The perfect dinner party recipe should be a fine balance of minimal hands on cooking (at least in the final stages) and impressive results, offering a seemingly effortless display of skill which won't keep you away from your hungry guests for too long at a time. With this collection of impressive Italian dinner party recipes from some of the country's most talented chefs we've hand picked those which best lend themselves to cooking for guests.

When choosing a starter for your dinner party menu opt for a dish where most of the preparation can be done well in advance, or put together quickly just before serving. The Damini Brothers' Raw beef recipe, served simply with tomatoes, mozzarella and seasoning, takes next to no time to prepare and relies on the quality of its ingredients to shine through, while similarly the Costardi Brothers' Aubergine and pesto recipe looks incredibly striking on the plate with minimal hands on preparation required. In true Italian style a pasta starter is always an elegant option, and can be freshly prepared earlier in the day ready to be cooked at the last minute. Try Aurora Mazzucchelli's Tortelli with Parmesan, nutmeg and lavender or Daniele Usai's Egg yolk ravioli recipe, the latter served with shavings of fresh truffle for added decadence.

There are plenty of interesting and unusual Italian main course ideas to dazzle even the most jaded of party-going diners. Fabrizio Marino's Buckwheat with milk and cheese is an innovative vegetarian dinner party recipe with impressive results, while Andrea Miglaccio's Italian rabbit recipe will showcase a meat less commonly cooked in the UK.

For dessert, Grazia's Poached cherries in a spiced red wine syrup makes a fantastically easy pudding, or hone your presentation skills with Andrea Sarri's stunning chocolate mousse recipe, served alongside a boozy Campari sorbet.