The Dinner Party: An End-of-Winter Feast

Navel oranges make a good substitute in other seasons—either way, it'll be the prettiest dish on the table. Signe Birck Anna Watson Carl, author of The Yellow Table: A Celebration of Everyday Gatherings , is something of an entertaining genius.

She’s worked as a chef, recipe tester, and magazine editor, helmed the massively popular blog The Yellow Table since 2011, and well, she’s thrown a lot of dinner parties. I like to cook and entertain year-round, but there’s something especially appealing to me about a dinner party when it’s cold out; I love gathering friends around the table for a cozy, home-cooked meal.

Belathee Photography Whenever I’m entertaining, I like the food to be simple, seasonal, and—most of all—easy to make ahead, so that I can actually spend time with my guests. Through many years of trial and error, I’ve learned that the key to throwing a stress-free dinner party is threefold: create a plan, do as much food prep in advance as possible, and don’t try to do it all yourself—get your guests involved!

The key is to do a little bit every day, rather than killing yourself on the day of your party. Though it’s written as though you’re making everything, feel free to divide up the menu and ask your friends to each make and bring a dish. You could make the main course (ragù, polenta, and broccoli rabe ), and get everyone else to bring the rest.

Or, if you prefer to make all the food, ask each of your guests to bring wine or flowers. For the flowers, I like sticking to something simple, seasonal, and focusing on one or two colors.

One day before , start cookery: you can make the sausage ragù (it’s actually better made a day in advance); the batter for the bittersweet chocolate pudding cakes (pour into the ramekins and cover with plastic wrap); and the fig-olive tapenade . Roast the pine nuts and the pistachios and store them at room temperature.

The morning of the party , set the table and make sure the house is picked up! Two hours before guests arrive, finish the food prep: thinly slice the garlic for the broccoli rabe, thinly slice the red onions for the salad, and marinate them in white Balsamic vinegar.

Make the Grand Marnier whipped cream and store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use. One hour before , bake the bittersweet chocolate cakes and let sit out at room temperature until ready to serve.

Place the ragù back in a pot on the stove and let simmer until ready to serve. (Added bonus: your house will smell amazing when people arrive!) Once guests arrive , everyone can hang out with a glass of wine and some crostini, while you plate the salads and finish up the rabe and polenta. Enlist a couple friends to stir the polenta, sauté the broccoli rabe, and help you bring the plated salads over to the table.

Post salad course, I like to plate the polenta and ragù, with the broccoli rabe passed on a platter family style. For the desserts, reheat the cakes for a couple minutes and garnish with the Grand Marnier whipped cream, and chocolate shavings.