Tonight we are having a couple of friends over for dinner. I want this dinner to be fun and delicious without it being a diet buster. Here’s the menu –

Smoked salmon canapes on rye toasts
Truffled egg salad on vegetable rounds

Winter soup

Seared scallops
Parsley new potatoes
Haricot vert
Bearnaise sauce

Raspberry sherbet with strawberries
Crisp almond thins

Various wines served with each course

Here’s how I make it. I cut out small rounds of rye bread and toast them in the oven. They are topped with a little whipped cream cheese, capers and red onions. On top of this I put a small slice of smoked Norwegian salmon. To prepare the egg salad I use a little light mayonnaise, mustard, and a touch of truffle oil. I cut disks of radish and carrot and place them on paper towels to draw out excess water. Most importantly when I serve the hors d’ouevres I position myself across the room from the food.

The first course is winter soup which is a puree of root vegetables with some chicken stock and 1% milk. The soup is thickened by pureeing the vegetables.

At this point I am too busy to take any more pictures. John sears the scallops, I had blanched the haricot vert so all I have to do is heat them up with a little butter and the steamed potatoes are staying warm in the oven. The bearnaise sauce is in a small pitcher. I can use as much or as little as I want.

Since I am not a fan of dessert, I always prepare something light and easy. Some raspberry sherbet and fresh strawberries with some very crisp, thin almond cookies fill the bill.

It is a very successful dinner and with a little cautious eating no one even knows that I am dieting!