HOME COOK : The Guest Is Always Lucky

There are two schools of thought on what should be served to guests in your home.

One group is adamant that extra attention and special dishes should be prepared for any guests invited for a meal--that is, if they are invited in advance and not at the last minute.

The other group feels sharing the family meal with guests is deeply satisfying, no matter what the food is (although it is nice to have ample portions).

This, of course, doesn’t include holidays, birthdays or dinner for an important guest.

My argument is that during the last 20 or 30 years, almost every adult has had to work away from home, so there may be a shortage of time, energy and money. A meal with extra frills and special effects is often too much to undertake.

The invitation “come to supper” is an opportunity to scale down one’s hectic work day by sharing companionship and a simple meal for a few hours. If you were invited to a modest meal of Spinach Salad With Chutney Dressing and Sharon’s Orange Scone Berry Cakes, would you feel you weren’t important, or that no one wanted to bother about you?

SPINACH SALAD WITH CHUTNEY DRESSING

1 cup pecans

2 bunches young, small-leaf spinach, about 1 1/2 pounds

2 Red Delicious apples

1/2 cup muscat raisins

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup mango-ginger chutney

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Spread pecans out on baking sheet and toast at 300 degrees about 12 minutes. Wash, stem and dry spinach. Core unpeeled apples, halve and cut crosswise into thin slices.

Combine spinach, apples, pecans, raisins and green onions in large salad bowl and toss to mix.

Combine oil, chutney, curry powder, dry mustard, salt and lemon juice in bowl. Stir until well mixed. Add to spinach-and-apple mixture and toss gently to coat all ingredients. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

SHARON’S ORANGE SCONE BERRY CAKES

2 cups flour less 2 tablespoons

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, chilled

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

Fresh berries or berry preserves, optional

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and 2 tablespoons sugar in mixing bowl. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut butter into flour mixture. Mix egg and whipping cream in separate bowl and add to dry ingredients. Stir until just blended.

Turn out onto floured board and knead 1 minute. Shape dough into rectangle 8 inches wide on 1 side and 1/4 inch thick. Brush top with melted butter, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar and orange zest. Roll up jellyroll fashion from shorter 8-inch side and cut into 1-inch slices.

Arrange slices, cut side down, on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with butter and fresh berries. Makes 8 cakes.

Each serving, without butter or berries, contains about:

323 calories; 575 mg sodium; 75 mg cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; trace fiber; 47% calories from fat.