Four Top: Four Holiday Menus to Theme the Perfect Dinner Party

Let’s talk holiday hosting. We’ve covered the menu planning so that you can tackle the rest. Four menus, four recipes to mix and match for your perfect dinner party this season.

Vegetarian Gothic Dinner Party

Deliciously rich and indulgent food, moody decor, and absolute drama. This dinner party is less Nightmare Before Christmas and more Krampus. Not a crescent-dough-wrapped mummy hot dog in sight. Instead, try our recipe for Black Sesame Pound Cake for a dark, decadent dessert.

Appetizers

• Sriracha and smoked paprika red deviled eggs
• Beet tartare crostini
• Goat cheese stuffed figs with hot honey
• Pumpkin soup with spiced pepita topping 

Main

• Balsamic portobello mushroom steaks with red wine reduction 

Sides

• Black garlic and pea risotto
• Charred red cabbage 

Dessert

• Black sesame pound cake with raspberry compote and cinnamon whipped cream*

Coastal Friendsmas Dinner Party

We’re keeping it classy and coastal for a fresh and delicious celebration. If you can’t host your friends at a gorgeous cedar-shingled Cape house on Martha’s Vineyard, you can at least take their taste buds there. It may have been a brat summer, but we’re still hanging on to coastal grandmother fall. Our recipe for crabbies makes for a killer appetizer on any occasion- all the way through new years eve.

Appetizers

• Crabbies*
• Bacon corn dip wonton cups

Mains

• Garlic herb and orange roasted turkey breast
• Mustard and apple cider glazed ham 

Sides

• Chourico and pepper stuffing
• Maple miso roasted delicata squash
• Shaved fennel salad

Dessert

• Vanilla bean mousse with sugared cranberries

Simple Holiday Season Dinner Party 

The ideal holiday dinner party is low on stress and high on impact, and this menu delivers. Try our Sausage and mascarpone pasta bake recipe for a deceptively simple centerpiece. With a comforting mix of flavors and textures, it’s the perfect meal for a cold winter night with friends. Light some candles, pour some wine, and dip some bread in oil. Life is good. 

Appetizer

• Arugula and pear salad with toasted walnuts 

Main

• Sausage and mascarpone pasta with oregano crumb*

Side

• Warm ciabatta with seasoned olive oil dip 

Dessert

• Gochujang creme brûlée

Feast of the Seven Fishes Dinner Party

Whether you are celebrating an Italian American Christmas Eve or are just a big fan of a certain FX show, this menu is a showstopper. We’ve thrown in a recipe for salmon Caesar crostinis to get you started, plus some inspiration for the other five fishes (the homemade Caesar dressing uses anchovies, so it’s a two for one special). Not entirely traditional, but wholly delicious and decadent, and best served on a big dining room table surrounded by the people you like the most. Salute, cousin.

Small bites

• Bacon-wrapped scallops with date syrup
• Salmon Caesar crostini*
• Calamari with piquillo pepper aioli

Mains

• Herbed cod and potatoes en papillote
• Chourico and steamed littlenecks
• Brown butter poached lobster bucatini 

Desserts

• Lemon and pistachio cannoli

• Tiramisu