French Dinner Party

Would you like to host your own French Dinner Party? You are in the right place! I have hosted many dinner parties at my home and have broken it down simply so that you can succeed at your own dinner party and have more fun too! 

The dinner party is an important part of French culture. As adults, it is a way to make new friends and to deepen the relationships with existing friends or people you think could become friends.

Welcoming someone into your home is seen as an important step in a relationship and the host always puts effort to make guests feel welcome and appreciated. French dinner parties are a rite of passage when you live in France and are a beautiful way to add elegance to your life wherever you are. A dinner party was one of our favorite ways to socialize when we lived in the South of France and that continues though we live in the United States now.

I will never forget the first dinner party I ever hosted in my home. I invited 4 of my friends from bookclub over and I wanted to make them a special meal. While they have never said this to me, it was a disaster! I made a menu that was way too complicated and spent more time in the kitchen, working around a growing pile of dirty dishes, than spending time with my guests. I can't remember exactly what I served but I definitely tried to do too much. 

Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to do something elaborate (you don't need to be Martha Stewart!) that we end up feeling stressed and missing the entire point of a dinner party - which is supposed to be a fun and intimate event where the guests get to spend time with you in your home.

So, if you are interested in French Cuisine, or would like to try your hand at a simpler way of hosting a dinner party, this blog post is for you!

I was inspired to write this article after Rent Blog asked me for tips on how to host a dinner party. I also wrote a post on Make Ahead French Meals that will make your dinner party prep a breeze.

Typical French Dinner Party

It follows a familiar format. Welcome cocktail, starter, main dish, cheese course (optional but oh so fun!) and dessert. 

In French they are named l'apéritif, l'entrée, le plat principal, le fromage et Le Dessert.

French Dinner Party Menu

Welcome Cocktail - L'Apéritif

I like to prepare a simple cocktail that I can greet guests with when they arrive at my home. Something that is quick and easy to make and that immediately puts them in the mood for a delightful evening. Often I serve this in living room, or in the kitchen if I have some final details to attend to and don't mind having people milling about in the kitchen. For an alcoholic drink, a Kir Royale (Crème de Cassis and Sparkling wine) is my go to but I sometimes like to serve something a little stronger, such as an Olivette Martini to get the evening going and break the ice. You can find my favorite French cocktail recipes here. I recommend also having a non-alcoholic drink such as sparkling water (I love the flavored Perrier waters) available.

Welcome Snacks:

Do yourself a favor and lay out a French Charcuterie Board and crispy French Baguettes before the guests arrive so that they have something to nibble on right away before you move to the dinner table. Finger foods that help take the edge off their hunger and also buy you time to finish up any last minute details. A bowl of olives, or olive tapenade, and some crackers also works beautifully.

Starter:

There is nothing better in Fall than a delicious vélouté to start a dinner party. Soup can be made the day before and simply reheated when it is time to serve. So simple and stress-free! I highly recommend my Creamy Butternut Squash with Crispy Sage Soup to start a Fall dinner party. The crispy sage on top makes the dish feel absolutely restaurant-worthy and is shockingly easy to make... using a microwave! Of course, one can't go wrong with French Onion Soup Gratinée either.

Main Course:

Poulet Rôti (French Roasted chicken) is one of the easiest dishes to serve for a dinner party. My Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken is a family favorite. Plan to put it in the oven at least 2 hours before you need to serve it and the house will smell amazing when your guests arrive.

I also really love to serve my Coq au Vin Blanc recipe. Lesser known than the traditional Coq au Vin with red wine made famous by Julia Child, Coq au Vin Blanc uses white wine and, in my opinion, highlights the flavors of the chicken and the fragrant vegetables beautifully. This is a dish to finish the day before so you have nothing but to reheat it before it is time to serve your guests. Serve with my buttery mashed potatoes and your guests will be raving for months!

For seafood lovers, Leek Fondue and Seared Scallops, golden brown seared scallops nestled on a bed of creamy leeks is a classic French bistro dish that your guests will love.

Cheese Course:

If you didn't serve cheese with the apéritif, I recommend serving a French cheese board before the dessert course for a more elevated affair. A wonderful option is to serve the Fresh fig and goat cheese salad with honey dressing. It is a delicious palate cleanser to be served before dessert that can also be made with apples or pears if you can't find figs.

