Here’s a Labor Day Gourmet Grilling Party Menu for those of you who might like to entertain!

For so many years, the neighborhood I lived in had a Gourmet dinner group that gathered for a dinner party one weekend every single month. There were twenty of us.  This is one of those dinners that we had, and this menu was a big time favorite of all of our gatherings.

Table centerpiece for Labor Day Gourmet Grilling Party

How to make a centerpiece for a summer party:

To create this centerpiece for your Labor Day Gourmet Grilling Party, use a rubber band to wrap asparagus around formula (or coffee) cans, stick a glass inside and arrange flowers in the glass.  Wrap raffia around the asparagus to  cleverly cover the rubber band.  Aren’t they wonderful centerpieces?

Our menu:
The featured beverage…

Blueberry Margaritas
Blueberry Margaritas (edged in sugar): Yum!

The appetizers…

Lima Bean Hummus
Herbed Lima Bean Hummus: This is very, very good. You have to play with the spices a bit to get the flavor that you’re looking for, but it’s unique and summery and perfect with veggies or pita chips or crackers.

Fresh Blueberry Salsa: It sounds unusual, but it’s a very summery approach to an appetizer, and it works. Dip a chip or two in this stuff, and you might have trouble stopping.

The starter…

Chilled Zucchini Soup
Chilled Zucchini Soup with Lemon- Cumin Shrimp & Cilantro Cream: These can served in small tea cups or another small cup.  Dunk the shrimp, and then sip the soup out the cups. It’s a gorgeous soup for an extremely hot day- great choice.

The main meal:

Gorgonzola Stuffed Burgers
Gorgonzola- Stuffed Beef Burgers with Sauteed Wild Mushrooms & Caramelized Red Onion Marmalade: Oh My! Everything about these burgers is perfect- the mushrooms, the marmalade and the hint of gorgonzola. These are definitely gourmet, and no extra condiments are needed.

Grilled Corn Salad: This is always a favorite salad recipe. It has a creamy vinaigrette that completely makes the salad. Everyone will ask for seconds!
Watermelon and Avocado Salad
Watermelon & Avocado Salad: This salad is the classic mix of watermelon, feta and greens, but it also has avocado added in.  It’s tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette. It’s a very good summer salad.

The dessert…

Fresh Peach Ice Cream
Fresh Peach Ice Cream with Vanilla- Scented Peaches: This is a creamy, creamy ice cream loaded with fresh peach flavor (not frozen peach chunks), and topped with peaches that have marinated in a vanilla bean-wine simple syrup. Oh yeah!

All recipes for this Labor Day Gourmet Grilling Party Menu are fantastic, and each would be a welcome addition to a Labor Day Barbecue.  Have a terrific holiday weekend of grilling, eating, relaxing & hanging out with friends. Be sure to try out a new recipe or two.

All recipes listed can be found by clicking on the recipe titles above.

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36 Comments

  1. Phoo-D says:

    What an incredible line up! Love the centerpieces, what an excellent idea! The burger, oh heavens. We are going to have to give that one a try.

  2. Kay Little says:

    wonderful menu…including the centerpieces…lots of inspiration for me! I enjoy your blog so much…

  3. Curt McAdams says:

    I love the neighborhood gourmet club.. I just wish I had neighbors!

    The asparagus centerpieces look good, but I’d rather have the asparagus wrapped in proscuitto! 🙂

  4. Maria says:

    Great menu ideas! I love the center piece. I may have to make that blueberry salsa this weekend!

  5. Kelsey/TheNaptimeChef says:

    Umm, can I come over for Labor Day, what a great menu! 🙂 I love the asparagus centerpiece, once I saw one with an artichoke in the middle of a bouquet of purple cabbage and I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since!

  6. Michelle says:

    How fun to be part of a group like that! The menu looks wonderful and I love those centerpieces…so creative and pretty!

  7. kellypea says:

    What a great summery menu! I love the color and the unusual idea of the blueberry salsa. Great idea! Beautiful centerpieces, too. Wish it was *actually* the end of summer, though. So hot lately : /

  8. VeggieGirl says:

    AWESOME menu!! I’m all over that hummus and peach dessert, especially 😀

  9. Aimee says:

    Wow, wow. What a menu! Definitely some inspiration for the weekend.

  10. Barbara says:

    The fresh blueberry salsa looks great….I’m going to try it. I’m on a blueberry kick right now. And yes, the centerpiece is lovely. Fun to use vegetables with flowers.