A themed dinner party transforms an ordinary get-together into a memorable event. Make it a themed dinner party with a Paris or French theme and the night is perfect for a couple’s date night. From the appetizers to the decorations you can transport your guests to Paris or la campagne – the French countryside. As the host, of course, you can make the entire meal. Or, you can get everyone involved and encourage each couple to bring a French dish to share.
If a couple’s themed dinner party is not on the menu for you at this time, themed dinner party ideas dress up the everyday family table. You can still stick with the Paris or French theme, but, of course, you will want to start or end the evening by watching the Disney movie, “Ratatouille.” Fun family dinner party ideas can include costumes, too. Costumes can be official or just get everyone a beret to wear for French night.
An Elegant Themed Dinner Party Starts with Delicious Appetizers
Every gourmet dinner starts with amazing appetizers. Bite-size delicacies, crisp salads, and heart-warming soup. You can enjoy just one appetizer before dinner, or you could even have a themed dinner party focused on appetizers which gives everyone just a bite or two of many different types of foods.
Mini Croque Monsieur
Mini Croque Monsieur is the perfect starter for your themed dinner party with French appetizers. The recipe by Barbara Curry from Butter & Baggage details how to make the flaky puff pastry with béchamel sauce. The open-faced ham and cheese sandwiches are smothered with delicious cheesy béchamel sauce.
Lyonnaise Salad
The Lyonnaise Salad by Olivia Mesquita of Olivia’s Cuisine is made with frisée lettuce, a warm vinaigrette, crunchy bacon, and topped with a poached egg. (Let’s be honest, it makes a terrific breakfast and an indulgent appetizer!) When the warm yolk of the poached egg is cut open to ooze throughout the Lyonnaise Salad the flavors meld together perfectly.
French Onion Soup
French Onion Soup, known as “soupe a l’oignon gratinée” in French is always a favorite. Ali from Gimme Some Oven makes a mean French Onion Soup. Many have enjoyed French Onion Soup in a restaurant, but a quick survey of friends and family shows that not many have ever made the rich, delicious soup with cheese baked on top at home.
Read More: 3 Easy Ways to Master French Fashion
The rich caramelized onions merge with the white wine and beef stock to create a soup full of depth. Of course, the toasted bread with melted Swiss cheese or Gouda makes the soup a delicacy. The soup can be an appetizer or a meal on a cold winter’s night.
Bon Appétit – 3 Delicious French Entrees for a Themed Dinner Party
Beef Bourguignon
When making Beef Bourguignon, why not use the recipe from the master chef herself – Julia Child. This recipe takes a bit of time to prepare, but it is so worth it. Café Delites offers tips for cooking Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon in a traditional oven, on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or in an instant pot.
Read More: Ideas For Bar Parties: 5 Simple & Stress-Free Meals Your Dinner Party Guests Will Love
We suggest the slow cooker – it turns out magnificently. The beef is tender, and the broth is rich. The mushrooms, pearl onions, and carrots accompany the beef quite nicely. It is delicious served over simple homemade mashed potatoes. The slow cooker is great because it gives you time to tidy the kitchen after cooking the bacon, browning the beef, and thickening the sauce before adding it all into the crockpot to slow cook for several hours.
Coq au Vin
Coq au Vin, chicken braised with wine, mushrooms, and garlic, is a classic French stew. The tender chicken melts in your mouth as crunchy bacon flavors the mushrooms in the wine sauce. Ina Garten’s Coq Au Vin recipe from Food Network is perfect for a themed dinner party focused on French cuisine. The recipe walks you through the simple steps so you can cook your Coq au Vin in a Dutch oven while you set the table and get ready for the evening.
Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a French Provencal dish that originated in Nice. It is a vegetable stew made with tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and eggplant. The beauty happens when you slice the vegetables evenly and arrange them in a repeating pattern. The vegetables roast beautifully in the oven over a bed of homemade sauce that you make and spread in the baking dish. The Ratatouille recipe from Tasty explains the simple steps in a manner easy to follow so that the dish comes out not only delicious but photo-worthy, too.
Desserts with a Little “Je Ne Sai Quoi“
“Je ne sais quoi” literally means “I don’t know” in English. However, the French expression is used to describe the indescribable. The phrase gives special distinction to an unnamable quality – typically when something is outstanding. What could be better than desserts for a French-themed dinner party with a little Je Ne Sais Quoi?”
Read More: Recipes for Resolutions: 21 Healthy Instant Pot Desserts
Dress up the dessert table with French desserts like macarons, vacherin, or Crème Brûlée. Macarons and vacherin are made with sweet, fluffy meringue. Crème Brûlée boasts that toasted sugar topping on the rich, creamy custard base.
French Macarons
The colorful, delicate French pastries known as macarons look like they will be so complicated to make, however, all you need is a bit of patience as you whip up the meringue and then wait while the cookies rest for 45 minutes before baking them. The Best Gluten-Free French Macarons recipe by Lindsey from The Toasted Pine Nut is much easier than you think. We do recommend making a double batch of the recipe right from the start. And, make a note that buttercream frosting is an excellent choice for a filler, but the pastry/cookie also can be filled with cream cheese icing, jam, and more.
Crème Brûlée
Of course, crème bru le is a quintesenntial French dessert. It’s a decadent dessert that seems like it would be difficult, but it does not have to be. Dannielle’s Easy Crème Brûlée recipe from Live Well Bake Often will have you enjoying this rich custard-based dessert this evening. The ingredient list is short and sweet: egg yolks, granulated sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract. That’s it. Danielle’s trick to the perfect Crème Brûlée is to heat the cream before whisking all the ingredients together.
Now the fun part of making Crème Brûlée is buying yourself a kitchen torch! That’s right, how often do you get to use a torch in the kitchen? The kitchen torch is easy to use to caramelize the sugar on top. Of course, you can place the sugar-topped custard in the oven on broil for the same effect, but where is the fun in that?
Raspberry and Vanilla Vacherin
Vacherin is a sweet meringue dessert. It’s made by layering ice cream and meringue discs. The Raspberry and Vanilla Vacherin recipe by Good Food walks you through making the homemade ice cream cake that is sure to impress your friends and family. Martha Stewart’s recipe Vacherin with Whipped Cream and Mixed Berries substitutes ice cream for homemade whipped cream. Just as delicious, but easier to transport if you are taking the sweet French treat to someone’s house.
A French-themed dinner party makes a great excuse to host a couple’s night filled with laughter, camaraderie, and the most excellent food. If you have kiddos with adventurous palettes, having a themed dinner party can be a great way to create unique family nights. Themes can revolve around food, movies, board games, and more. Be creative. And, above all, have fun.
Sources: Butter & Baggage, Cafe Delites, Food Network, Gimme Some Oven, Good Food, Live Well Bake Often, Martha Stewart, Olivia’s Cuisine, The Toasted Pine Nut, and Tasty.
Photo Credits: Pexels, Unsplash, and Pixabay.
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out Daily Mom’s article on The Incredible Benefits of Fermented Food + Recipes for more delicious and unique recipes to impress your friends and family.
💖 NEWSLETTER: DAILY READS IN YOUR INBOX 💖
Sign up to receive our picks for the best things to do, see and buy so you can relax and focus on more important tasks! Let us help you be the best version of yourself you can be!
GET MORE FROM DAILY MOM, PARENTS PORTAL
Newsletter: Daily Mom delivered to you
Facebook: @DailyMomOfficial
Instagram: @DailyMomOfficial | @DailyMomTravel
YouTube: @DailyMomVideos
Pinterest: @DailyMomOfficial
📌 LOVE IT? PIN IT!📌
