Book Club Dinner Party

Are you organizing a book club and need a special introduction dinner? However booked your group is, you'll delight in this wintery menu that's bound to promote lots of fun, literary dinner conversation. If your book club plots for simpler food fare, skip the main meal and set the scene with only the Brie with crackers and fruit and, of course, the final chapter--scrumptious dessert! It's a nonfictional delight!

"For a book club or neighborhood gathering, play light classical or new age instrumentals--keep music low enough for people to converse easily."

Karen, Editor - BettyCrocker.com

The Menu
Party Guide
Plan Ahead

Create bookmarks with the date of your first book club meeting, the charter members and the first book read and discussed, and place them at each place setting.
Arrange a book collection in the center of the table, and embellish with ribbons, stringed baubles and beads or votive candles.
Ask guests to come prepared to talk about a favorite book or to make a suggestion for a good read for the club.
Fold dinner napkins in the shape of a book, and slip a bookmark into the napkin for a take-home treasure.
Set a tiny book at each place setting for a take-home memento.

Up to 2 Months Before

Bake Triple-Chocolate Cake; freeze cooled and unglazed cake tightly covered.
Make Bread Machine Pumpernickel Bread; completely cool, wrap tightly and freeze.

The Day Before

Remove cake from freezer; glaze completely thawed cake.
Remove bread from freezer.
Toast almonds for Brie with Almonds.

The Morning Of

Make Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing; store in refrigerator. Prepare romaine, onion and pomegranate seeds for salad; refrigerate tightly covered in separate containers.
Prepare fruit; refrigerate.

About 2 Hours Before Serving