A sophisticated occasion calls for a meal that can go from the office refrigerator to a blanket on the lawn.

The Game Plan

Divide and conquer is the strategy. You bring the main course and the dessert (recipes, below); enlist friends to pick up the extras on the way. Ask them to buy:

A baguette and cheeses (such as Brie, marinated bocconcini, and goat cheese)

Potato chips

Cherry tomatoes

Fruit (such as peaches, apricots, nectarines, and plums)

Wine

Recipe

Eggplant Pasta Salad Recipe (shown, bottom left)

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies Recipe

Tip: Cloth napkins lend an air of elegance to a tableless occasion. Don’t forget the corkscrew — and votives for when the sun goes down.