Summer Dinner Party Menu Ideas

Succulent grilled lamb is rubbed with garlic and rosemary and served alongside a refreshing minted couscous summer salad. Get guests ready for the light and satisfying main with an appetizer of savoury goat cheese and asparagus crostini and finish the meal with elegant berry tarts with sweet honey biscuits. Juicy grilled lamb pairs perfectly with the subtle smokiness of a medium bodied red wine.

Put together a menu that bursts with ripe summer flavour by featuring the smoky sweetness of grilled nectarines on a bed of peppery mixed greens. Follow it with a main of tangy balsamic barbecue chicken and finish with frozen brownie sundae bars with strawberry sauce. Complement the summery meal with a chilled glass of crisp and elegant white wine.

Change your usual barbecue burger routine up with this healthy and no-fuss vegetarian menu of black bean veggie burgers and grilled corn with crumbly cotija cheese. Serve slices of easy ice cream pie for dessert for the perfect laidback summer party. Tender black bean burgers are complimented with a smooth glass of a fully bodied red wine.

Chicken breasts are anything but boring after being grilled to juicy perfection and slathered in savoury spicy peach glaze. Make it a meal everyone will love by starting with an easy-to-make appetizer of Caesar salad taco bites and finishing with a dessert of sweet summer berry pudding. This juicy grilled chicken is best enjoyed with a delicate glass of white wine.

This super-simple salmon main is excellent for entertaining as it can be prepped ahead of time and popped in the oven to cook just before serving. Introduce it with a bright strawberry bruschetta appetizer and finish the meal with all the flavours of a summer campfire by serving scoops of sweet s’mores ice cream. Light and juicy salmon is balanced with a chilled glass of refreshing, light white wine.

Claudia McNeilly is a food writer living in Toronto.