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Love at First Bite

by Carole S. Kotkin

This Valentine's Day cook something outrageously and delightfully self-indulgent-blowing both the budget and the diet. What greater token of affection can a man or woman present to their Valentine than cooking a spectacular meal and then serving it up with all the sensual staging: soft music, flickering candles, fragrant flowers and good Champagne. There's only one problem-it all takes time. This year February 14 falls on a Saturday, so use the with a day off from work to prepare a romantic repast. Whether you are celebrating a loving relationship or initiating one; nothing will set things moving in the right direction more effectively than Champagne. Accompany the champagne with French bread toasts topped with sour cream and caviar. Prepare to sink your teeth into a succulent rosy pepper-coated filet mignon. Choose a robust red wine such as a cabernet sauvignon to accompany the beef. Who can resist mashed potatoes when enriched and embellished with butter, cream and garlic? Nora Ephron put it very well in her novel Heartburn when she said, "I have made a lot of mistakes falling in love, and regretted most of them, but never the potatoes that went with them." Our luscious chocolate terrine is far more meaningful than any heart-shaped box of candy. Follow dessert with a steaming espresso and a snifter of Armagnac or Cognac. If you take a good look at the recipes before you start , you'll be surprised how effortless this Valentine dinner can be. The recipes are geared for two, but the dessert serves sixteen. It's not accidental: it's part of the "gift" of this meal to offer seconds on sweets (the rest can be stashed in the freezer for whenever we're in the mood). Not everything needs to be made on Valentine's Day. The Chocolate dessert, raspberry sauce, and salad dressing can be made several days in advance and refrigerated. The potatoes may be prepared a day in advance and reheated in the microwave oven. On the day of the dinner wash and dry the greens for the salad early in the day and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. A few hours before dinner, prepare the caviar toasts. Saute the vegetables while the steak is cooking.
We've provided the right kind of food for a romantic interlude, the rest is up to you.

Black and Gold Caviar Toasts

Caviar is tiny salted roe, or eggs, from sturgeon. The most prized comes from three species of sturgeon (the beluga, osetra and sevruga) found in the Caspian sea. Top quality caviar is labeled "malossol", meaning lightly salted. Let your budget be your guide in choosing what type of black caviar you purchase. Red salmon caviar may be substituted for golden caviar.
8 1/2-inch-thick slices French bread baguette
Unsalted butter at room temperature
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1 bunch chives
2 ounces golden caviar
2 ounces black caviar
Broil bread under preheated broiler until toasted on one side, about 1 minute. Spread untoasted side with butter; sprinkle with pepper. Broil buttered side until golden brown, about 1 minute. Spread sour cream over buttered and toasted side. Spoon golden caviar on half of the slice, black on the other side; garnish each slice with three chive tips and then serve.

Caesar Salad

This salad was created by Caesar Cardini in his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. Anchovies are an optional ingredient. The usual raw egg has been eliminated for food safety reasons.
The dressing is enough for six; make it all and you'll have some on hand for next time.
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, mashed to a paste (sprinkle the clove with salt and mash it with the tines of a fork)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
6 to 8 flat anchovies, mashed to a paste with a fork
Combine all ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to blend.
Salad for two:
4 cups torn Romaine leaves, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup 1-inch bread cubes, made from French bread, toasted
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Combine lettuce and bread cubes in a large salad bowl. Add enough dressing to coat the leaves (a few tablespoons), and toss to combine. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve. Makes 2 servings.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 pound Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup cream or milk
1/4 cup mild goat cheese such as Montrachet (about 2 ounces)
4 tablespoons butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine potatoes and garlic in a medium saucepan with enough salted water to cover the potatoes by 1/2 inch and simmer them, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are tender but not falling apart. While the potatoes are cooking, in a small saucepan heat the cream with the goat cheese, butter, and salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until the butter and cheese is just melted and smooth. Keep the mixture warm. Drain the potatoes and garlic and mash using a ricer, food mill, electric mixer or by hand. Add cream mixture and mix well. Season potatoes to taste.

Sauteed Carrots and Zucchini

1/2 small onion
2 carrots
1 medium zucchini
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
minced basil or parsley
Slice onion, carrots and zucchini into thin matchsticks. Heat olive oil in a medium-size skillet and saute vegetables over medium heat until tender-crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to brown the vegetables. Season with salt and garnish with basil or parsley.

Filet Mignon au Poivre

2 beef tenderloin steaks (filet mignon), each 1 inch thick (about 4 ounces each)
1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns (see note)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped shallot or red onion
3 tablespoons brandy
1/4 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard with seeds
Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the black pepper and salt on a plate, and coat the steaks with the mixture. Heat butter and oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Add steaks and cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, for medium-rare, or until desired doneness. Transfer steaks to plate; loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Add shallots to pan and saute for 30 seconds. Add brandy and stir frequently with a wooden spoon to dissolve any brown bits in the bottom of pan. Simmer for one minute to burn off alcohol. Add cream and any juices exuded by meat; reduce until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in mustard. Correct seasonings. Pour sauce onto 2 plates; place steaks on top.
Note: Seal peppercorns in a plastic bag and crush them with the side of a wide chef's knife, pressing down hard with the palm of your hand.

Triple Chocolate Terrine Serves 16

2-1/4 cups heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into 1-inch pieces
7 ounces milk chocolate, broken into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces white chocolate, broken into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raspberry sauce

Heat cream to simmer in heavy medium-size saucepan. Make sure cream doesn't boil over. Remove cream from heat and divide among three mixing bowls in these amounts: 1-1/4 cups, 1/2 cup, 1/2 cup. Stir bittersweet chocolate into 1-1/4 cups cream, whisking until smooth. Stir milk chocolate into 1/2-cup cream, whisking until smooth. Stir white chocolate into remaining 1/2 cup cream and add vanilla; stir until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until mixtures have thickened, about 3 hours. Line a 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving extra wrap handing over sides. Transfer white chocolate mixture to mixer bowl and beat until it forms soft peaks. Be careful not to overbeat. Scrape into prepared pan and chill in freezer for 5 minutes. Repeat beating process with milk chocolate mixture and spread over white chocolate mixture in loaf pan. Smooth top and freeze for 5 minutes. Repeat again with bittersweet chocolate. Spread over milk chocolate mixture, smooth top and cover with overhanging plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 3 hours. To unmoldterrine, grasp plastic wrap overhangs and lift terrine out of pan. Remove wrap and cut terrine into 1/2 inch thick slices. Spoon a pool of Raspberry Sauce onto each plate and arrange slice on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Raspberry Sauce:

1 package (10 ounces) frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Into a medium-size saucepan, press thawed raspberries through strainer. Stir in cornstarch. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring; boil 1 minute. Transfer to bowl; cover and refrigerate

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