Um. You need servants.

Does your oven allow space for two roasting pans? One gets the hunk of meat. The other gets bold chunks of root vegetables for your non-meat-eaters, drizzled with olive oil and spiced appropriately. Keep in fridge until time to roast, then slip into the kitchen and put them in the oven.

Alternatively, one main dish (probably the vegetarian one) needs to be crockpot-friendly, so it can happily simmer on the counter all day.

I've done salmon wrapped in puff pastry--it comes out beautifully and you don't really have to worry about overcooking the fish if that's your concern. the pastry lends itself to pretty seasonal decorative cut outs and any number of sauces. I usually do one large piece of salmon, but it would be more elegant to wrap individual portions.

I'm sure everyone will have a great time! I'll leave the recipe suggestions to others, but my main question is whether the craft idea is yours, or is something that everyone in your office is really into. I think it's going to stress you out beyond belief to be giving step-by-step snow globe instructions in that precious hour or two before dinner, when you normally would be mingling with guests and popping into the kitchen to check on things. I would scratch it, personally!

I will politely disagree about plating dressed salad two hours before service. It might be all right at room temperature that long, but you could experience some serious wilting and dressing separation. That said, you could easily make a nice pureed winter vegetable soup for a first course the day before, and simply heat it up to serve, offering croutons, sour cream, and maybe crumble bacon as toppings.

Or at the very least give someone else responsibility for running the craft and the gift exchange.

I will politely disagree about plating dressed salad two hours before service. It might be all right at room temperature that long, but you could experience some serious wilting and dressing separation. That said, you could easily make a nice pureed winter vegetable soup for a first course the day before, and simply heat it up to serve, offering croutons, sour cream, and maybe crumbled bacon as toppings.

I agree with the above--go simple on the meal! Why not do one protein and have it be shrimp so that you don't have to think about two proteins for the group. If you have a bunch of activities planned, you'll need a meal that will come together super quickly or be completely pre-prepared. Here are a few other suggestions:
-TJ's tapenade and Ajvar spread from the middle eastern store served with nice crackers or toast rounds
-pre-made soup (can be made a week in advance). Some of my favs are Carrot Ginger; or red lentil soup with coconut milk and curry spices come together quickly
-an arugula salad with shaved parm, cherry tomatoes, and pine nuts
-the polenta that is recommended above can be made in advance and topped with shrimp sauteed in a spicy tomato sauce you've made in advance
-cheese plate with nice cheeses and toasted walnuts and ripe pears (easiest dessert ever)
-port and champagne

If you do decide to go with a roast Michael Chiarello's Forever Roasted Pork is an easy go-to (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/forever-roasted-pork-recipe/index.html).

Sorry for the double-post! Technical difficulties.

I'd also suggest asking one or 2 friends (from the office?) to be your designated helpers during the party. That way you can take turns running the party and checking on the food. I like to do things on my own, too, but it will really help your stress level (and enjoyment of the party!) to have a little help.

The trick is in the planning.

Make use of your equipment. Got a crock pot? That's great for either keeping cider or chocolate hot, make a soup or stew course (cook it overnight and keep it warm until you serve it table-side)

Time the use of your oven. Most big dishes can "rest" atop the stove until you serve without damage. With the oven hot, its a great time to broil the top of mashed potatoes with cheese, or bake a quick brie with jam and nuts or puff-pastry appetizer. Or even reheat pie.

Everything that can be done before your guests arrive (mix the salad, make the vinagrette, bake or even just prepare ingredients (mise en prep)) should be done. Look for recipes that require resting after cooking, or things that taste great reheated (chili, most pasta sauces, casseroles, ...). Then make them the day (or more) before and reheat for your guests. They'll never know. :D

Do you have a slow cooker? Can you borrow any? You could do your soup, protein, and/or dessert in one very easily, and keep everything warm with minimal attention.

If you want to serve a warm dessert, I like baked fruit (it goes in the oven when dinner comes out) with yogurt and honey. Or a chocolate cake made ahead with hot fudge poured over is decadent, and all you'd need to do is heat up the sauce while you slice the cake.

A fruit parfait would make an easy appetizer. They can be assembled in the morning, and sit in the fridge until it's time to serve. A bit of whipped cream or sweet yogurt on top right before going out hardly takes any time.

