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How to Throw an Easy Elegant Dinner Party

6 practical tips for keeping calm — even on a weekday

Take the pressure out of hosting a dinner party by keeping the menu simple and cooking familiar dishes instead of new recipes. Getty Images Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Well, actually, no, that isn’t how they are. It’s how we fear they are. Thanks to popular television shows like Top Chef, The Great British Bake Off and Beat Bobby Flay that turn stoves into battle stations, too many home cooks of every age suddenly imagine the friends seated 'round their dining table morphing into the scorekeeper chefs on Food Network. Entertaining at home is a lot less fun if you see it as ending in a trial by hungry jury, whether that jury includes your new son-in-law or old friends who are visiting on their cross-country tour. So please, turn off the TV, put down the remote and take a few tips from someone who has been a caterer, New York food critic and hospitality consultant for over 30 years — someone who never wants to be on the receiving end of a phone conversation like the one above again. These suggestions will make your life easier and more fun, whether you’ve cooked for company your entire adult life or are just getting started in the kitchen.

1 Ground yourself

Before we get to meal planning, know that no one comes to your home because they need a meal. That’s why God made chefs like Eric Ripert, Bobby Flay and Lidia Bastianich. Your guests come to your house to be with you and enjoy your company. So trust me when I give you these ground rules: Soup can be a soothing appetizer, setting the tone for the meal. It can be prepared in advance, then warmed and served to guests. Getty Images needs no fussing. It demands only a little forethought, and freshness. The latter has never been easier to find than it is now. Green markets abound, and even big-chain emporiums feature extensive fresh and organic sections of fruits, vegetables and — often local — cheeses. You can buy produce a few days in advance; just don’t refrigerate tomatoes. andandpanzanellaand. Let guests serve themselves.

3 Craft a crave-worthy salad

A needs no fussing. It demands only a little forethought, and freshness. The latter has never been easier to find than it is now. Green markets abound, and even big-chain emporiums feature extensive fresh and organic sections of fruits, vegetables and — often local — cheeses. You can buy produce a few days in advance; just don’t refrigerate tomatoes. There is no culinary law that demands salads require lettuce, and making a great one involves mostly thinking about which fruits or vegetables you savor now, and which nuts or cheeses turn you on. (And yes, it’s OK to look up an actual salad recipe from there.) Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Instead of a salad of romaine, tomatoes and cucumbers, how about one with fennel, grapefruit and watercress? Or fresh peaches, heirloom tomatoes and burrata? I often serve panzanella, a classic and versatile Tuscan salad that ramps up simple vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers by using cubed, day-old bread to soak up the dressing in advance. Most vegetables can be cut in the morning before you leave for work, or as soon as you get home. From there, put them into a handsome salad bowl, under two layers of damp paper towels, and refrigerate. You can add small berries at the same time. Fruits can be peeled and cut before dressing. Also, there is no need for fussy dressing. Flavored oils (kaffir lime, Tuscan herb, Chipotle) and vinegars (balsamic, port wine, champagne) are readily available at most supermarkets and online. A little dressing goes a long way; go easy to keep your salad from getting soggy. on the tables should guests like salads “wetter.” Add cheese after you toss. Let guests serve themselves. AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe , develop a repertoire of three made-ahead dishes, and sweat no more. Whether you are making a classic pot roast or brisket, root vegetables with kasha or a seafood stew, the main course will always be done long before anyone arrives.

5 Buy a fancy dessert

Sugar is one of our oldest and most effective preservatives, which means you can bake a cake weeks in advance — especially on a weekend when it’s probably easier to find time for the precision baking required — and then freeze it. Last July, I thawed and served a cheesecake left over from Christmas. Not only was no one the wiser, three people asked for the recipe. (I never give out my cheesecake recipe, though. That’s awful of me, I know. But still, no.) However, in every city, and in many a neighborhood, there are those singular places that make sensational sweets that you and everybody else wait in line or drive across town for. Well, just go buy that irresistible big yum and present it as your closer to gushes of delight. In the blink-and-you-missed-it hamlet in upstate New York where I have a home, the woman in the local half-bare General Store makes the best apple pie I’ve ever eaten. Now I will never bake another one. Why bother, when hers is so smashing and I earn substantial cred for bringing it to my table?

6 And … cheers

There you go. Two (or three) dishes made in advance, one freshly assembled, and the possible appropriation of someone's sweetest specialty. That’s it. And you didn’t lose a sick day. Now, go put on something comfortable that also makes you look confident. Then open a bottle of something and enjoy your guests. Hal Rubenstein is a founding editor of InStyle and former restaurant critic for New York magazine. He is the author of five books, including 100 Unforgettable Dresses. More on home-family AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS