Company’s Coming: Easy Fall Dinner Party Menu & Table Ideas

I love a reason to set a pretty table. And when company’s coming, I want the food to feel just as special—without spending the entire evening in the kitchen.

For this fall dinner, I started with green and white, tucked pumpkins into a garland, and brought out the pretty plates. Then came the menu: warm baked Brie in a sourdough loaf, creamy tortellini with garlic steak bites, and a caramel apple cinnamon roll bake for dessert.

A little decorating, a few delicious shortcuts, and something warm to share. Come on in—we’re getting ready for company!

First, Let’s Set the Table

I started with a Rosanne Beck green-and-white paper runner. A paper runner is such an easy way to change the feel of a table, and this one gave me a starting point for everything else.

Down the center, I added a garland and tucked in pumpkins in different colors and sizes. I like the mix—it gives your eye little things to notice as you look down the table. Deer candlesticks and candles added height among the pumpkins and greenery.

For each place setting, I started with a square charger, then layered a green Beatriz Ball chinoiserie plate, a green-and-white salad plate, and a little fall plate on top. Napkins and Champagne-colored wine glasses finished the table.

You can use the same idea with what you already have:

• Pick a color or two to carry through the table.
• Start with a runner to anchor the centerpiece.
• Add greenery, then tuck seasonal pieces into it.
• Mix heights while leaving room for guests to see each other.
• Layer your everyday plates with a smaller seasonal plate.

Keep greenery and decorations well away from candle flames, and leave a landing spot for the food. A beautiful table still needs room for dinner!

On the Menu

To start: Rosemary Baked Brie in a Sourdough Loaf with Hot Honey
For dinner: Creamy Tortellini with Garlic Steak Bites
For dessert: Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake

Rosemary Baked Brie in a Sourdough Loaf

Warm bread, melted Brie, rosemary, and a little hot honey—this is the kind of appetizer that gets everyone gathered around the dish before dinner is even ready.

The loaf becomes its own serving bowl, and slices around the sides make it easy to pull off bread for dipping.

Oven: 350°F
Bake time: About 30 minutes, checking for browning

Ingredients

• 1 round sourdough loaf
• 1 wheel of Brie, sized to fit inside the loaf
• Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of the baking dish
• Mike’s Hot Honey, to taste
• Italian seasoning, to taste
• Fresh rosemary, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cut an opening in the top of the loaf to fit the Brie. Scoop out enough bread for the cheese to sit inside, leaving the bottom intact. Save the removed bread for dipping.
3. Slice down around the sides of the loaf to create pull-apart sections, without cutting through the base.
4. Nestle the Brie inside the loaf and lightly score the top rind.
5. Add a little olive oil to the bottom of an oven-safe baking dish, then place the filled loaf in the dish.
6. Drizzle the Brie with Mike’s Hot Honey and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and fresh rosemary.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is soft and melted. Check along the way and loosely cover with foil if the bread begins to brown too much.
8. Serve warm with the reserved bread for dipping.

Serving tip: Bring this out when everyone is ready to enjoy it. Melted Brie is best while it’s warm and easy to scoop.

Creamy Tortellini with Garlic Steak Bites

This is my kind of company dinner: golden steak bites, cheese-filled tortellini, and a creamy garlic Parmesan sauce that brings everything together.

I kept my steak in the skillet and built the sauce right around it. The tortellini cooks separately, then goes into the skillet for that final toss.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sirloin steak, cut into bite-sized cubes
• 20 ounces cheese tortellini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving if desired
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Up to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Reserve a little cooking water, then drain.
2. Pat the steak bites dry and season with salt and pepper. You can start with less salt and adjust the sauce at the end, since the Parmesan adds saltiness too.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak bites in a single layer and sear until golden on the outside. They will continue cooking as you make the sauce, so avoid cooking them all the way to your preferred doneness at this stage.
4. Leave the steak in the skillet and reduce the heat. Add the butter and garlic, stirring for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
5. Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer.
6. Stir in the Parmesan and Italian seasoning over low heat until the sauce is smooth. Avoid a hard boil.
7. Add the cooked tortellini and gently toss to coat. If the sauce is thicker than you like, add a small splash of the reserved pasta water.
8. Check the steak for your preferred doneness, taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning. Finish with fresh parsley and extra Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately.

A note about the steak: Keeping it in the pan is simple, but it continues to cook while the sauce comes together. Have your ingredients measured and ready so you can move straight from searing to making the sauce.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake

For dessert, we’re taking a shortcut with refrigerated cinnamon rolls and Trader Joe’s apple pie spread. Leave the rolls rolled up and tuck the apple pie spread between them before baking. The finishing touch is the icing that comes with the rolls mixed with sea salt caramel and poured over the warm bake.

It has all the makings of a fall dessert I want on the table: apples, cinnamon, and a caramel drizzle.

Ingredients

• 1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls, left whole and rolled up, with the included icing reserved
• Trader Joe’s apple pie spread, enough to tuck between the rolls
• Sea salt caramel sauce, to taste, for mixing with the reserved icing
• Butter or baking spray, for greasing the pan

Oven: 350°F
Bake time: About 30 minutes, covering halfway through

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a small square Casafina ruffled baker.
2. Arrange the cinnamon rolls in the baker, leaving room for them to expand.
3. Spoon Trader Joe’s apple pie spread between the rolls.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes total, loosely covering with foil after 15 minutes. Check that the center rolls are baked through; roll size and pan size can affect the time.
5. Mix the reserved icing from the cinnamon roll can with sea salt caramel sauce to taste.
6. Remove the bake from the oven and pour the caramel icing over the top. Serve warm.

From oven to table: I used the small square Casafina ruffled baker we sell at The Truffle Pig. Those ruffled edges make it pretty enough to bring straight to the table and serve from the dish.

A Little Planning Makes the Evening Easier

Set the table first, while the kitchen is still quiet. Measure the tortellini ingredients, mince the garlic, and chop the herbs before you start cooking. Keep the steak and dairy refrigerated until you need them.

Plan for the Brie to come out as guests are ready for an appetizer. Cook the tortellini dinner close to serving time so the sauce stays creamy and the steak doesn’t keep cooking while it waits.

The dessert can bake before dinner, giving you one less thing to juggle at the stove. Pour the sea salt caramel icing over the dessert after it comes out of the oven.

Now, Pull Up a Chair

I love the little details—the layered plates, the pumpkins tucked into the greenery, and something delicious coming out of the oven. But once everyone sits down, I want to enjoy the evening too.

Use the pretty dishes. Take the shortcut with dessert. Pass the bread around one more time. That’s the kind of company dinner I love.

If you’re putting together your own fall table, come see us at The Truffle Pig in Collierville. We love helping you find those finishing touches that make it feel like you.