Also, create 5 or 10 minutes for yourself right before the meal comes out by asking someone else at the party to open and pour the wine while people are finding their seats. This gives you time to toss and dress the salad, stir things, and get any large slabs of meat out of the oven to rest before carving.

Also: eat before people show up, so you can have smaller servings during dinner and slip away between courses while everyone else is still eating.

I agree with everyone telling you to resist being too ambitious. I once had a dinner party like the one you described and wanted to impress everyone with sushi. It worked out, but I would have been much happier with something less labor intensive.

But I disagree with some of the above comments, in that whenever I'm dealing with dietary restrictions I always (whenever possible, that is) make the same meal for everyone, so nobody feels like they got a lesser version of a meal. It means adhering to the combination of everyone's dietary restrictions, but it's also a good challenge that everyone will appreciate.

Simialar to the polenta bar, you can do a raclette party (boiled potatos with lots of different topping options for meat and no meat eaters), you can find pans here: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=raclette&tag=googhydr-20&index=garden&hvadid=2755505545&ref=pd_sl_2b0o41un8k_b

oh i love the polenta bar idea. v cute!
also ... really easy do-ahead are shortribs. i've made this one, and it's even better the next day and is simple to reheat in the oven, chaffing dish or crock pot.

also delicious and super easy to start ahead of time (mostly ahead) is a nobu miso cod. it cooks in 15 minutes, which works out great for timing.

if you want to make salad that will last, i would recommend a red and green cabbage salad with a vinaigrette. it holds up really well on a buffet.

Recruit a back of house helper, seriously. I have huge parties (as the singular cook and server) several times a year and even I wouldn't tackle your planned activity list plus food duties by myself.

Are you doing buffet style or plate service?

Just plating and delivering 10 plates worth of food to your diners will take a while. Double that time if prep/kitchen space is an issue. Likewise clearing, resetting and getting the next courses out. And there's nothing worse than having to bring an on-the-spot helper up to speed with your game plan AFTER you are already in the weeds.

Keeping the food simple, duh.
1. self-service cocktail bar, and keep it minimal. You won't have time to be making drinks to order. A house cocktail is nice...something that can be premixed in a big batch. That said, people tend to drink whatever they always drink.
Appoint or hire a bartender if you have a big mixed drink drinking crowd.
2. A do-ahead app that is already out when your guests arrive. Hard to go wrong with cheese, nuts, pickled tidbits.
3. avoid a traditional greens salad that needs to be dressed at the last minute. Something that can be marinating in the fridge, dressed in advance and just needs to be plated is your friend and will be more popular anyway.
4. Soup--keep it super tasty and small portion with a great garnish. serve in a teacup or mug.
5. Cooking a large piece of anything is always going to be less demanding, time and technique-wise, than individual portions.
6. choose a completely make-ahead dessert, bonus points for beautiful presentation. bring it out to the table and plate/serve from there or make it self-service to encourage people to retire to the lounge
7. If you have the space and stuff, it's always fun to move to another room/table for the main or dessert courses...decorated and set completely differently. OTOH, if you are space-challenged, think carefully about where you are going to put everything, including the dirty dishes. Let the dessert station take over the appetizer station, put the drink station away from your main traffic areas, pile the dirties in a bin (a plastic laundry basket works well) somewhere vs. taking up counter space and interfering with prep of your next course.

Good luck!

What perfect timing! I am hosting a formal dinner party for 12 on Saturday, so I can share my planning process. First, since I can't take any time off work, I broke everything down into manageable tasks to do after work.

For the menu we are having short ribs (make ahead), potato and porcini gratin (assemble ahead), and broccoli with roasted garlic butter (Steamed at the last second). for dessert, food and wine's "stump de noel" for which i made the buttercream, cake, and meringue mushrooms all on different nights.

I made and froze gougeres for an hors d'oeuvre, along with olives and cornichons. I feel that this is absolutely manageable and I have been in bed by 11 every night this week!

Good Luck!!!

For the main course, I would do a nice slow-cooked French braise (personally, I find Julia Child's Boeuf a la Mode a real crowd-pleaser). You can prepare most of it the night before, pop it in the oven 2 hours before dinner. The only thing you'll need to worry about during the party is to make the gravy (very quick and easy) and to do your vegetable side-dish (which, again, can be prepared the night before).

