Over the years, we have cooked for hundreds of people in cooking classes and demonstrations, for vacationing guests, in a catering capacity, and for large to small dinner parties. Cooking ‘live’ in front of students or guests or cooking daily for our cooking magazine has made cooking and entertaining a comfortable and familiar part of our lives. It wasn’t always so.

When I was young, I used to dread the prospect of having people over for dinner. I worried about everything. My dining room was too small, I didn’t have just the right napkin rings, I didn’t have enough matching chairs, my plates were old and out-dated, and that was all before I even got to the food! Cooking made me so nervous that I tried desperately to have everything done before anyone arrived so they wouldn’t see me blundering around the kitchen. This anxiety of course, caused me to forget ingredients, forget to turn the heat down, to break into a cold sweat (while attempting to act calm and collected) and it generally caused a state of panic that made the whole experience dreadful. Once the meal was served, I critiqued everything to myself as completely unsatisfactory and vowed never to have anyone over for dinner again. Then, just like getting pregnant, time would pass and I would forget the pain and suffering and do it again.

Those were the days prior to my Celiac disease diagnosis. I can’t even imagine attempting to entertain, at that time, gluten-free with that level of neurosis.

So how did I conquer my anxiety about entertaining and cooking for guests? By treating it just like anything else in life that one wants to learn and become accomplished at, I studied cooking and I cooked and cooked and cooked.

In our many cooking demonstrations, we frequently hear comments like, ‘I was wondering if you could help me, I have been afraid to have anyone over for dinner because I’m embarrassed to serve them gluten-free food and I’m uncomfortable cooking gluten for my guests." "I haven’t entertained since I’ve been diagnosed because nobody really likes gluten-free food." "Could you give me some recipe ideas that my family might like, they hate gluten-free food." "I’d be too nervous to serve my food to dinner guests." I have great empathy for these people and their apprehension.

If entertaining comes easy to you, congratulations! If, however, you experience a level of anxiety from the act of cooking for guests or from the prospect of serving gluten-free food to guests, I’d like to share a few simple tips and guidelines that can make the experience delightful and delicious for both you and your guests.

Great gluten-free meals are created in the same way as great food with gluten. Gourmet meals are usually a result of prior planning, shopping, prepping and coordinating complimenting ingredients and recipes. The best way to enjoy the process is to give yourself plenty of time. This includes planning enough time so that you are completely ready for your guests 30 minutes before they are due to arrive. Spend this extra half hour relaxing, sip a little wine while you wait for your guests.

Tips for Fool Proof Entertaining

1. Don’t try a new recipe for the first time at your dinner party. Although we do this constantly, in the words of great parents, "Do as we say, not as we do." A dinner party is no place to discover the unpleasant surprises new recipes can hold.
2. Choose a dessert that can be made the morning of or night before your dinner. Many desserts are ideally suited to ‘make ahead’ like Crème Brulee, Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Souffle, Brownies, Ices and Sorbets. (All these desserts are also gluten-free!)
3. If you would like to make a complicated or time-consuming dish, make only one such recipe. Keep the rest of the meal quick and simple.
4. If your entrée is involved, serve it with garlic mashed potatoes or a pilaf or roasted potatoes. Serve simple blanched vegetables reheated with butter just before serving.
5. Have your appetizers ready to serve when your guests arrive. If your appetizer is baked or broiled, time it so that it will be ready to take out of the oven as your guests arrive.
6. Allow 45 minutes for your guests to eat appetizers. This is plenty of time for conversation and allows you time to finish the dinner as your guests are busy visiting with each other.
7. Make everything that can be made ahead, ahead of time; salad dressings, blanch vegetables, all chopping and grating, some sauces, prep meat, fish or poultry by washing, drying, trimming and trussing if necessary.
8. If your guests want to help in the kitchen, let them. There are always jobs that anyone can do. My favorites are chopping, stirring a pot, washing and spinning salad greens, generally anything that won’t be ruined by doing it less than perfect or anything that you don’t want to do, like cleaning spinach leaves.
9. A few minutes before you are ready to serve, give someone the job of herding all the guests into the dining room. This usually takes many tries and up to 15 minutes. Let your guests resume their conversation and freshen their drinks while you are left alone in the kitchen to plate the dinners and add the finishing garnishes. Have a guest serve the plates to your guests.
10. The key to less stress and great results is to be familiar with the meal you are preparing, do as much of it before hand, and don’t get too ambitious with difficult preparations. Many of the best meals I have made and eaten have been simple straightforward preparations.
11. Cook what you like. You are more likely to have a flair with food that you love.
12. Never, ever apologize! Chances are, you are the only one who thinks that the chicken was a little salty or that the pork should have been more tender or that the mousse was a little thick. Admitting or apologizing for anything that you feel is less than perfect is actually just making your guests aware of it. When your guests tell you how wonderful the meal was, simply smile and thank them. This is the mantra of a gracious host.

Now that you have the guidelines for success, here are a collection of great gluten-free recipes that are delicious, that no one will know or care that they are gluten-free, that are simple to prepare and that will make your next dinner party a success!

There you have it…. the tips and the tools for fool proof entertaining. Remember it’s really as easy as 1,2,3.

1. Prepare ahead

2. Be familiar with your menu and recipes

3. Take a deep breath and relax

Now, don’t forget to invite your guests!

- Glutenfreeda