Best-Laid Plans: Designing Menus for Memorable Meals
Master the art of creating menus that make every occasion run like clockwork
This is a story for those of us who love to have friends and family gathered around our table, sharing good food and conversation, but usually find ourselves fretting and fussing in the kitchen while everyone else is having a great time. A thoughtfully constructed menu can help you coast through the preparation, and have enough energy left to be the life of the party. These tips smooth the way to happy, well-fed guests and – best of all – a calm cook who can join in the fun with confidence.
Bring on the buffet
For a larger number of guests, buffets are best. Pick less time-critical dishes such as casseroles, bakes, curries, mixed deli-style platters and pasta with separate serve-yourself sauces. Accompany with a variety of salads and vegies and a selection of condiments to suit a range of palates. An array of buffet-style dishes can look more generous and mouthwatering than a neat plate, and you won’t need to guess quantities for each person.
For a larger number of guests, buffets are best. Pick less time-critical dishes such as casseroles, bakes, curries, mixed deli-style platters and pasta with separate serve-yourself sauces. Accompany with a variety of salads and vegies and a selection of condiments to suit a range of palates. An array of buffet-style dishes can look more generous and mouthwatering than a neat plate, and you won’t need to guess quantities for each person.
Take advantage of cookware that’s designed to be seen. Choose dishes that don’t need to be transferred to serving bowls and platters. Bakeware that goes straight from oven and stovetop to table or servery saves lots of fiddling, stays hot longer and cuts down on washing up.
Tip: If you don’t have permanent buffet furniture, setting out dishes on the kitchen bench or island is a sociable alternative. Read about some ways to free up bench space and make your kitchen party-ready.
Tip: If you don’t have permanent buffet furniture, setting out dishes on the kitchen bench or island is a sociable alternative. Read about some ways to free up bench space and make your kitchen party-ready.
Know your audience
As part of your invitation, find out about food issues. Many allergy sufferers realise they put an extra load on a host and offer to bring a dish that suits their diet. My advice would be to accept the offer and add a dish of your own that they, and everyone else, can eat. A couple of grain and vegetable dishes, for example, with quinoa or wild rice, will suit vegetarians and gluten-aware diners. As long as you know what has gone into the food you serve, you can inform guests on restricted diets.
As part of your invitation, find out about food issues. Many allergy sufferers realise they put an extra load on a host and offer to bring a dish that suits their diet. My advice would be to accept the offer and add a dish of your own that they, and everyone else, can eat. A couple of grain and vegetable dishes, for example, with quinoa or wild rice, will suit vegetarians and gluten-aware diners. As long as you know what has gone into the food you serve, you can inform guests on restricted diets.
Consider the age range of your guests. Generally elderly diners and young children prefer milder-flavoured dishes to very spicy ones. Include some familiar foods for them, as well as more exotic fare for other guests with more adventurous palates.
Tip: With mixed ages and tastes, leave chilli out of a recipe, and put chilli condiments on the side to let guests decide how hot they want to go.
How to bring the generations together
Tip: With mixed ages and tastes, leave chilli out of a recipe, and put chilli condiments on the side to let guests decide how hot they want to go.
How to bring the generations together
Find a focus
Planning a meal is a lot like planning the decor of a room – with a focal point, the rest falls into place. Is tender spring lamb appearing at your local butcher? Maybe you’ve found superb ready-to-eat avocados, or irresistible strawberries? Does your local supermarket have super specials on produce? Start from an ingredient and work a menu around it. Another tactic is to choose a dish or course you’ve made before that’s always a hit, such as a knockout dessert. It doesn’t matter what you decide on – use it as a reference point.
Planning a meal is a lot like planning the decor of a room – with a focal point, the rest falls into place. Is tender spring lamb appearing at your local butcher? Maybe you’ve found superb ready-to-eat avocados, or irresistible strawberries? Does your local supermarket have super specials on produce? Start from an ingredient and work a menu around it. Another tactic is to choose a dish or course you’ve made before that’s always a hit, such as a knockout dessert. It doesn’t matter what you decide on – use it as a reference point.
