Fall Fête With Anthropologie: How To Host An Outdoor Fall Dinner Party

As the temperatures cool off and the leaves begin to change colors, it’s the perfect time to gather your friends or family for an outdoor fall dinner party. Your backyard can instantly be transformed into a stunning dining area with a few a key details. To celebrate the arrival of Fall, I’ve partnered with my local Anthropologie to show you how to wow your guests with an autumnal tablescape and fall outfit ideas.

Visit Anthropologie at 60 Pearl Street Portland, Maine 04101

My friend Jenny graciously allowed me to host this Fall Fête in her beautiful backyard tucked away in a small coastal South Portland neighborhood. Thankfully the weather has remained warm enough for Summer’s flowers to remain in bloom, creating a magical outdoor dining space. I like to start any get-together of mine with charcuterie and wine so that guests can have something to nibble and sip on while I set the table and prepare the final touches on the meal. My go-to charcuterie board is often made of three different types of cheese, cured meat, and various fruits on a classic slate cheese board. P.s. don’t forget the cheese knives for serving.

I often like to serve a custom cocktail during dinner parties, but this time instead I wanted to offer my guests a simple, yet tasty unique local wine option. Eighteen Twenty Wines is made from Maine-grown rhubarb. They have a tasting room on Anderson Street in Portland and it makes it easy to pick up a bottle or two for any relaxed outdoor fall entertaining. I suggest Fête and Victoria. Fête is light and refreshing and drinks like a rosé. It pairs super well with charcuterie. Whereas, Victoria is more of the tart side and is for the rhubarb lover. I grabbed this bottle to pair well with the pork I would be serving. 

Visit Eighteen Twenty Wines at 219 Anderson Street, Unit 2 Portland, Maine 04101

As far as set up goes, beyond the dinner table I suggest offering additional seating such as positioning lounge chairs around a fire pit so as to encourage guests to face one another in order to help facilitate easy conversation. Also, it can be helpful to create a separate cocktail station or hors d’oeuvres set up to allow space for guests to gather as you prepare your table and bring dishes out.

Drawing from the seasonal foliage inspiration, I had flowers be the focal point of my outdoor tablescape. If you don’t have a beautiful garden to snip flowers from, consider letting branches or leaves stand in as easy table decor. For my Fall fête, Florist Cody Barry of Harmon’s Floral Company created a custom centerpiece consisting of a lot of greens, soft pink and yellow roses, and slight pops of bold color. Lit white candles added a sense of elegance and also light to the table on this warm fall evening. I opted for a blue dinnerware theme to honor the overall transition from Summer to Fall. Personally, I love a monochromatic look and it’s easy to dress up even more with beautiful gold accents (such as silverware and glasses).

Roasted Fall Vegetable Medley Recipe

INGREDIENTS

/ 12 small multi-colored whole carrots
/ 1 beet
/ 1 bunch Swiss chard
/ 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
/ 2 cloves garlic, chopped
/ ¼ cup pumpkin seeds

For the dressing
/ 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
/ 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
/ ½ teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
/ 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
/ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
/ 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the tops from the carrots and beets, leaving about a quarter inch of the tops attached to the root. Peel the carrots and the beets. Cut the beets in half lengthwise, and quarter the beets lengthwise Keep them separate so the beets don’t stain the carrots. Coat the carrots in a tablespoon of olive oil and lightly salt. Place on a sheet pan and roast in the oven until just starting to caramelize (about 30 minutes).
2. Coat the beets in a tablespoon of olive oil and lightly salt. Place on a sheet pan, and also add the cranberries to one side of the pan. Roast in the oven until cranberries begin to caramelize (about 15 minutes). Remove the cranberries and continue to cook the beets until tender (about 15 minutes more).
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet and saute garlic over medium heat until fragrant. Add the chard leaves and stir to coat with oil. Cover skillet and allow chard to wilt (about 10 minutes.)
4. Plate the chard. Top with root vegetables, cranberries, and hazelnuts. Add dressing to taste.

For the dressing: Whisk together mustard, orange juice, orange zest, black pepper, and vinegar. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil continuing to whisk until emulsified and thick.

Pork Chops with Apples and Onions Recipe

INGREDIENTS

/ 6 bone-in pork chops (loin or shoulder)
/ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
/ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
/ 1 large white onion, sliced
/ 2 to 3 apples, cored and sliced (about 3 cups)
/ 1 cup chicken broth
/ Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Trim the chops of excess fat. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a 14-inch cast-iron skillet (if you have a smaller one, you’ll need to work in batches) over high heat, and then swirl in the olive oil. Lay in the pork chops and don’t move them for a few minutes, to assure a good golden sear forms. Turn and brown well on the second side for a total of about 10 minutes. Transfer the chops to a warm plate.
2. Swirl the butter into the pan. Add the onion and apples. Saute until the onion slices are lightly caramelized and the apples have begun to soften about 8 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth. Return chops to the pan.
3. Cook until the pork is tender, about 15 more minutes (depending on the size of the chops), turning halfway through and covering the chops with the apple mixture. If the apple mixture needs a little thickening, transfer the chops to the warm plate again and simmer the mixture on high for a few minutes to reduce.

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad Recipe

INGREDIENTS

/ 4 cups shaved Brussels sprouts (alternatively 2 cups Brussel sprouts + 2 cups kale)
/ ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
/ ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
/ handful of walnuts
/ handful of dried cranberries
/ 1 apple, sliced into thin pieces
/ sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Thinly slice the Brussels sprouts using a mandoline if you have one. Place them into a medium bowl and toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, walnuts, cranberries, apple slices, and pinches of salt and pepper.

This post was originally published in Fall 2019

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Credits: 

Creative direction: Hannah Martin

Photography: Elle Darcy

Florist: Cody James

This post was created in collaboration with Anthropologie