Of all the reasons to throw a dinner party in the middle of the week — you're bored, friends are coming from out of town, you're sick of cooking for an audience of one — the best reason may be that it provides a natural check on excess. No one expects you to serve salmon en papillote or tagine d'agneau on a Wednesday or a Thursday night.

Indeed, the only bar you need to leap midweek is the one most of us observe from Monday through Friday: pasta, chicken, takeout, and leftover takeout. Only think of the pleasure you'll bestow — on yourself and your guests — if you break the week with a meal out of the ordinary, beautifully and festively laid out.

The trick is to choose a simple menu and plan ahead (see the next page for a timeline). Get most of your shopping and household chores done the weekend before: polish the silver, shine the mirrors, lay out serving platters. While you're at it, rinse out your flower vases, iron your best tablecloth, and refill your most elegant candlesticks.

With all labor-intensive jobs out of the way, you won't just make it through the night, you'll enjoy it. What's more, this menu is so good it could become a weekend standard.

Menu and Recipes

Fresh Corn and Tomato Soup Recipe (shown)

Beans with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions Recipe

Herb Grilled Shrimp and Wilted Spinach with Fennel Recipe

Roasted Apricots with Sugared Pecans and Dulce de Leche Recipe