Stop by your local cheese shop for the best selections of French cheeses or the gourmet counter in your grocery store. (Trader Joes also has a great selection!) In most places you can find a Camembert or Brie cheese, a goat cheese or blue cheese and Comté or Gruyère. 

- Pro tip: Make sure to lay out your cheese board at least an hour before you are going to serve it so that the cheese has time to warm to room temperature. I like to serve 3 cheeses; one hard, one soft cheese, one stinky (such as a Comté, a Camembert and a blue cheese)! French tradition is to serve cheese right before the dessert, but it is common to have cheese with an apéro at the beginning of the meal as well. 

Desserts :

Full disclosure: Most French people do not make their own desserts! They go to the patisserie or local bakery and pick up some petit fours (little pastries) or a cake. Of course, in the US we don't French bakeries at every street corner like they do so making my own dessert has become my go-to. This dark chocolate mousse (Mousse au chocolat) is exceptional and can also be made the day before. If you have a kitchen torch, crème brûlée is a showstopper dessert. I also like to simply serve fresh fruit and homemade chantilly, especially after a big meal.

Lastly, offer tea or coffee to conclude the meal. I like to serve this with some chocolate covered almonds or little candies. Everyone likes a last little bite of something sweet to conclude the meal. In fancy French restaurants they call this mignardises and it is a little way to leave your guests with a sweet memory.

Wine Pairing

My suggestion at a French Dinner Party is to serve French Wine...bien sûr. Each bottle serves 5 glasses so plan accordingly on how much you and your guests are customary to drink. I generally like to start with a white wine or Rosé for the starter and then serve a red wine for the main course and cheese course, but it all depends on what you are serving.

Visit your local wine store or grocery store with good wine selection (sometimes they have a sommelier on hand!) and tell them what is on the menu and they will be able to give you great recommendations that fit within your budget. Always tell the sommelier how much you are willing to spend on a bottle of wine - they enjoy the challenge!

French Dinner Party Menu

A good salad or soup to start. La Salade Mentonnaise or asparagus soup (you can refer to my round ups of French Soups or French Salads for more delicious recipes)

Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken served with Roasted Fennel and buttery French Mashed Potatoes or Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes .

French Cheese Board

Mousse au Chocolat or Crème Brûlée for dessert

All of the above items are made in advance so that you have a stress free dinner party.

Hosting Tips for a successful Dinner Party

1) Prepare as much as possible in advance. Plan out your menu so that you are serving dishes that can be made earlier in the day or even days in advance so that you are spending quality time with your guests instead of disappearing into the kitchen.

2) Set the dining table in the morning - long before your guests arrive so that you can have a little fun with the decor. Don't hesitate to bring trinkets and unique objects onto the table that will spark conversation!

3) Always, always, always, run the dishwasher before you serve the main course! That way, at the end of the evening, you can put away the clean cooking pots and appetizer plates and only have one stack of dishes to run through the machine instead of an entire kitchen full of dirty dishes.

4) Leave a pitcher of water on the table within easy access of your guests. It helps to minimize the time that you spend away from the table.

5) Plan your playlist in advance. Bossa Nova is my go-to, it is soft and melodious and immediately makes people feel relaxed.

6) Most of all, remember that your guests are coming to your home to spend time with you. Keep your menu simple with familiar favorites so that you can truly enjoy their company. If they wanted Michelin star cuisine they would be at a restaurant instead!

The Art of Setting the Table:

I collaborated with my friend to write a blog post about French table settings which you can find here. Sometimes it is the little things such as slightly wrinkled fabric or little trinkets at the place settings that make everything feel more comfortable and inviting.

You will also enjoy articles I wrote on French themed dinner parties such as How to Host a Beaujolais Nouveau celebration or How to celebrate Bastille Day.

I hope you have enjoyed these tips for hosting a French inspired dinner party. Let me know if you try any of them. I love to hear from you!

Bon appétit

Anina Belle

ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE

Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (6 and 4) and I work full time in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.

Look inside our Kitchen with this recent Washington Post Article. We were featured on the TODAY SHOW for our recipes of French Onion Soup Gratinée and Moelleux au Chocolat. You can watch our full segment here:

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