The best, easiest dinner party menu recipes of your life

There ought to be quite a few warm days between now and Thanksgiving — or so one hopes. So take advantage of them, I say, with a lighter approach to dinner (or even lunch) and save the deep, dark savory autumnal dishes for chillier days.

Spicy cucumbers with mint, scallions and crushed peanuts is my (admittedly inauthentic) take on a favorite found in variations all over Southeast Asia. More like a fresh pickle or condiment than a salad, the dish is moderately hot in Vietnam, while a Thai version could be extremely fiery.

It would be a shame to take away the spiciness from these cucumbers, so don’t skip the chiles. Instead, choose varieties that match your preference: Thai chiles pack a lot of heat; serrano chiles are strong, but less so; red Fresno chiles have sweet undertones and are the mildest among the commonly available chiles. Or use a mixture, as I do in this recipe. (To me, it tastes most refreshing at its spiciest.)

Keep cucumbers in mind when preparing the salad: The better they are, the better your salad will be. Once dressed, they’ll keep for a few days in the fridge, but will gradually lose crispness.

This particular dish is wonderful alongside an easy, elegant main course, like peppered sea scallops on a bed of curried spinach, best made in fall or winter, when fresh sea scallops are in season. The idea is to coat the scallops quite heavily with coarsely ground black pepper, then sizzle them in butter. A bit of lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice finishes the dish, and, when combined with the pepper, accentuates the scallops’ inherent sweetness. Substitute pan-seared fish or shrimp if scallops aren’t your thing.

A simple-to-make curried spinach leans in an Indian direction, fully flavored with ginger, garlic and aromatics, but restrained. The quickly cooked spinach is blitzed into a luscious purée that functions as a savory green resting place for the plump scallops. Steamed rice is a natural choice to serve alongside.

Coconut tapioca pudding with flaky salt is the custardy, creamy, dreamy dessert that ends this meal. The cooked tapioca pearls thicken the pudding, while providing pleasant texture. A little extra salt — some in the base, and a tiny bit of (optional, but recommended) flaky salt when served — gives this dish another dimension.

The pudding can be made several hours or even a day in advance. I like it best chilled first to serve at room temperature, spooned from a big bowl and garnished with golden raisins, though you might try pomegranate seeds. It’s welcome any day of the year — but especially fine in fall.

Spicy Cucumbers With Mint, Scallions and Crushed Peanuts

This fine accompaniment to any number of dishes is an (admittedly inauthentic) take on a Southeast Asian favorite, moderately spicy in Vietnam and far more fiery in Thailand. Choose chiles accordingly to match your preference: Thai chiles pack a lot of heat; serrano chiles are strong, but less so; red Fresno chiles have sweet undertones and are the mildest. Also, try to get the best cucumbers you can, with thin skins. The better the cucumber, the better the salad.

By David Tanis

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ chilling

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar or dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 small Thai chiles (not bird’s-eye), very thinly sliced, or substitute 1 serrano chile
• 1 Fresno chile, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 pound cucumbers, preferably Persian, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3 or 4 scallions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced on a long bias
• Salt
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, some whole, some torn
• 1/4 cup small basil leaves (preferably Thai or cinnamon basil)
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
• 1/3 cup salted peanuts, crushed using a rolling pin or mortar

Preparation:

1. Make the dressing: Put lime juice and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to combine, allowing sugar to dissolve. Stir in sesame oil and fish sauce. Add the Thai and Fresno chiles. Set aside.

2. Put cucumbers and scallions in a serving bowl. Sprinkle very lightly with salt and toss. Add the dressing and toss well to coat. Refrigerate to chill, about 30 minutes.

3. Top with mint, basil and cilantro. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts.

Peppered Sea Scallops With Spinach

An easy but elegant full-flavored main course, this dish is best made in fall or winter, when sea scallops are in season. The generously peppered scallops lay on a bed of puréed spinach. The spinach leans on Indian flavors, run through with heady garam masala, turmeric and ginger. Substitute pan-seared fish or shrimp if scallops aren’t your thing. If desired, serve with steamed rice.

By David Tanis

Yield: 4 servings, as a main course

Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

For the spinach:

• 2 tablespoons butter or mild oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 jalapeño, halved, seeds removed and thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 6 ounces roughly chopped spinach leaves
• Salt
• Speck of ground cayenne
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine, plus 1 cup water for blending

For the scallops:

• 12 large sea scallops (about 1 pound), trimmed and patted dry
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons mild oil
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preparation:

1. Make the spinach: Put the butter in a wide skillet or wok over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant and beginning to pop, about 1 minute. Add onion and cook until softened and barely browned, 3 minutes, then add garlic, jalapeño, ginger, garam masala and turmeric. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes more.

2. Add spinach, stir to coat well and turn up heat to medium high. Season with salt and cayenne. Add wine. Cook, stirring just until spinach is barely wilted. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool.

3. Transfer spinach to a blender or food processor. Blend, adding enough water to make a medium-thick purée (add a little more for a thinner broth). Taste and adjust seasoning, then pour into small saucepan and set aside.

4. Cook the scallops: Season scallops on both sides with salt and generous amounts of coarse pepper. Set a wide, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl pan to coat. When oil is wavy, set scallops in pan without crowding. When they begin to sizzle, turn heat to medium. Don’t move scallops — they will need to cook undisturbed for at least 5 minutes.

5. Check the scallops: Using a metal spatula, turn one scallop over. It should be nicely browned. (If not, return it to the pan for another minute or so.) Turn over each scallop carefully and cook for about 2 minutes more, until sides look opaque. Turn off heat.

6. Reheat spinach purée over low heat, and spoon into 4 warmed shallow soup plates. Arrange a few scallops browned side up atop spinach on each plate. Sprinkle with lemon zest, shower with juice and serve.

Coconut Tapioca Pudding

A little salt makes this dreamy concoction tastier, giving it another dimension. The pudding can be made several hours in advance but should be served at room temperature.

By David Tanis

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups milk or half-and-half
• 1/2 cup small pearl tapioca
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup golden raisins, plumped in warm water and drained, for garnish (not necessary if raisins are moist)
• 2 tablespoons toasted shredded coconut, for garnish
• Flaky salt, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Put milk in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add tapioca, sugar, salt and vanilla. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tapioca is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and turn off heat.