Hosting a dinner party on a weeknight sounds at best, ambitious, and at worst, downright crazy.
But entertainer extraordinaire Virginie Martocq assures us, it can be done. All it takes is a little planning, and some helping hands. Here are a few of Virginie’s top strategies for hosting a stress-free weeknight dinner party.
Make a work-back schedule. It may sound over-the-top for a simple dinner party, but it will save you from scrambling the night-of. Plus, once you post it on the fridge, you can employ family members to help out with certain tasks.
Have a friend tend bar. When your friends start to arrive, don’t feel as though you have to stop what you’re doing in the kitchen and pour them all a drink. If you’ve set up the bar ahead of time with ice and several drink options, you can have guests serve themselves, or designate a friend to be the bartender.
Cook what you know. It’s one of the primary rules of entertaining and it makes sense. When cooking for guests, don’t take it as an opportunity to make duck a l’orange for the first time. Instead, go for a dish you’re comfortable cooking — perhaps a simple roast chicken with root vegetables.
Have your serving dishes ready. Presuming you know the menu, you’ll know how many serving dishes you’ll need, and what kind. Have them close at hand so that when your food is ready, you can fill those serving dishes and platters with ease.
Set your table with a mix of high and low. For instance, use your elegant plates, but ditch the white tablecloth in favour of a stylish wrapping paper runner.
For more weeknight entertaining advice from Virginie, watch the clip below.