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