Colorful placemats are the order of the day, along with votive candles and a small plant for each guest to take home as a remembrance of the evening-in this instance, a small African violet since I'd just recently potted several rootings from a larger violet that lives in my kitchen window.
Dinner is light, but filling, making use of the best produce of the season.
The recipe makes 6 servings so you'll have some left over for lunch the next day. The main course is made earlier in the day and chilling in the fridge until serving time-generous portions of cold poached salmon topped with a melange of diced red, yellow, and orange tomatoes. With this, there's two sauces, a zippy vinaigrette made with serrano chile peppers and a creamy sauce that tastes of fresh herbs from the pots growing on my patio. With this, I'll serve purchased French rolls which I've reheated for a few minutes in a slow oven. Dessert is a favorite at our house, strawberries marinated in a bit of sugar and balsamic vinegar.