F

ood and love. Like a fire that must be fueled, romance must be fed — at least at my
house. A home-cooked romantic dinner for two — even with eight good friends — shows
how much you care and allows plenty of room for nourishment, both physical and creative.
Any food can be romantic. But what's important is the care you take in preparation, embel-
lishment and affection. Our special Dinner D'Amour could be served any time of the year, but
the soiree is romanticized in the details, from dressing the table to dressing the dinner.
We began with a pure white table punctuated with creamy white roses and one simple but
dramatic red accent — a ruby-red foil-wrapped chocolate kiss for your guests.
Begin the evening softly: Pink drinks, from simple cranberry juice and champagne to Pink
Passion (made with passion fruit, Grand Mamier and vodka), bring a nice blush to the evening.
To evolve the minimalist theme, serve delicately placed small courses for dinner rather than
overwhelming plates of food — which not only stretches the meal out but gives the effect of an
elaborate, formal affair.
For a fresh and light starter, a salad of hearts — Romaine, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts
— is punched up with kisses of cranberries and a drizzle of olive oil and pomegranate vinegar
for a sweet yet tart flavor. Creamy and comforting risotto makes a hearty side dish, but also
can be served alone as a segue to the entree. Next, a rosy soup — a quick tomato concoction
— gets a romantic touch with a heart-shaped toast crouton floating on the surface. Finally, the
show-stopping entree: individual servings of heart-shaped foil opens to reveal firm, white tilapia

poached in its juices over a bed of fresh vegetables, accompanied by a side of snow-white cau-
liflower puree.

Left to right: A romantic dinner for eight,
including Marcy Israel of Farmington
Hills and Laura and Jeff Shanbom of
Huntington Woods.

Of course, it simply isn't romance without a taste of rich chocolate, so we end with dark
chocolate brownies cut into miniature hearts and served with fresh scarlet sauce of raspberries.
Bon appetit!

SALAD OF HEARTS WITH
POMEGRANATE DRESSING

2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
with added puree
6 cups water

4 hearts of Romaine lettuce, uncut
1 can (about 15 ounces) hearts of palm
1 can (about 15 ounces) artichoke hearts
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

3 tablespoons chicken-flavored bouil-
lon granules (or 6 cubes)
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as
Tabasco
1 cup half-and-half
Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pomegranate vinegar
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cut stern ends from clean romaine lettuce
and arrange on eight dinner-size plates
(do not tear the lettuce into small pieces).
Divide the remaining ingredients among
the plates. Drizzle the olive oil and vinegar
over the salad and season to taste with salt
and pepper. Makes 8 servings.

CREAMY TOMATO SOUP
WITH CROUTON HEARTS

Crouton:

S slices good-quality white bread or challah
Soup:
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoon flour

Make crouton: Using a heart-shape
cookie cutter, cut hearts from the
centers of the bread. Arrange the
slices on a baking sheet and bake for
12 minutes, or until toasted. Allow to
cool completely. Set aside until ready
to use.

Make soup: Melt butter in soup pot
over medium-high heat. Add onion
and garlic and cook until softened
— about 5 minutes. Flour and cook,
stirring, for 2 minutes. Add toma-
toes, water and bouillon. Bring to a
boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for
30 minutes. Remove from heat and
allow to cool before pouring into the
bowl of a food processor or pitcher
of a blender and puree or blend until
smooth (you will need to do this in
batches). Pour into another pot and
add remaining ingredients. Heat until
hot, adjust salt and pepper and serve
with a heart crouton floating on top of
the soup. Makes S servings.

TILAPIA FOIL HEARTS

2 pounds haricot yens (thin French green
beans), stem-ends trimmed
4 medium unpeeled zucchini or yellow
squash, cut into strips

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thin
strips

2 red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
(optional)

S 5- to 6-ounce tilapia fillets
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon slices for garnish

Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange eight
12x24-inch lengths of heavy-duty foil,
shin•-side down, on a clean surface. Divide
the vegetables among the back half of the
foil pieces. Place one fish fillet in center
of each. Drizzle with the olive oil and
sprinkle fish lightly with salt and pepper.
Fold the foil over the fish and seal in a
heart shape. Place the packers on the oven
rack and bake until the fish is cooked and
the vegetables tender — about 25 minutes.
Transfer the packets to dinner plates and
serve, allowing each guest to open their
own packet. Makes S servings.

VEGETABLE AND
PINE NUT RISOTTO

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery

Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups Arborio rice (about 20
ounces)
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups vegetable broth
6 cups water
1 cup corn kernels
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Roasted mini red pepper (optional)

Heat butter in a soup pot over
medium-high heat until foam sub-
sides, then saute onions and celery,
stirring occasionally, until golden —
about 6 minutes. Season with salt
and pepper to taste. Add rice and
cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine
and cook, stirring, until absorbed
— about 1 minute. Ladle in 1 cup
broth and cook at a strong simmer,
stirring, until absorbed — about 2
minutes. Continue simmering and
adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a
time, stirring frequently and letting
each addition be absorbed before
adding next, until rice is just tender
and looks creamy, for 20-25 min-
utes (you will have leftover broth).
Remove from heat and stir in the
corn, pine nuts and half the cheese,
stirring until combined. If desired,
thin risotto with some of the
remaining broth. Serve immedi-
ately. Makes S servings.

platimt

