How To Throw A Dinner Party For Grown-Ups: Recipes For The Perfect Party Menu

When we were kids and still living with our parents, hosting a dinner party seemed to be the done thing. However, as we grew up, it became more of a benchmark of adulthood. If you can host a proper dinner party, you’re finally a functioning adult. It is a huge step forward from those drunken house party scenes where at least one person would be throwing up by the end of the night. A dinner party, on the other hand, is much more likely to end well. But the problem of how to throw a dinner party plagues every young adult.

We got together with Aman and Namrata, or Couple Of Bakers, to create the perfect party menu for a dinner party. Instead of creating a variety of dishes, we narrowed it down to a few universal favourites. If you’re wondering how to throw a dinner party, this is where you need to start.

Appetiser

GARLIC TOMATO CROSTINI WITH CHEESE

Ingredients:

1 French baguette

2 packets of cherry tomatoes

1 box of Mozzarella balls

1 packet of fresh basil

Minced garlic

Olive oil

Butter

Vinegar

Sugar

Method:

Place tomatoes in a non-stick skillet with no oil. Once the skins get a little blistered, add the olive oil and garlic. Press tomatoes gently with a wooden spatula so they break open and release their juices. Add vinegar, sugar and let the mixture reduce until it’s thickened a bit, maybe 5-10 mins each.

Finish with a knob of butter and season with salt.

Slice the baguette and add the garlic tomato sauce. Top it up with cheese and basil leaves. Microwave the slices for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Sprinkle some olive oil on the crostinis and serve hot.

Mains

FAJITA STATION – CHICKEN AND PANEER

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

2 tbsp of soy sauce

4 tbsp of olive oil

4 tbsp of fresh cilantro

1 tsp of chilli powder

1 tsp of smoked paprika

1 tsp of garlic powder

1 tsp of ground cumin

2 tbsp of lemon juice

1 tsp of salt

For fajita toppings:

1.5 cups of chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup of chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup of onion, diced

1/2 cup of minced fresh cilantro

1 tbsp of fresh lime juice

2 tsp of chopped fresh jalapeno pepper

1/2 tsp of ground cumin

1/2 tsp of sea salt

1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

Mozzarella cheese

Mini flour tortillas

Red bell peppers

Yellow bell peppers

Olive Oil

500 gms chicken breast

500 gms paneer

Sour cream

Avocados

Method:

Slice chicken breast and paneer into small pieces. Put them in two separate ziplock bags.

Add fresh cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, chilli powder, smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, ground cumin, and lemon juice to both bags. Divide the ingredients equally in both ziplock bags. Shake the contents to let the marinade cover the chicken and paneer in their respective bags.

Refrigerate the two bags for 30 minutes. You can use this time to prepare the toppings for the fajitas.

Recipe for salsa:

Put the chopped tomatoes, green peppers, onions, cilantro, lime juice, sea salt, black pepper, ground cumin and green chillies into a blender. Blend to form a coarse mixture.

Heat a large skillet and add oil. Add onions, red and yellow peppers, chilli powder and salt. Saute for a few minutes. Once the vegetables are cooked, put them aside in a bowl. Add some more oil in the skillet and cook the marinated paneer slices in the same skillet. Once the paneer is done, cook the marinated chicken as well.

To serve:

Heat up a mini tortilla. Add chicken or paneer slices. Add vegetables and toppings of choice. Roll it up!

Dessert

MINI NUTELLA CHEESECAKES

Ingredients:

2 packets of Oreos

200 gms of butter

370 gms of Nutella

225 gms of cream cheese

225 gms of whipping cream

2 chocolate bars

Method:

Crush cookies and mix with melted butter. Line a cupcake mould with paper or use small glasses. Add the cookie mixture into each mould or glass equally. Refrigerate to set while you make the filling.

Whip the cream to form soft peaks. In a bowl, mix Nutella, cream cheese and whipped topping until the mixture is smooth. Add the whipped mixture on top of the cookie mixture in each mould. Add Oreo cookies on top as decoration. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Decorate with chocolate shavings and serve.

Check out the video below for detailed instructions: