The Last Offering

There were six of us at the last dinner and I was host. At least two of them are bloody wonderful cooks, I'm pretty good but those gals are the sort that could put Nigella to shame.
We allow ourselves a little leeway on the carb front, I'm the only (known) diabetic amongst us and that night there two vegetarians round the table as well.
One of the Gals makes it her mission to try to find the lowest carb Champagne possible and we are all forced to taste a glass or five after all, it's only polite.
I'm not so good at timing, so I decided on a cold, all-ladies-present-friendly starter of a babyleaf salad with lambs lettuce and pea shoots. A few raspberries, a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds, some crumbled fresh, young goats cheese and a raspberry and olive oil dressing went down very well and looked perfect in shiny white flat bowls.
The carnivores got duck, a puree of turnip with onion and ginger, asparagus and a sort of confit made with a reduction of shallots, cherries, a splash of port and stock.
The others got an aubergine bake with a lovely hint of smoked paprika and lots of garlic. Cauliflower rice with sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic was the perfect thing to soak up all those flavours.
There are two things I have never been able to make and one of those is meringue, so I handed over the task to the baker of the group, along with a bag of granulated malitol. Her first attempt was valiant if a not white, but very, very edible. I didn't want to risk disaster so another pud was ready and waiting; Chocolate and Chestnut Terrine (yes, it ABSOLUTELY needs a title it is, after all the dessert that others beg me to make).

The evening saw us all sprawled on my superking sized bed, fully clothed, happy and thinner.........