Today, we are writing about the essential ingredients that make elegant entertaining easy.  This is Part 2 in the series ... in case you missed it, here is the Introduction with the Key Ingredients to Easy Elegant Entertaining.

If you have the right things on hand, it is pretty effortless to pull together a great looking table. If you have unlimited storage (and funds), you can acquire extra sets of colorful flatware, glassware, dishes, or linens, but if you start with these essentials you will have a foundation that will work for every occasion, and one that will allow you to mix in other pieces whenever inspiration strikes. Consider this a capsule wardrobe for your table!

I have included shoppable images in each section to help you build your essential entertaining repertoire.

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White Serving Pieces

A favorite white serving piece, I received this ceramic basket platter as a gift many years ago.

When I told my daughter I was writing this post on entertaining essentials, the first words out of her mouth were “white platters!”.   I’ve trained her well!

The Williams Sonoma ceramic basket platter pictured above is a favorite (sadly, no longer available). I received it as a gift many years ago and it has appeared at nearly every gathering I have hosted since. You absolutely need some version of this versatile platter.

White or off white decorative serving pieces are number one on this list because most of us don’t have a chef plating the food in the kitchen and liveried staff delivering it to the table. You will, more likely, be putting the food on the table or sideboard and it needs to be presented beautifully.

Start with a few bowls and a platter or two and add as you come across them – they do not need to all match, and frankly, it’s more interesting if they don’t, they just need to work together. And by work together, I mean they need to have a similar level of formality.

On a total tangent…let’s talk for a second about storing platters. If at all possible, I recommend storing platters vertically in slots. This means you don’t have to move anything and they are easily accessible.

Also, it is safer…. I used to store my platter collection stacked on a shelf in this armoire until one night when the weight caused the shelf to let go. I was awakened in the middle of the night by an avalanche of platters that pushed open the door and shattered all over the floor.

My beloved basket platter was spared, and after that I had a handyman build this interior I designed with flexible slots. Much better and sturdier!

Most of my white serving pieces are ceramic, ironstone, or porcelain that I have amassed over time as I find them. Platters with shallow sides are great for containing things like entrée salads or pasta dishes…anything that might have a sauce or is bulky and that would overflow a flat platter.

For an entree salad it is so much prettier and more enticing to display the key ingredients on a platter arranged atop the base of greens. rather than tossed in a jumble in a bowl. And this way, guests can customize the proportions of the main ingredients in their salad too.

I tend to reserve bowls for single side dishes like potatoes, rice, or vegetables.

Here are a few white serving pieces to get you started (click on each image for more info):

Clear Glass Dishes

I started buying clear glass dishes as a young adult when I first started entertaining. Every time I had company, I would drag home another boxed set of 4 place settings from Crate and Barrel of their basic, inexpensive glass dishes. At the time, they were cheaper than continually buying pretty paperware.

A set contained dinner plates, salad/dessert plates, mugs, and bowls…I still have these 30 years later (I think we ended up with service for 32) and they play nicely with everything.  They are dishwasher and microwave safe and we use them every day.

I also started collecting clear cut glass and pressed glass dessert plates, both new and vintage, and have amassed a fair number of these as well.

Here are some similar options (click on each image for more info):

White Dishes

Again, I have two or three sets of white embossed dishes that came as 4-piece place settings with service for 8…I rarely use them as full place settings but, like the clear glass, they mix well with other things and so are a great foundation for mix-and-match tablesettings.  While these are now our 'everyday' dishes, they also work for entertaining basics...anything that works double-duty is definitely a keeper!

Here are some nice embossed white sets - note some have mugs and some have cups and saucers (click on each image for details):

Enough Flatware and Serving Utensils

I started with service for 12 of my “good” flatware and added to it over time, replacing my casual colored plastic-handled flatware with more of my "good" stuff as it disappeared or self-destructed. Now this is our multi-purpose flatware for everyday AND for entertaining.  

I have added 2 sets of the serving utensils, 2 dozen extra teaspoons and 2 dozen extra dessert forks. This ensures that I always have enough ‘real’ silverware so that I never have to resort to plastic. There is NOTHING elegant about eating with plastic utensils, and plastic knives are completely useless for actually cutting anything.  

If you don’t have enough flatware for the size of party you are hosting, rent it or borrow from a friend with something compatible.  Also, acquiring some attractive serving utensils is important…utilitarian cooking utensils can undo the elegant look you are after here.

If you happen to have inherited some family sterling, use it!! It gets more beautiful with use and frequent use will keep it from needing so much polishing. If, like me, you don’t have family silver, then nice quality stainless steel is the way to go for low maintenance flatware that can safely be popped into the dishwasher.

Here are some nice quality lines of flatware in 18/10 stainless which refers to the chromium/nickel content that makes stainless rust resistant and gives it its shiny luster (click on images for more details):

Stemware in Various Sizes

Nothing screams 'elegance' like stemware!  Something about stemmed glasses just instantly evokes leisure and luxury.  You can even use large wine glasses as water goblets in a pinch.

Boxed sets can be found inexpensively….and you won’t cry if someone breaks one while helpfully loading your dishwasher. PRO TIP: keep the boxes…it is SO much easier and safer to store and transport your extra glasses in their original boxes with the dividers.

Here are some options for wine and a nicely proportioned water glass (click on image for more details):

Table Linens

For dinner service, keep some large (22”) white or off white cloth napkins on hand.  I have some gorgeous monogrammed cotton damask ones, but my ‘go to’ ones are a poly blend and can be folded right out of the dryer so they don’t need ironing, because really, who wants to spend their time doing that?  

A white tablecloth that hangs at least 10” -12”over the edge on all sides of the table is a nice addition, but for dinners with just three or four friends, I have also been known to use napkins turned on the diagonal as placemats instead. For cocktail parties, a quick afternoon tea, morning coffee visit, or large dessert buffets, I always stock an assortment of pretty paper luncheon and cocktail size napkins.

Below are some exquisite monogrammable hemstitched napkins (click on image for more details):

With just these few basics and some home-cooked or purchased food (or some combination of the two), it is effortless to pull together an impromptu party.   

Civilized dining is always in style!

The next post in this series will focus on tips for mix-and-match table settings that will show you how to tailor your table to the theme, holiday, or mood you want to create.

until then,

Happy Entertaining!

For the others posts in this series, click the links below:

PART 1: The Key Ingredients

PART 3: Mix-and-Match Dinnerware

PART 4: The Art of the Buffet

PART 5: Easy Elegant Centerpieces