This year for New Year’s Eve I invited my parents to come over for dinner and spend a chill night in the city. I wanted to make something special – a step above a normal dinner, being “THE NEW YEAR” and all – but nothing too fancy or complicated. Spending all night tied to the stove isn’t exactly low key, right? The trick to pulling off a dinner party like a pro, no matter the occasion, is picking a menu that’s elegant yet unfussy, easy to execute, and most importantly – delicious.
I settled on the following:
Starters
–Instant Pot Cauliflower Chestnut Soup with Lemony Croutons
–Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter
Main & Side
-Rolled Pork Loin Stuffed with Olives and Herbs – followed exactly from Epicurious except, due to my own error, I didn’t include any olive oil in the stuffing (and hey – it was still perfect, with less calories!)
-Roasted Broccoli and Red Onions
Desserts
-Orange Sorbet
Each dish contributes to the perfect balance of light vs. rich, sweet vs. salty, soft vs. crunchy when thinking of the overall meal. It may seem like a lot of food for just three people, but when I entertain I prefer having multiple small dishes over just serving one or two items. This gives people an opportunity to try different tastes and textures, helps space out the timing of the meal and keeps things interesting!
The other great thing about this menu is that so much of it can be prepared ahead of time…isn’t that the best? Sorbet and ice cream? Make up to a week ahead. Soup and raviolis? Make a few days ahead. All I did the day of the dinner party was cut, stuff and tie the roast and wash/prep the broccoli earlier in the day. All in all, I spent about 15 minutes of active time getting the starters ready and then tending to the roast when my parents were here, so I was able to focus on relaxing and spending time with them – when I wasn’t bartending 🙂
When it comes to New Year’s Eve, do you prefer to stay in or go out? What are your some of your favorite tricks for being a dinner party pro?
Michael Pecoraro says
Phenomenal New Year’s Eve night with my daughter. She is an excellent cook and makes a pretty good cosmo to boot. Well done!