How to host a French themed party

When it comes to socialising, France very much lives up to its reputation – French dinner parties are classy, sophisticated affairs with mood lighting, deep conversation and lots of good wine. Take a look at our ideas for a French themed party…

Ideas for hosting

Traditionally, French dinner parties are long affairs with multiple courses of elaborate food, paired wines and place settings. But a new form of more casual entertaining is becoming popular in France, called the apéro dînatoire.

‘Apéro’ is an abbreviation of aperitif, a pre-dinner cocktail that’s a ritual in France. Adding ‘dînatoire’ means this is more than just drinks and there will be food too. This more relaxed, informal gathering sees friends and family gathering in social spaces (not just at the dining table) with food eaten by hand. It’s described as ‘the love child of the apéro and the dinner party’ – sounds good to us!

When hosting this kind of French themed dinner party, it’s all about those casual, chic vibes – bringing together friends and family of all ages in an informal setting, like the garden or kitchen, with small bites and good wine.

Traditional French dinner parties start around 8pm but an apéro dînatoire can start as early as 6pm, making it ideal for families.

French-themed dinner party menu

French food is notorious for being refined, decadent and quite tricky to cook! Luckily, with the new trend for more informal dinner parties, French food is becoming more relaxed – there are plenty of classic French dishes that can be made more simply so rather than being chained to the oven, you can actually mingle with your guests and enjoy it!

The French dinner party ritual is to keep food coming out of the kitchen throughout the evening – not everything is served at once. Small snacks like nuts, olives and dips can be brought out ad hoc throughout the evening to keep the flow going.

What food is typical in France?

Traditional French food is heavy on the meat, cheese and carbs. Classic dishes include boeuf bourguignon, dauphinoise potatoes and tarte tatin.

Although, for a more casual theme, your French food could be made lighter and simpler. Tapenade, a spread made from olives, is an absolute must – serve with crudites, which are raw vegetable sticks perfect for dipping.

Charcuterie boards are very popular right now, originating in France. These boards can be a piece of art, with different meats, cheese and fruit all displayed in an artistic way – very Instagram worthy!

For your dinner party, what about adding savoury palmiers and gougère cheese puffs?

Our favourite French recipes

Michel Roux Jr’s cheese straws

Ingredients

300g puff pastry
4 egg yolks, beaten with a splash of water
150g grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp paprika

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
In a bowl, separate your eggs so you’re left with the yolks.
Beat these yolks with a fork and then add a splash of water.
Roll out the pastry to a 30cm square and then brush with the egg mixture.
Once coated, sprinkle over the grated cheese and press down lightly.
Cover your pastry with cling film and keep chilled in the fridge for 15 minutes.
After this, take out the fridge and shake over the paprika
Cut your pastry in half and then cut each halves into 1cm strips.
Twist each strip to resemble a cheese straw shape and place onto the baking sheet.
Bake your cheese straws in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Julia Child’s boeuf bourguignon

Ingredients

150g streaky bacon
1 tbsp olive oil
1.36kg stewing steak - cut into 2 inch cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp salt
28g flour
¼ tsp pepper
700ml of red wine
1 tbsp tomato paste
568ml beef stock
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp thyme
1 bay leaf - crumbled bay leaf
18 small onions, brown-braised in stock
450g mushrooms, quartered
1tbs butter

Method

Preheat oven to 230C
Remove ring and cut the streaky bacon into lardons
Add 2.5 pints of water to a pan.
Simmer the rind and bacon for 10 minutes before draining and drying.
Over a moderate heat, sauté the bacon in oil for 2 to 3 minutes until lightly browned.
Then, remove from pan and place in to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
Leave casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.
Dry the beef and sauté a few pieces of beef at a time.
Add in the bacon fat until nicely browned and then add to the bacon.
In the same fat, brown the vegetables and then pour out any remaining fat.
Return the beef and bacon to the casserole, season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle over the flour, tossing everything together to coat the beef lightly.
Place the casserole in the oven for 4 minutes
Take out to stir and returning for a further 4 minutes.
Remove casserole and turn oven down to 170C.
Stir in the wine and enough stock so that the meat is just covered.
Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind and on the hob, bring to a simmer.
Cover the casserole and place in lower part of pre-heated oven.
While the beef is cooking, brown the onions and braise them in stock.
Then sauté the mushrooms in butter and leave aside until needed.
When the meat is tender, pour the contents into a sieve placed over a saucepan.
Wash out the dish, add the beef, bacon and the cooked onions and mushrooms.
Skim fat off the sauce and simmer for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises.
Season to taste and then pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
Cover and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.
Serve with crusty buttered bread.

