Dinner Party Diaries – Volume 2 Issue 22 – Fall Fun Dinner Party
I feel like I’ve been in Fall menu mode forever now, but that may just be because it consumes so much of my head space. That said, I’ve got some more Fall-inspired ideas for you. Granted not everything on this Fall Fun Dinner Party menu is straight up “Fall” since I didn’t want to inundate my guests, but I’d say that there’s a good smattering for your perusal.
Check it out, give some recipes a try, and enjoy!
The Details
Number of People: 7-10
Serving Style: Appetizers – On Table; Main and Sides – Buffet Style (with instructions for assembly); Desserts – Family Style
Guest Arrival Time: 7:00 pm-ish
The Menu
Appetizers
Here’s yet another for my savory appetizer puff obsession. I make my life simple and grab bags of pre-cooked beef or chicken fajita strips from Sam’s and just cube them down to size. Then I cut up hot peppers from a jar. Nothing complicated here.
These are so easy and have great flavor all on their own. I make them in the oven or on the grill, depending on the weather.
Entrée
Savory Turkey with Rich Pumpkin Wine Reduction Sauce served on top of my Savory Herbed Waffles
I made my life easy and bought a pre-cooked turkey breast from Sam’s. Then I cubed it, tossed the cubes with a savory spice blend, and warmed them in some chicken stock on the stovetop while the sauce came together. This dish is a good example of Time Budget balancing.
The waffles–are delicious, BUT be warned that they are very filling. They are hearty, intentionally dense, and structured to act as a base for the turkey and sauce, not as a fluffy dessert masquerading as breakfast.
Sides
Yeah, I know, this one doesn’t yell “Fall” either. However, I needed something simple. What I really wanted to do was figure out how to bread and pan fry goat cheese kind of like my Spiced and Seared Paneer Cubes, but I ran out of time.
Pro Tip: When you only have 30 minutes to go until guest arrival time and still have other cooking in progress, it is not the right time to make up a new recipe with a technique you haven’t figured out yet. This is true even if you’re an adrenaline junky like me.
I know one is so simple that it barely deserves a recipe, but . . . it always helps to have things written down and referenceable. I find that particularly true when I’m getting ready for a dinner party and have a bunch of things going on.
Desserts
Almond Flour Apple Muffin Rings
While these may look kind of like donuts because of the baking molds I used, don’t be fooled. They are soft with a crumb structure more like muffin tops.
This was quite tasty and very much in keeping with the Fall theme. However, I will tell you that if you have a major sweet tooth, you’ll want to add a bit more sweetener. I recommend SoNourished Gold if you want to go that route. Adjust to taste, but I would start with ½ tablespoon per serving. For calibration purposes regarding my level of “sweet tooth”: in my non-keto life, I loved maple sugar candy and eating maple syrup by the many spoonfuls.
Wine and Cocktail Pairings
- Rosé Wine
- Cakebread Cellars Vin de Porche
- It was warm around here and we were starting things off with at least one appetizer that had a bit of heat to it from the hot peppers, so we opted for one of our favorite rosés.
- Cakebread Cellars Vin de Porche
- Red Wine
- Migration Pinot Noir Drum Canyon Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills (2020)
- This pinot has good body, though not heavy (it is a pinot after all). We chose it to complement the savory seasoning on the turkey and in the waffles. We also made the pumpkin wine reduction sauce with a pinot noir, but not this one.
- Sequoia Grove Syrah (2019)
- A tasty pre-game.
- Migration Pinot Noir Drum Canyon Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills (2020)
- Cocktail
- Lion’s Tail Cocktail
- While I can’t make this keto (even dirty keto), I can swap out the Simple Syrup for Monin’s Sugar Free Sweetener. I do a 1:1 swap.
- Lion’s Tail Cocktail
Fall Fun Dinner Party Recipe Ideas
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