Weeknight dinner party that's ready in one hour

At the Chatelaine test kitchen, we know how pressed for time people are these days. After a full day’s work, the last thing you want to do is entertain guests at home. Fortunately, we’ve simplified this process for you with our One Hour Dinner Party story, featured in our April issue. This was the first time we put together a meal story with a one-hour time constraint. We had to develop recipes that were easy to cook, multitask-friendly and that required minimal preparation. On top of that, we also had to allocate time to set and decorate the table! All in under an hour!

We prepared a game plan to get you on track so you can be sure dinner’s on the table at 7pm on the dot.

Menu

Sparkling Campari lemonade
Green pea and white bean soup
Dijon-crusted flank steak
Toasted tarragon couscous
Ginger-berry cookies and cream

The Game Plan

6:00 Preheat broiler. Prepare steak and coat with Dijon mixture. Let stand. 6:10 Start soup. While waiting for sop to boil, assemble dessert and refrigerate. 6:25 Make couscous. Keep covered and warm. 6:35 Blend soup. Keep warm. 6:40 Broil steak. 6:50 Let steak rest, covered with foil. Set table and arrange flowers. 7:00 Ask first guests to help set up the cocktail station and make drinks for subsequent arrivals.