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Dinner for Eight - 40 Great Dinner Party Menus for Friends and Family
by Denise Landis
St. Martin's Press
ISBN 0-312-32581-9
Published November 2005 - Hardcover - 282 pages - $27.95

New York Times recipe tester Denise Landis, has put together dinner menus using recipes which, naturally, have been personally tried and tested.  Thankfully there are people like Denise out there, who've taken all the guesswork out of cooking.  Her husband, a wine collector, offers suggestions of wines to serve to accompany these menus.  Each menu has an appetizer, first course, main course, accompaniment, and dessert which makes things a whole lot easier for those of us who like entertaining at home.  The book is broken down further into Ten Menus for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter so there are many ideas to be considered.  Where possible, she has given "to make ahead" recipes so you're not swamped in the kitchen.  I found the Grilled Vegetable Platter rather interesting as an appetizer, and also the Chicken with Pine Nuts and Sun-dried Tomatoes as a main course (not in the same menu).  The Peppermint Ice Cream (if you're daring enough to use 20 egg yolks!) absolutely scrumptuous.  There are no nutritional/calorie/carbs information so I would suggest careful reading and examination of the recipes and their ingredients as I came across heavy cream, half-and-half, lots of egg yolks, and a variety of cheeses throughout the book.
This book is not illustrated.
Conclusion - Handy to have for inspiration.