I really like the salmon wrapped in filo idea fory our pescatarian guest, mentioned above. I've done it myself before as a way to make simple salmon look much more elegant--and it's really easy to cook.

Dessert should be simple but elegant. You can go all-out the day before and make a cheesecake or something equally impressive, or do something really simple (trifle or profiteroles stuffed with cream, perhaps). Or go really fancy (and yet really simple) and do a nice créme brulée with a little liqueur in it (I like to add a dash of cointreau).

Okay, so you can tell that I really like the French cooking. :) I just find French cuisine great for entertaining because it's usually quite easy (lots of one-pot meals) but looks very elegant and tastes really rich.

The key to success in your case is to prepare as much as you can the day before and not to try to do everything yourself. You don't need to impress anyone, you already did by taking on this big project--be sure to ask for help when you need it, and be sure to work in some time to actually enjoy yourself as well. After all, this party is for you too as an employee of the firm, right?

One thing about the polenta bar: it's a good idea, but I wouldn't want to rely on it for your meal as lots of people (including myself) absolutely hate polenta.

Great advice, splatgirl! And everyone else for that matter.

I do a couple of special dinners like this a year too, and totally agree on not getting too ambitious. The salmon in puff pastry is a great suggestion, and makes a beautiful presentation. Plus, it is really very easy to do, and you can have it ready to go ahead of time, and just pop it in the oven. I also really love the idea of the polenta bar, but keep the toppings simple. Too many toppings and you will absolutely overburden yourself. For dessert, a do-ahead is crucial, and I love the idea of a scoop of ice cream (Edy's Peppermint or Egg Nog flavors would be great) in a pretty glass, served alongside a cookie tray with 2-3 made ahead treats.

Drink wise, I would do a red wine, a regular and a light beer, and maybe a champagne punch. Also, pitchers of water.

Lastly, I totally agree with giving up the reins of the gift exchange and the craft project. The 2 hours before dinner service are when you will really need to be able to break away from the crowd, so someone else needs to be in charge of those aspects.

Spatgirl is right on. You could do a wellington for the meat eaters, and a salmon in puff pastry for the pescatarian. Or, if everyone will eat fish, make a large salmon in puff pastry and everyone gets the same dish. Much easier and doesn't make anyone feel singled out. Keep in mind that your main doesn't have to be huge or as heavy as a roast. With appetizers, salad, and a soup, a small main nicely plated with some lovely vegetables on the plate, will be more appreciated. I also think if you have the space, a buffet can feel very fancy. If you're pressed for time or cooking space, don't be afraid to get a few items from a nice local restaurant and serve them as well. You can also rent serving pieces and warmers.

Wow there are great suggestions on this topic!

I would take a lesson from the great Barefoot Contessa! Do not get so overly ambitious that you cannot mingle with the guests - there is no shame in going easy on yourself in a few areas: dessert for instance (if it's not your thing), or some spreads from TJ...no one has to know and it can free you up to put your attention where it really counts. I tend to get overly ambitious about how much time I have and what I'm going to offer. It's nice to have something you can cross off your list last minute if you are running out of time or would rather sit down to a cocktail instaed of cleaning another dish. You want this to be something you enjoy, not something that is going to make you hate life!

An appetizer that people love is bacon wrapped dates - they taste awesome and can be prepped and ready to pop in the oven well ahead of time. Nuts, cheese, bread, crakers - easy peasy.

unless you know there are a lot of vegetarians or non meat eaters, I'd go easy on yourself and only do one main dish like chicken or beef and then add the shrimp cocktail. Between appt, grilled veggies, soup, bread, cheese, dessert - no one will go hungry. It's only 10 people, not an army.

Red lentil soup is a lovely idea. I had orangett's the other night and it was fantastic.

How about skipping the salad? Do some roasted veggies instead. They are great even at room temp and you'll avoid the dreaded "wilt".

Pork or a Roast is easy enough or how about a simple roast chicken? Add some shirmp (grilled or not) cocktail on the side.

Also- don't overlook something as simple and tasty as the cocktail meatball for an appetizer as well. It can stay warm in a crockpot. You may look down on it, but they get eaten first at a parties for a reason! They are delish!

