Can you give me a game plan for a not-too-hard October dinner party menu that I can make using Trufflehead? I’m ok with doing some things in advance so that I don’t get too crazy when my friends are around. Joan T.

This Italian menu is perfect for fall (fresh figs are in season) and—with Trufflehead’s step-specific demos–it’s manageable for cooks at all skill levels.

Fall Dinner Party Menu
*Antipasto Platter (no-cook) or Cannellini, Kielbasa, and Escarole Soup
*Shrimp Marinara (Simple or Not-so-Simple) accompanied by Fennel with Garlic and Parsley
*Fresh figs with Orange-Scented Mascarpone

Appetizer
Unless you’re an experienced cook, a 3-course menu is pretty challenging—even if you’re willing to do some of the work in advance. A no-cook antipasto platter can down-size the load and fits perfectly into the Italian scheme. Get it ready before people arrive, and you’ll be free to spend time with your friends before you have to focus on the main course.

If you’re up for a home-cooked appetizer, try a make-ahead soup. Add a basket of warm whole-grain bread. Open a bottle of wine. Nice start. If kielbasa isn’t your thing, just omit it. The soup will still be hearty and delicious.

Main Course
Trufflehead offers 2 versions of Shrimp Marinara—one with a homemade marinara sauce, the other with commercial. If you’re up for making your own sauce, do it in advance—even way in advance—and freeze it. Defrost it overnight in the fridge or in the microwave. On the day of the event, it will be as convenient as the commercial kind.

The fennel can be roasted up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated in a covered container. Take it out of the fridge when your guests arrive and let it come to room temperature. It will take less time to heat through. (If you’re making the soup, you can do it up to 3 days in advance as well. Place over low heat when guests arrive so it warms slowly.)

Since both the shrimp and the fennel contain minced garlic and parsley, you can prep those ingredients for both recipes simultaneously—and you can do it hours in advance, or even the day before.

The shrimp really should be purchased and cleaned on the day of the event. They’re highly perishable, and you don’t want them to go bad on you. After you clean them (which you can do as soon as you buy them), be sure to put them back in the fridge until they’re needed.

When it’s time to finish the main course, deal with the fennel first. If it cools off while you’re cooking the shrimp, you can always reheat it in the microwave. Then do the shrimp, and you’re done.

Dessert
The creamy filling for the figs can be prepared up to 8 hours in advance and refrigerated until it’s time for dessert. Keep the figs refrigerated until 1 hour before serving. They’re perishable, so they need to be kept cold, but they taste best at room temperature, so take them out of the fridge when you start on the main course. Then rinse them off, dry them, and cut them in half. Spoon on the filling and you’re good to go.

Strategic Plan

• Weeks to months in advance, make marinara sauce if using home-made.
• Up to 3 days in advance, roast fennel. (Make soup if serving instead of antipasto.)
• Up to 24 hours in advance, mince garlic and parsley.
• Up to 8 hours in advance, prepare filling for figs. Peel and de-vein shrimp.
• Just before guests arrive, assemble antipasto platter and preheat oven to warm bread. Remove fennel from fridge. (If serving soup, place over low heat.)
• Serve antipasto (or soup).
• Remove figs from fridge.
• Finish fennel. Finish shrimp. Serve main course.
• Halve figs and top with filling. Serve dessert.

Note: Be sure to check the number of servings for each recipe and adjust quantities for the number of guests you’re serving.