As Food People, we know our way around a dinner party—or at least, we did, before we couldn’t attend or throw any for almost two years. During that hosting hiatus we had plenty of time to think about what made dinner parties great but also what made them stressful, exhausting, and way too much work. This week on the show, Amanda talks to Test Kitchen director Chris Morocco and Associate Food Editor Zaynab Issa about the new rules they’re following when it comes to entertaining in a post-lockdown world. They debate outsourcing the main course, skipping dessert, and what makes a “compelling and dynamic” salad. Along the way, we also turn to Katherine Lewin—owner of Big Night, a brilliantly stocked, expertly curated dinner party shop in Brooklyn—for a crash course on cheese and charcuterie.

Stuff we talk about in this episode:

Shoui Kim’s Red Wine and Soy–Braised Short Ribs recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/red-wine-and-soybraised-short-ribs

Chris Morocco’s BA’s Best Lasagna recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/ba-best-lasagna

Andy Baraghani’s BA’s Best Bolognese recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bas-best-bolognese

Chris Morocco’s Weeknight Ragù recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/weeknight-ragu

Camille Becerra (De Maria, NY)’s Bitter Greens and Avocado Salad with Seaweed recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bitter-greens-and-avocado-salad-with-seaweed

Camille Becarra’s tips for a compelling and dynamic salad: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/chicory-2017-vegetable-of-year

Chris Morocco’s Radicchio Salad with Pickled Grapes and Goat Cheese recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/radicchio-salad-with-pickled-grapes-and-goat-cheese

Molly Baz’s Anything-Goes Green Goddess Salad recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/green-goddess-salad

Rick Martinez’s Obscenely Chocolatey Chocolate Cookies recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/double-dark-chocolate-cookies

Mina Stone’s Super Lemony Olive Oil Cake recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/super-lemony-olive-oil-cake

How to Turn a Cheese Plate Into a Main Event: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/cheese-plate-party

Big Night Website : https://www.bignightbk.com/

Trade Street Jam Company Website: https://tradestjamco.com/

Queens San Francisco Superette Website: https://www.queenssf.com/

Read Our New Package on How Dinner Parties Have Changed: https://www.bonappetit.com/gallery/dinner-parties

New Rules for Dinner Partying, (Emphasis on “Partying”): https://www.bonappetit.com/story/dinner-party-rules

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