Murder at the Flaweless Manor

Your step-by-step guide to hosting any dinner party

To host an unforgettable and incredible (aka Flaweless) dinner party, all you need is a desire to connect with people. It’s October, so this how-to is in theme with Autumn and things spooky but these steps can be applied to any dinner party, in any season. Watch the episode below to see all the how-to steps and the fun we had! And if you want to buy the items that I set the table with, head to my hospitality shop here.

Don’t you think it’s about time you host a Murder Mystery Dinner Party? Pick a date and let’s get started! Here’s how…

What makes occasions memorable?

Memories are made when something has impact on us; and impact comes from being both thoughtful and bold. For example, it may be thoughtful to send someone a birthday card on their birthday, but memories are created when you send that birthday card with the addition of something bold.

Could you hand deliver the birthday card?
Could you send a singing telegram birthday card?
Could you bake the birthday card into a lasagna?

When it comes to hosting a dinner party, the same concept applies. Be thoughtful and bold! Here’s how to host a murder mystery dinner party #TheFlawelessWay.

Murder at the Manor

Step One - Activate!

Pick a date 3 - 4 weeks out.
Buy the game here. I used a game called “Murder at the Manor” and I really liked it. Even though these steps may be specific to this game, I trust that they could work with any murder mystery game.
Choose a guest list and cast each person as a character in the game. The game comes with a host guide to help you do this and has suggestions for your invitations.
Invite your guests! I recommend 6 - 12 of your closest friends who love Halloween (adults only because this does get spooky!). Also, make sure that you invite only as many people as you can fit around your dinner table, including yourself! I can fit eight, so I invited seven and this is what my email invitation said:
SUBJECT:
You are invited to “Murder at the Manor” – A Flaweless Dinner Party!
EMAIL:
The deadliest of dinner parties is upon us.
R.S.V.P. by [insert date 10 days before party]
What: Murder at the Manor – A Flaweless Dinner Party!
Where : The Manor – [insert your address]
When : [insert day, date and time]
The guest list is as follows...
BLANCHE BATTERS played by: Denise
CINDERS played by: Katherine
DEE MINOR played by: Christine
DOCTOR FUMBLES played by: Phillip
FORD ESCORT played by: Jason
MISTY VISIONS played by: Layana
PROFESSOR PEACOCK played by: Patrick
SIERRA TANGO played by: Katie
Research your character and the mystery at hand here: [insert link to character descriptions here]
Flawelessly,
Dee Minor [insert your character name]

This is already fun, right? Well, it just gets better! Lets keep going!

Step Two - Plan!

Plan your menu. I like to do this after R.S.V.P. replies have all arrived so that I know how many people are attending and any dietary restrictions or allergies that I need to adjust for. The menu that I curated was based on seasonal ingredients with a touch of fancy but not too hard to pull off for a group of eight!
The party is called “Murder at the Manor” so I thought the meal should be appropriate for those dining at a Manor. I decided to start with a standing cocktail reception with cheese plate and, after we sat down, I would have a few courses individually plated (as opposed to family-style).
But because I didn’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen, away from my guests, I decided to serve the main course family-style. Dessert would be served individually, easy to do because it’s prepared early and ready to go!
Plan your wine and beverage. Thoughtful food and beverage pairings can take a dinner party from good to great! For a party like this one, plan an aperitif (welcome cocktail or champagne), a white wine (to go with the early courses) and a red wine (to go with the main course). Also, select a digestif or two to go with dessert. There are many tricks and tips to pairing wine and food so, if you want to know more, head to my blog about that subject here.

For this menu I decided on:
-Aperitif: Champagne plus the “Poison Neutralizing Cocktail” (a Margarita colored black with squid ink)
-Pairing for Ravioli: a high acidity, old world chardonnay like white Burgundy
-Pairing for Duck: Sancerre Rouge or other fruity, yet earthy, Pinot Noir
-Digestif: Tawney Port and a late harvest Riesling
Plan your menu timing. This game does a great job of suggesting how many courses and where you might play audio clues, ask and answer questions, etc. I followed their suggested framework but added the “welcome cocktail reception with cheese plate”. This gave my guests the freedom to arrive a little late and avoid that awkward moment of walking into an already-seated dinner. Here’s how my menu and timing plan came together:
STANDING WELCOME COCKTAIL RECEPTION
Aperitif: Poison Neutralizing Cocktail
Cheese Plate – Extra Moldy
Play Starting Evidence
Character Introductions
~~
SEATED DINNER
Butternut Squash Ravioli
Sage Brown Butter
Play Act One Evidence
Act One Questions
~~
Beet, Grapefruit & Arugula Salad
Play Act Two Evidence
Act Two Questions
Duck Breast
Sancerre Rouge Jus
~~
Nutella Panna Cotta
Raspberry Sauce
Digestif: Late Harvest Riesling
Play Act Three Evidence
Act Three Questions
Accusations!
Final Statements

Step Three - Prep

Start at the end! That’s right, when preparing this menu begin with dessert. Here’s the order in which to prepare the food and everything else:

The day before (at least):

Setting the Table

“Murder at the Manor” sounds fancy so let’s set the table in a formal way. The problem for me when I’m hosting a “formal” dinner party is that guests could feel uncomfortable if they don’t know which fork to use or they’re not sure which bread plate belongs to them. After years of running “fancy” restaurants I’ve learned some great ways to help my guests feel like they’re at home.