Raymond Blanc’s tarte tatin

Ingredients

300g puff pastry
Plain flour, for dusting
6 dessert apples
100g golden caster sugar
85g unsalted butter

Method

On a lightly floured surface roll the pastry to a 3mm-thick round
Cut a 24cm circle, using a plate as a guide.
Using a fork, lightly prick the pastry and then place on a baking sheet
Cover with clingfilm and pop in the freezer.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Prepare your apples by peeling, quartering and coring them.
Add the sugar to a flameproof 20cm tatin dish or an ovenproof frying pan and place over a medium heat.
Cook for 5-7 mins to a dark amber caramel syrup that’s starting to smoke
Turn off the heat and stir in the 60g diced chilled butter.
Assemble the tarte tatin by arranging the apple quarters tightly around the edge of the dish
Fill the middle in the same way and gently press with your hands to ensure there's no gaps.
Brush the apples with the melted butter and bake in the oven for 30 mins.
Then, remove your prepared pastry from the freezer and place on top of your baked apples.
Tuck the edges down and, with a knife, prick a few holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape.
Bake for a further 40-45 mins until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
Allow to cool for 1 hour before serving with a dollop of crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

For drinks, it has to be wine – visit your local wine shop and ask for advice on French wines that work well for a casual dinner party.

You could also mix up some classic French 75 cocktails.

Ingredients

1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar syrup
50ml gin
Champagne
Ice
Lemon zest

Method

Using a cocktail shaker, pour in the lemon juice, sugar syrup and gin.
Fill to the top with ice and shake well before pouring in to a champagne glass.
Top with champagne and stir gently with a cocktail stirrer
Add a strip of lemon zest to garnish and enjoy!

Finding the perfect Parisian outfit

If you’re going for an authentic French evening, you need a suitably chic outfit to match.

A black linen midi dress oozes Parisian style – the relaxed fabric is perfect for a casual evening, while the puff sleeves and flash of leg give it a laidback sexiness. Team with simple white trainers and a slick of red lipstick to finish the look.

If you want to get guests really involved in the French theme, ask them to wear their most effortlessly chic outfits, too!

Setting the scene for your hosting

Creating the perfect French vibe is not just about food and drink – how you dress your space will make a difference, too.

Hosting inside

If you’re hosting an apéro dînatoire, you might not be serving your guests at a dining table – but you can still go all-out with your tablescaping!

French serving style is a little bit vintage and a little bit rustic – think mismatched crockery, glasses that look like vases and flowers swiped from your garden. We love this traditional casserole dish for serving up your boeuf bourguignon, and you can pour your guests a glass of wine from this classic carafe into some quirky glasses.

You might not be sitting round it in the formal sense, but dressing your dining table is still a great idea – use it to mix up cocktails, display charcuterie boards or to congregate round while the food cooks.

A simple linen tablecloth adds to the rustic vibe, with jam jars of wildflower and low lighting to complete the look.

Hosting outside

If you’re lucky, you may catch the Great British weather on a good day and be able to host your French themed dinner party outside – even if just for an hour!

Capturing that French feel is all about keeping things soft, low and romantic, so string up some fairy lights to create a cosy atmosphere.

If you want to go all-out, invest in a hanging love seat – perfect for two people to cuddle up on with a glass of good wine!

Creating a French atmosphere with music

The right music is essential for your French dinner party – French music is very atmospheric and can really help set the vibe of the evening.

Look for a mix of upbeat pop for the start of the night when people are mingling and snacking, then move into quiet, soulful music when the deep discussions come out over that last bottle of wine.

French party playlist

As you can see, planning is everything when it comes to hosting a French themed party. Be the perfect host, set the scene and provide good food and wine. Bon appetite!