Spring Dinner Party Menu and Tips

Say goodbye to winter with a spring green party.

By: Mary Beth Roberts

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A salad filled with fresh, spring vegetables and flavorful toppings makes a perfect meal for a spring dinner party.

The weather is warming, so it's time to lighten your wardrobe and your meals. Here are ideas for a refreshingly light dinner party that's a welcome change from those heavy winter menus. We've got suggestions for decorations, the meal and dessert. Call it a Spring Green bash.

Decorations

The landscape is turning green, so reflect the color in your decorations. The first flowers of the season make perfect centerpieces. Grocery stores and home improvement stores have bulbs like crocus, tulips and daffodils in pots and blooming. Also check local greenhouses. These flowering bulbs also make perfect gifts for your guests.

Another great idea for a spring centerpiece is a tray of grass. It's simple and definitely says spring! Check with your local greenhouses to see if they have any flats of fescue for sale.

Salad

Nothing says spring like an organic green bar with a variety of spring vegetables, cheeses and toppings. It's a main course that's healthy and easy to prepare. Choose baby greens of endive, mesclun, watercress, arugula and dandelion for the best flavor because the larger, more mature leaves have a bitter taste.

Offer an array of toppings for your salad buffet, like:

pine nuts
sunflower seeds
pecans
fresh strawberries
fresh orange slices
fresh asparagus tips
fresh sugar peas
fresh sprouts
fresh avocado chunks
grape or cherry tomatoes
grilled salmon or chicken

Don't forget the bread! Offer bread sticks, freshly baked rolls or Melba toast.

Dressings

Treat your guests to their choice of homemade flavors. Serve the dressing in individual bowls so guests can try a sample of each. This also allows them to control the amount of dressing they put on their greens.

Beverages

A great salad calls for a great wine. Pairing your spring greens with an herbaceous Sauvignon (or Fume) Blanc complements the crispness and nuttiness of a salad. For a moderately priced selection, try the Californian 1997 Chateau St. Jean La Petite Etoile, although at times it's hard to find. For a more affordable, but no less wonderful selection, try the Chilean 2006 Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc.

Dessert

Finish your spring salad meal with a dessert featuring simple flavors, like this one:

Strawberries and Cream

2 pints of fresh strawberries, cleaned and halved
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine half and half and sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and refrigerate mixture overnight.

Place 1/2 cup of strawberries in each of 6 dessert dishes. Pour 1/4 cup of half and half/ sugar mixture over berries. Serve immediately.

Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 6

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Arugula Salad With Homemade Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

Round out your springtime brunch with the ultimate light side: a garden-fresh, leafy green salad. Arugula and watercress are ideal for this healthy recipe as both are cool-weather crops harvested in spring, with a crisp, peppery flavor. Fresh orange slices, tart strawberries and sweet blueberries scattered on top harmonize well with the from-scratch orange-poppy seed vinaigrette. Sprinkle on blue cheese crumbles for a savory, creamy note.

Roasted New Potatoes With Spring Herbs

Show off spring's harvest of new potatoes with bright flavors. These young potatoes have tender skins, so roast them unpeeled. A lemon and herb-infused olive oil drizzle brings a surprisingly light citrus note to this dish. Serve the potatoes on a bed of spring salad greens for additional herbaceous flavor.