• What Is OWN?
    Watch the preview!
  • What's for Dinner?
    Great recipes right in your inbox

Dinner for Twenty—Your Timetable

Planning a dinner buffet for twenty requires organization, patience, and a good checklist. We'll provide the list, but the rest is up to you!

Two to Four Days Before:
One Day Before:
Day of Party:
  • Thaw and fry wontons.
  • Prepare chocolate tart filling and assemble tart.
  • Sear lamb (serve at room temperature, or keep warm in oven); reheat pesto.
  • Assemble lobster salad.
  • Roast fish; reheat sauce.
  • Immerse asparagus in hot water to reheat; warm sauce on stovetop.
  • Thaw and fry potato cakes.
  • Reheat wontons on a baking sheet in oven; cover with tinfoil until ready to serve.
  • Sear scallops; reheat dipping sauce.

Subscribe & Save up to 78%
Discover more ways YOU can live your best life in every issue. O, The Oprah Magazine