Beef Cooking Tips for Elegant Entertaining

Hosting a dinner party for friends? If you’ve committed to making a meal for a get-together and are suddenly feeling a bit of pressure, there’s no need to panic. This article will help guide you through creating a memorable evening filled with exquisite flavor featuring Aspen Ridge Natural Angus Beef at the heart of your menu.

Learn more about the exceptional quality and ethics of Aspen Ridge^® Natural Angus Beef.

Your next successful soiree will require some prep. Let’s start with the following steps including tips for how to host a dinner party with style, grace, and all-around good vibes—plus, how to prepare a beautiful beef dinner your guests will gush about.

Step 1: Find a Good Slow Cooker Recipe

Ease your hosting worries by embracing the convenience of slow cooking while elevating your dinner party menu with this Slow Cooker Pot Roast recipe created by Sailor Bailey. Traditional yet tantalizing, it’s sure to please the taste buds of your esteemed guests.

Tender, Natural Angus chuck roast simmers with rosemary, garlic, and hearty veggies then brings the added bonus of filling your abode with a timelessly welcoming aroma.

As you slow-cook your cares away, you can take on steps two through five at a more leisurely pace.

Peruse more Aspen Ridge Natural Angus Beef recipes fit for any meal or occasion.

Step 2: Curate Sides and Sweets

With your main entrée handled, you can move on to pairing your roast with side dishes as well as a dessert for a sweetly strong finish.

Fortunately, the carrots and potatoes from your slow cooker recipe are already on their way. Utilize the au jus from the roast to create delectable au jus soaked rolls (with or without cheese stuffing). To lighten the affair, serve a simple and fresh salad featuring pears and a tart vinaigrette for a start.

View more side dishes (and wine pairings) for Natural Angus beef.

For a dessert to end the meal, a warm brownie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. If you’d rather focus your energy on preparing the perfect beef dish, don’t feel bad about picking up a store-bought cake to serve on your own platter, coffee optional. Just make sure to get rid of the packaging before your guests arrive—though they’ll be too entranced by the delicious pot roast aroma to notice anyway.

Step 3: Set the Stage

A meal is always enhanced by the atmosphere. While your slow cooker rolls to its savory conclusion, use the time to tidy up. Elevate your dining space with crisp cloth napkins, statement glassware and even fresh floral arrangements. Every detail contributes to an atmosphere of sophisticated charm.

Planning your music playlist ahead of time can also help to keep the scene as cozy or lively as your guests might appreciate. If you’re unsure, be ready to take requests, and know that at the very least, almost any music is better than an awkward silence. You never know what kind of fun conversations and memories a given song will stir up.

Step 4: Serve Dinner

When it’s time to serve your much anticipated dinner, be sure to prioritize your guests and their comfort and enjoyment. Place any shared dishes, such as a basket of rolls, sides, and salads, on the table closest to them, and, when applicable, with handles of serving utensils facing them.

Keep a polite eye on guests’ drinks, continuing to offer to top them off, and always be sure to fill guests’ glasses before your own.

Step 5: Savor the Moment

As the evening unfolds, take a moment to sit back and enjoy the food you’ve prepared and the conversation and laughter around the table. As always, aim to keep the dinnertime conversation fun and light, and consciously cherish this uniquely enjoyable time—and meal—with one another.

Natural Angus Beef for Special Occasions

Now that you’re a natural when it comes to hosting, you’ll be thinking of any number of reasons to invite friends and family over for a memorable meal featuring Aspen Ridge Natural Angus Beef—and with no antibiotics, ever, or added hormones, you’ll always relish serving guests the best.

For a fine holiday dining experience, consider these five showstopper beef dishes and wine pairings.

Looking for a simple way to serve chef-level steak? You’ll want to check out this blog all about delivering an exceptionally consistent and succulent steak via an equally impressive sous vide cooking method.