Dress up your at-home dinner with these simple, pretty recipes

Anything can be a fancy meal if you say it is. A humble grilled cheese served on your favorite plate (is it just me or does everyone have a special one?) can turn ho-hum into at-home-upscale.

That said, if you’ve missed the experience of dressing up and going out, go ahead and pull out your fancier duds, even if your grand destination is your usual dinner table. And why not come up with a meal to match the outfit?

Whether you want to celebrate a birthday, have a date-night in your front yard or feel like making something beautiful just for yourself, you’ll find some inspiration below.

Appetizers


(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Watermelon With Herbed Goat Cheese Whip. Summery watermelon gets a savory topping in goat cheese swirled with herbs. You can portion out exactly how much you’d like, and save the rest of the watermelon and goat cheese for snacking later.


(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Mushroom Pate. Vegetarian pate? It can be done, and deliciously, too. Most of the work for this recipe is done with a food processor.


Entrees


(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Broiled Salmon With Mint Relish. Fancy doesn’t have to mean that your meal should take hours to prepare. Keep it quick and light with easy salmon and a fragrant, citrusy relish. If you don’t have mint, use any other tender herb.


(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Rustic Heirloom Tomato Crostata, above. Have you been starting a garden in quarantine? If you started your tomato plants earlier than I did, perhaps you have ripe ones ready. Showcase them by tucking them into a buttery crust — no worries if there are rips and tears, it’ll still be tasty and beautiful. This is a good format for just about any summer vegetable you can get your hands on.


Sides


(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Amanda Soto/The Washington Post).

José Andrés’s Miso-Roasted Asparagus. Perhaps your CSA is flush with asparagus or you chanced upon the spring/summer favorite at the store. This simple side dish uses just four ingredients — asparagus, miso, hot water and a little sugar — to make these green spears sing.


(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Pommes Anna. This potato dish looks fussier than it actually is: Layer thinly sliced potato with butter, salt, pepper and herbs and stick it in the oven. Done! It reheats beautifully if you have any leftovers.

More from Voraciously

Figs are nature’s edible gems. Here are 6 recipes to use them.

This saucy, smothered tofu with peppers and onions will have you dreaming of the Mexican coast

Chill out this summer with pina coladas, frozen Irish coffees and other blended cocktails

It took years of searching (and some terrible slices) to get to a chocolate pie we all deserve

Source:WP