Place the glassware beyond the knife and place each additional glass moving inward toward the center of the plate. This makes it really clear to the guest seated there, that these glasses are their glasses.
Place the napkin to the left of the plate and tuck the right edge under the left side of the charger or plate. When the napkin appears to be touching their plate it will be clear that it belongs to them.
This overlap also applies to the bread-and-butter plate (aka B&B plate). Set it so that the right side of the B&B plate is overlapping the left side of the napkin.

Last but not least, don’t place anything visually intrusive in the center of your table. You want to make sure that everyone can see one another and can talk to everyone else without having to peer around a vase or other obstacle. Avoid such things as grand flower arrangements or candle sticks. Instead, sculpt a beautiful scape using low-profile candles or by laying flowers or branches directly on the surface of the table.

The morning of the party

Make the raspberry sauce and chop hazelnuts for the Nutella Panna Cotta. Set aside until dessert service.
Julienne the sage for the sage brown butter sauce that will top the Butternut Squash Ravioli. Set aside in a small bowl until pasta time.
Prepare all the parts of the Beet, Grapefruit and Arugula Salad. Place each part in a covered bowl in the refrigerator until just before the salad course. I used a NY Times recipe called Beet, Orange and Arugula Salad because I thought that beets and BLOOD oranges would have great spooky colors at the table. I couldn’t find blood oranges, so I substituted red grapefruit and it turned out flawelessly!
- Segment grapefruit, removing all seeds and peels.
  PRO TIP: save the peels for your garbage disposal right before your guests arrive to fill your home with citrus freshness!
- Slice beets into bite-sized pieces
- Wash arugula
- Chop walnuts
- Make dressing in a mason jar so that you can shake it up just before you plate and dress the salads.

90 minutes before guests arrive

Sear the duck breasts to rare. You’ll cook these up to medium rare to warm them just before you serve the duck.
Start Sancerre Rouge Jus for the Seared Duck Breast with Sancerre Rouge Jus.
Take out the cheese for the Extra Moldy Cheese Plate, from the refrigerator to enable it to come to room temperature.
Ice Champagne and white wine.
Set up your kitchen “plating station”. This is the spot where you’ll assemble everything. Check that you have a large clean surface area and:
- The bowls and ingredients for the Sage Brown Butter sauce (for the Ravioli)
- The plates and ingredients for the salad
- The platter, serving utensils and garnish for the duck
- The dessert, spoons and garnishes

60 minutes before guest arrive

Get into costume but avoid flowy sleeves! Remember, you’re the host and you’ll be serving and removing plates, pouring wine, etc. You don’t want to get anything on your fabulous outfit! 💃

30 minutes before guests arrive

Set the lights in the room and light the candles (don’t forget the candles in the bathroom!).
Start the Spotify playlist.
Check that your dishwasher and kitchen sink are clean and empty!
Set a large pot of salted water, with a splash of olive oil, to boil, for the ravioli.
Make the Aperitif Cocktail. This is a black mezcal margarita and you can use this recipe for a Flaweless Margarita but make it “in batch form” and add black squid ink (aka cuttlefish ink) for color. Here is the recipe in batch form with the ink:
Black Mezcal Margarita

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup 1-1 agave syrup (a 50/50 mixture of agave syrup and water)

3/4 cup Cointreau

2 cups mezcal

4 cups ice

3/4 teaspoon black squid ink

1 cup powdered dry ice (optional, but a fun and spooky trick to add; but, IMPORTANT, do not drink until the smoky effect has cleared!)

METHOD

In a punch bowl, combine lime juice, 1-1 agave syrup, Cointreau and mezcal. Add ice and stir vigorously to chill and dilute the mixture (this simulates what happens when you shake a cocktail in a bar cocktail shaker). Add black squid ink and whisk vigorously to dissolve. If using dry ice, add it when the first guest rings the doorbell; and remember not to serve the cocktail until the dry ice has stopped “smoking”.

Step Four - Showtime!

Above all, have fun, stay in character and stay flexible with “the unexpected” that is certain to arrive! Also, keep it moving, remembering that you set the pace of the evening. It’s easy to slow down a dinner but very hard to get it going again if energy or pace drops.

After all the guests have arrived and have aperitifs in their hands, give a welcome speech including:
- Passing around the Who-dun-it bowl, telling guests “What you pick is for your eyes only!”
- Inviting everyone to look for their “character sheet” found on the chairs at the dining room table.
- Having each character read their introduction.
- Playing the starting evidence.
- Telling everyone to continue enjoying the moldy cheese and cocktail while they review their character sheet. “We’ll sit for dinner in a moment!”
Now head to the kitchen with your pre-selected sous chef and assemble the ravioli!
- Once you have the ravioli ready to go, invite your guests to sit down. Serve the first course, make a spooky toast and start eating!
- I have an open kitchen, so I was able to head back to the kitchen for plating the next course while the audio evidence was playing. If you have a closed kitchen, you’ll pop out for a few minutes between audio evidence and the Q&A. Trust that your guests will be enjoying the company and “playing Sherlock” while you’re gone.
At the end, when the murderer is revealed, be sure to thank your guests for coming and offer another round of digestif.