Balance the (cook)books
With numbers, ages, allergies and a food focus in mind, here are some tips for putting it all together:
With numbers, ages, allergies and a food focus in mind, here are some tips for putting it all together:
- Vary flavours. Don’t repeat ingredients such as herbs or spices, seafood in multiple courses (unless you’ve invited seafood lovers), cream in soup, sauce and dessert, or an entree with bacon followed by a pork dish.
- Vary colours. Chicken in white wine sauce with rice and roasted parsnips is delicious, but gets zero for looks, especially on a white plate. Play with vibrant colours to enhance taste.
- Vary textures on the plate and in each course. Contrast smooth and crunchy, soft and chewy, liquid and solid.
- Vary temperatures. Sandwich a hot main between a cold starter and a chilled or frozen dessert. This is a well-tested meal structure that allows time flexibility (if guests are late) and lets the cook focus on a hot main course.
- Vary cooking methods. Don’t plan the whole meal around the oven – you may run out of room or need to adjust temperatures for different dishes. Use a combination of stovetop and oven.
Go easy on extras
The pre-dinner drink period can be an appetite-buster. Protein-heavy nibbles such as cheese and lots of carbs are hard to resist for hungry guests who haven’t eaten since lunchtime, so stick to light, vegie-based, bite-sized finger food. This time is supposed to whet appetites, not satisfy them.
Tip: Avoid juicy morsels that are hard to handle and may drip on clothing.
The pre-dinner drink period can be an appetite-buster. Protein-heavy nibbles such as cheese and lots of carbs are hard to resist for hungry guests who haven’t eaten since lunchtime, so stick to light, vegie-based, bite-sized finger food. This time is supposed to whet appetites, not satisfy them.
Tip: Avoid juicy morsels that are hard to handle and may drip on clothing.
Don’t automatically put a never-ending bread basket on the table at the start of a meal, especially if it’s followed by rich, hearty and filling courses. Pop a portion on side plates.
Tip: Mediocre bread is just a filler. Buy bread worth its crust – a crackling baguette, tangy sourdough or a grainy loaf from a local baker. A slice of artisan bread with golden olive oil for dipping, or butter and a sprinkle of sea salt could easily take the place of an entree.
Tip: Mediocre bread is just a filler. Buy bread worth its crust – a crackling baguette, tangy sourdough or a grainy loaf from a local baker. A slice of artisan bread with golden olive oil for dipping, or butter and a sprinkle of sea salt could easily take the place of an entree.
Match the menu to the occasion
Entertaining today has taken a turn for the casual and this is good news for challenged cooks. Barbies, buffets, potlucks and build-your-own-pizza or burger occasions have largely taken over from the formal sit-down three-course meals of past years. These sociable and relaxed events are easy on the host. Just focus on unfussy prepare-ahead dishes and top quality ingredients, then sit back and enjoy your guests.
Entertaining today has taken a turn for the casual and this is good news for challenged cooks. Barbies, buffets, potlucks and build-your-own-pizza or burger occasions have largely taken over from the formal sit-down three-course meals of past years. These sociable and relaxed events are easy on the host. Just focus on unfussy prepare-ahead dishes and top quality ingredients, then sit back and enjoy your guests.
A beautifully dressed table gives even the most casual affair a festive lift, so embellish the dining space with imaginative greenery, your smartest crockery and cutlery, sparkling glassware and fabric napkins (save the paper ones for dining-in nights).
Has the formal dining room left the building?
Has the formal dining room left the building?
Don’t come the raw prawn
There are certain items that regularly make the ‘Least Popular Foods’ list. Unless you’re familiar with your guests’ tastes, go easy on things like raw fish and meat, such as carpaccio, steak tartare, ceviche and sushi. Natural oysters topped the list of most-hated foods in a recent UK survey. Kale wasn’t far behind. Others to steer clear of are fish with bones, brussels sprouts, tofu, liver and anchovies.
There are certain items that regularly make the ‘Least Popular Foods’ list. Unless you’re familiar with your guests’ tastes, go easy on things like raw fish and meat, such as carpaccio, steak tartare, ceviche and sushi. Natural oysters topped the list of most-hated foods in a recent UK survey. Kale wasn’t far behind. Others to steer clear of are fish with bones, brussels sprouts, tofu, liver and anchovies.
