I'm planning this dinner party for six famous people you never heard of them though(its really hush hush they ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO famous) and anyaway I'm in a rush. My house is a wreck and my kids and dogs have run off with the mailman and my cat is eyeing me sinfully with a hint of malice aforethought. So anyaway did I tell you these people were famous well they were famous but then that whole thing at the Amtrak station. OKAY I'm lying but here is a really swell menu thats a cinch and will have peole wondering where you graduated fro culinary school(mine was a snooty French place)

The menu in four part harmony is soup, main dish, dinner salad and dessert. This is an easy menu for novice cooks that looks and tastes wonderful. The soup course is consomme' de stuff from the sea(which means chicken stock, shrimp, cocoanut milk, lemongrass, and sliced carrots and celery. The main course is Salmon Napoleons with sauteed spinach and roma tomatoes and parmesan. This is served with jasmine rice and sauteed green beans with brown butter and shallots. The salad course is simple Boston Lettuce with Apple, Cucumber and Balsamic Vinegrette and Havarti cheese(if you like). Dessert is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAy more challenging(okay I'm lying again) Blueberry, Raspberry, Shortbread Ice Cream Bungle(and a partridge in a pear tree). I love food and people and you will too if you hang in there with me.

First course Shrimp in Cocoanut Milk Soupe'

4 cans of chicken stock(good quality you can tell because it won't say FOOD CLUB it'll have a real name on it like CHICKEN on it)

One bag raw shrimp peeled big enough to look good in a bowl(it'll be the star of the show as it were about six per bowl so the bag should say 26-30 on it)

One pkg lemongrass(most grocery stores have it it a plastic pkg with the rest of the fresh herbs)

2-3 big carrots and equal amount of celery, Now IMPORTANT POINT slice the carrots and celery on an angle / like this get it / to make it look bigger(old culinary trick and you thought I was full of it)

One can cocoanut milk 8 oz smallest one available.

Heat chcken stock up with a pinch of salt and white pepper if ou have it black if not. When it bubbles and begins to look menacing turn down and wait justa momo before placing the carrots and celery in said pot to haet thru. Your not cooking the vegetables all the way the idea is for the whole thing to be semi-crunchy. Add the lemongrass now and let go rest on a back burner on low. When ready to serve drop the shrimp into the pot for a very brief shining moment remove lemongrass and just bless the soup with a couple of tablespoons of cocoanut milk. Plate and serve with warm rounds of crusty french bread.

Salmon Napoleons(don't be afraid)

You need 2 boxes of puff pastry(freezer section) you want the kind that looks like a flat ruler 3 inches wide. Six pieces of FRESH Salmon 6 oz cut in rectangles evenly(each one looks the same as the other), 2 big bags of fresh spinach a shallot(little french onion) some parmesan(real please) and enough roma tomatoes to cover the salmon pieces when sliced top and bottom.

Place the salmon on a sheet pan that has been sluiced with olive oil(okay brushed) Salt and Pepper refrigerate. Take the puff pastry out and cut into three pieces the same length as salmon use a sharp knife otherwise you will pinch the pastry you need a top and bottom for each piece. Bake acording to instructions and let cool. Slice the tomatoes about 1/4 inch(generously you want the plate to be tall when you serve it) set aside. Dice or slice the shallots you wont need much its a spinach dish remember. Heat a sautee pan till you can sense its hot(do not stick your face in it) add a slice or two of real butter when it stops sizzling and starts to turn brown add the shallot and shimmy it abit add the spinach with a pinch of nutmeg it you have it and a splach of red` wine vinegar too it will melt before your eyes take out of the pan immediately. Place on a warm plate. Now when your ready to serve bake the salmon at 375' till just cooked thru(go ahead peek just don't wreck it) Lastly place the tomatoes in the sautee pan and heat thru with salt and pepper.

Jasmine Rice with green beans sauteed in brown butter and shallots.

One cup cooked rice per person. For each cup of rice(raw) you need one and one half cup liquid I use chicken stock but vegetable stock will do water if you must but since you've read this you might as well go all out. In a pot smal the kind of pot you would heat up soup in add a little butter and a chopped shallot with a little garlic chopped whe it sizzles and smelles good add the liquid when it boils add the rice and stir turn down and cover for 10 or 15 minute (you can peek) For the green beans I have bad news you must MUST do this in two parts. First boil some water enough to cover the bean when said water boils add a spoonful of baking soda to the water it will object and go poof so then add the green beans let the wave subside and when the beans come back to a boil count to ten and remove very quickly and shock them in cold water. OKAY time out the BAKING SODA in the water is very important because it siezes the little green beans in its clutches and brightens them almost makes them blush bright green very important to the plate. Bright colors good khaki bad always remember khaki bad!! Now your ready to cook limke a pro In a sautee pan heat some butter when it browns and smells good add a chopped shallots and some chopped garlic very quickly add then beans and toss about then if you have some (I do hope you do) splash alittle chicken stock in the pan WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA hoo green beans extrodinare!

Boston Lettuce with Apple and Cucumber(cheese if you please)

About 3 -4 neads Boston Lettuce nicely mangled by you(its your salad make it look the way you think is pretty) One half an apple per salad chunked A really good apple not a granny smith something more like a Fuji or A Honey Crisp is fabulous when in season but more sweet than tart. One english cucumber sliced about 1 inch thick and then into wedges like a pie. A good bottle of Balsamic vinegrette and hopefully some chunked soft cheese Havarti is nice but Port Salut is WONDERFUL(say it sllllllllllllllooooooooooooooowly) too. Just a single handful on a nice small plate add the apple and cucmber and cheese and then drizzle the dressing there done.

Dessert the Blueberry raspberry Shortbread Ice Cream Bungle

2 pints blueberries fresh one pint raspberrys tossed gently in with a small amount of sugar(sugar in the raw is great its a tan colored one) A box or tin of shortbread cookies broken into pieces(big) And some very good Vanilla ice cream(I like French Vanilla but thats me) And a really small bit of chocolate syrup.

In a pretty glass bowl place a nice scoop or two of the ice cream. surround with a handful of the blueberries and raspberries. Lastly place some chucks of shorbread on the top(the order is important because you want the lighter contrast on top light(ice cream) dark(berries) and light (cookies) and then the thinnest amount of strands of the chocolate syrup on top. End of story(oh wait I lied again.

To serve your Dinner for Six you need some help. Organize the kitchen a bit have the soup on the back burner sans shrimp and without the lemongrass it will overpower the soup if you leave it in. Last second pop the shrimp in bring up to a fast simmer and plate it placing fouyr to six shrimp in the center of the bowls.

For the Salmon Napoleons have the salmon in the oven on a low temp about 250 with the puff pastry. Warm the spinach mixture in your microwave(I really hope you have one) the tomatoes should be in the sautee pan last minute they will take 10 15 secs tops (your not cooking them). Okay to plate and serve place a piece of pastry down with slice tomatoes on top next a piece of salmon then spinach with some parmesan cheese dusting then the top pastry and some more parmesan. Beside that place a large scoop of rice and then a bundle of the green beans. Out the door. Your salads should already be plated waiting for the dressing . And lastly your dessert remeber light dark light dark. Eat talk and laugh with each course while your guests applaud.

I wrote this menu to go together but you could always take each item sperately and practice on yourself.   love Michael