More and more people are opting to work from home these days. Technological advances enable us to communicate easily and efficiently with anyone, anywhere, any time. And growing traffic woes provide an extra incentive to stay at home - at least for lunch.

A light, informal luncheon in your dining room or studio is a great way to catch up with friends or entertain business associates. Rather than running out to a restaurant, which consumes valuable time, you can put together a rather sophisticated yet easy-to-fix three-course lunch. You get to set the agenda - where to sit, what to eat, when to eat and the pace of the meal. Everything should be prepared in advance, leaving you to interact with your guests.

For this luncheon in my home, I greeted guests with a refreshing glass of mint iced tea. During the week, I limit the alcohol served at luncheons; otherwise, everybody will need a 3 o’clock nap. And siesta is, regrettably, not an American tradition.

After a short time playing catch-up on one another’s lives, we moved to the table which I had dressed simply but elegantly with white linen place mats and Christofle china and flatware. A silver fruit bowl packed tightly with moonlight yellow roses and hanging amaranth added height to the table without obscuring guests’ views of one another.

Lunch began with a light chevre mousse, served in a steamed artichoke heart, with a roasted tomato and a bright parsley sauce. Our main course, a salad of mixed greens, baby potatoes, haricots verts, mango and plum tomatoes, was topped with grilled salmon and crispy deep-fried leeks. The warm salmon played well against the crisp vegetables and leeks. A smooth, assertive herbed vinaigrette successfully brought all the components together.

To give the plate a festive look, we sprinkled the rim with “confetti” of finely cubed mango, tomato, chives, tarragon and parsley.

An unfiltered Chardonnay from Newton was the perfect accompaniment to this salad; the wine’s exceptional richness and excellent acidity brought out the salmon’s best.

This dish is remarkably easy to prepare. Everything can be readied in advance

Our delicious dessert, too, can be prepared ahead of time. The lemon shortcake topped with creme chantilly and fresh strawberries was light, bright and refreshing and left guests feeling the same!

MENU

Chevre Mousse on Artichoke Heart With Roasted Tomatoes
Salad with Grilled Salmon, Mango and Crispy Leeks
Lemon Shortcake with Fresh Strawberries
Fruity Iced Tea

TIP

A cardinal rule when creating floral centerpieces is to keep them low. You can have the most wonderful china and silver and food and drink in the world, but if guests can’t see each other, they won’t have a good time.