On Monday I gave you a few of my menu planning tips [0] and today I'm going to fill you in on some more of my successful secrets to planning the perfect dinner party. Don't feel overwhelmed if you are hosting a dinner any time soon, read through my advice, take a deep breath, and start planning. If you missed Monday's post, read the suggestions [0] and check out today's tips - just
- Choose lighter dishes at the beginning of the menu, saving the heavier and more substantial dishes for the main course. A rich dessert to finish off the dinner party is fine as long as you serve a small portion. Don't serve a strongly flavored first course followed by a lightly flavored main course. If you do, the delicate flavors of the main dish will be totally lost.
- Avoid over using any single ingredient. Cheese for example is perfect in any course, but over-kill if it turns up in every course. Contrastingly, be sure the same flavors run throughout your menu. If your meat dish is stuffed with sage and rosemary don't serve a salad heavy in cilantro as the flavors will not meld correctly.
- Choose a dinner menu that allows you to incorporate a number of different cooking methods: raw, casseroled, baked, poached, roasted, chilled, steamed, fried, grilled.
More tips to come, so click on back mañana.