiliar territory. If you're an inexperienced cook with nothing in your repertoire, choose something relatively simple-but-good such as roast chicken and do a couple of trial runs before the big day.
Always Serve Dessert
Dessert has gotten a bad rap these days because people have become increasingly health-conscious, but nonetheless, a dinner party isn't complete without a sweet treat as a grand finale. You don't have to bake a rich chocolate cake with buttercream frosting in order to provide a good dessert -- a simple bowl of berries embellished with a little whipped cream and served with a chilled glass of Sauternes wine provides a perfectly healthy-yet-delicious alternative to fat-and-sugar laden desserts. You could also serve a simple piece of classic New York style cheesecake, a bowl of orange sherbet, or poached pears along with a glass of Sauternes wine.
Always Serve Dessert Wine
Grown up dinner parties need dessert wines, and you can't go wrong with Sauternes. These sweet wines are crafted in fine French viticulture tradition especially for enjoying with sweet foods and are particularly good choices for desserts containing cheese or fruit. Always serve Sauternes chilled, and because dessert wines have a much higher alcohol content than their table wine counterparts, use a glass designed for this type of wine -- it'll have a smaller bowl that's narrower than standard wine glasses.
Search around on the internet to find the best online wine store to shop at for occasions like these.
Share1 August 2018
After I had kids, I realized that there were some serious issues with the way we were eating. We started enjoying healthier meals, but I still wanted to make the process fun and interesting for our children. To make things better, I started cooking with my kids instead of for my kids. It was really cool to watch their faces light up as we made pizza or learned more about how ice cream was really made. I decided to start a little website that centered around teaching kids to cook, because they can help in the kitchen too. I hope you enjoy these articles!