Don’t put your guests on a diet
You may be watching what you eat, but don’t impose your restrictions on others. While we all like to present healthy meals and low-fat dishes can be delicious, an entire meal stripped of what you consider ‘bad’ may be bland and unsatisfying to your guests. Present some variety and let your guests decide how much and what they eat.
10 dinner party dos and don’ts
You may be watching what you eat, but don’t impose your restrictions on others. While we all like to present healthy meals and low-fat dishes can be delicious, an entire meal stripped of what you consider ‘bad’ may be bland and unsatisfying to your guests. Present some variety and let your guests decide how much and what they eat.
10 dinner party dos and don’ts
Cook to your talents
Watching too many MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules episodes is bad for your confidence. Do what you do best and forget about becoming an overnight sensation. Maybe you make a great pasta dish or a mean baked dinner like mums used to serve up on Sundays. Play to your strengths – a simple bowl of homemade soup with crunchy croutons, done well, is better than a failed masterpiece.
Tip: Food stylists tweak food in cookbook photos so it looks flawless and appetising. Don’t let them tempt you to experiment on guests – practice at least once on your long-suffering family.
Watching too many MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules episodes is bad for your confidence. Do what you do best and forget about becoming an overnight sensation. Maybe you make a great pasta dish or a mean baked dinner like mums used to serve up on Sundays. Play to your strengths – a simple bowl of homemade soup with crunchy croutons, done well, is better than a failed masterpiece.
Tip: Food stylists tweak food in cookbook photos so it looks flawless and appetising. Don’t let them tempt you to experiment on guests – practice at least once on your long-suffering family.
Watch the clock
A well-composed menu helps you present an unruffled and welcoming demeanour when guests arrive. If you’ve scheduled for a day when you’ll come straight from work, plan dishes that can be fully or partially pre-prepared – even days before – or even frozen. Build in contingency time for setting the table, sprucing up the house, getting yourself party-ready and taking a few deep breaths.
A well-composed menu helps you present an unruffled and welcoming demeanour when guests arrive. If you’ve scheduled for a day when you’ll come straight from work, plan dishes that can be fully or partially pre-prepared – even days before – or even frozen. Build in contingency time for setting the table, sprucing up the house, getting yourself party-ready and taking a few deep breaths.
Outsource the sauce
Don’t feel pressured to serve dishes you’ve made from scratch. Lower your standards. Convenience foods are getting better and better, and a smart shopper knows how to pick great-tasting meal components and work a little home-made magic on them. Here’s a quick balanced menu based around fast-food ingredients.
Don’t feel pressured to serve dishes you’ve made from scratch. Lower your standards. Convenience foods are getting better and better, and a smart shopper knows how to pick great-tasting meal components and work a little home-made magic on them. Here’s a quick balanced menu based around fast-food ingredients.
- Finish a ready-made deli vegetable soup with a swirl of Greek yoghurt and some chopped herbs, or a round of French bread topped with cheese melted under the grill.
- Grab a ready-made tabbouleh salad and beef it up with heaps of herbs, rocket, black olives, juicy tomatoes, fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Serve with a baked Atlantic salmon fillet (or even a take-home barbecue chicken) and buttered new potatoes (you can even buy these ready to microwave).
- Trot out a decadent ice-cream with a bowl of waffle cones, fudge sauce, a crisp wafer and a scoop. Dinner done.
Be the host with the most
Many cooks take feeding the multitudes in their stride. For the rest, remember the immortal words of Jenny Craig: these occasions are social events with food present. In the end, it’s all about people interacting with each other, and not about whether the souffle falls flat.
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Share your tips on keeping entertaining easy and fun in the Comments section below.
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Many cooks take feeding the multitudes in their stride. For the rest, remember the immortal words of Jenny Craig: these occasions are social events with food present. In the end, it’s all about people interacting with each other, and not about whether the souffle falls flat.
Tell us
Share your tips on keeping entertaining easy and fun in the Comments section below.
More
Browse dining room ideas
It may seem like a no-brainer, but confirm numbers before you decide what to serve. Cooking for a crowd is very different to hosting an intimate soiree for four. Plating courses is time-consuming, so don’t plan on serving a course that needs last-minute fiddling on individual plates for more than six. It also takes a lot of bench space to construct several mini works of art.
Hosting a small gathering