At the end of the day, all your guests want is a full belly and a free flowing bar. Don't stress yourself out about multiple courses coming out at certain times in a certain way. Family style or buffet is best to encourage mingling.

As for the bar, you can make your signature cocktail wassail (featured here the other day). It smells like the holidays and spiked with brandy, it's amazing. Plus the brandy can be inexpensive and it will still taste good.

A chocolate bourban bundt cake looks pretty and is tasty. Fresh whipped cream is a snap to make and perhaps some fresh berries on the side? Those watching their figures can opt for just berries and cream :)

Wassail is a great suggestion for the cocktail...totally forgot about the wassail!

Another soup suggestion that I forgot, and serve all the time to raves. Roasted red pepper soup topped with crab. We make this the day before, and just heat it slowly in a stockpot an hour before you are ready to serve. We ladle into cups the size that people can hold in their hands and eat while they still mingle. For 10 people a pound of jumbo lump crabmeat would be more than enough. Just make sure to pick through it the day before to get out any extra shells. Top each cup of soup with a heavy tablespoon or so of crab. Decadent and lovely. Roasted red pepper soup: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_red_pepper_potato_soup/

In an attempt to second the people saying get helpers, if you have a trustworthy teenager who lives nearby, you may be able to recruti them to help out for pretty cheap - the teen will be looking for christmas money and you need an extra set of hands. Just an idea.

An alternate idea for your pescatarian (and more health conscious friends) would be a fish cooked in parchment. There are a ton of recipes out there for great, easy, fancy meals that all you have to do is literalyl put on a plate and bring the plate to the table.

I love going all out for dinner parties, too, but remember that elegant doesn't have to mean complicated. Remind yourself, too, of what your priorities are. Sometimes I forget that my goal is not to impress people with my mad cooking/hosting skills, but for everyone to have a good time, enjoy their food, and for me to enjoy the evening as well.

I'll add my vote for soup as a starter. It's elegant, easily made ahead (way ahead and frozen if you want), and easily kept warm on the stove until time to serve.

For mains, I do think it will make a tremendous difference to your work load if you just make one for everybody--and since not everyone likes seafood, I'd just go with a good vegetarian dish. Check out Ottolenghi's new cookbook, Plenty, for ideas. Vegetarian mains can be every bit as sumptuous as meat-based dishes. I also recommend choosing a one-pot dish, if possible.

Desserts should absolutely be made ahead. Tarts, cheesecakes, the chocolate bundt cake someone mentioned above, homemade cookies--all can be prepared well in advance, and a small assortment makes a nice presentation.

**One more piece of advice that I often find hard to follow from some famous chef or food blogger: choose just one dish to be your WOW dish.

The first thing you should do is check if anyone has allergies. So many people forget to do this.

Try this elegant Roasted Chestnut Bisque as a starter, or pass it in shot glasses. It is so Christmas-y! http://therunawayspoon.com/blog/2010/12/chestnut-bisque/

I would either steer clear of shrimp for the main dish or offer two main dishes. Shellfish allergic people (myself included) wouldn't be able to eat the main dish if you were only serving shrimp. Unless you can 100% guarantee that no one coming is allergic to shrimp, choose something else! Good luck!!!

jdens is right. Elegant doesn't have to mean complicated! I've recently started making a DELICIOUS root vegetable casserole with rosemary buttermilk biscuit topping from epicurious.com. It's always a hit, looks impressive (especially in a beautiful baking dish) and can be made ahead of time. It even satisifies the most adamant of meat eaters. Any dessert on a cake pedestal looks striking when you dress up the plate.

Here's an idea, too. What if you incorporated the gift exchange into the craft? People could pick names before and then craft for whomever's name they pulled? Make your own ornaments (ornaments, glue, glitter and imagination) would be a nice takeaway and doesn't require step-by-step instructions.

Keep the wine (or wassail or whatever) flowing, the music playing and enjoy your company! No matter what you serve or what activity you provide, it will be a holiday to remember and one that everyone will surely appreciate.

I have 1 word for you....DELEGATION!!!!! Learn it. Live it!

Next time you have to cook fish, salmon steaks, individually wrapped in sealed foil with drizzled olive oil, salt and pepper and a little garlic salt like Melissa's. completely sealed, foil folded, bake 350 20 min. Amazing!

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