Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day rolls around once again. If the notion of sitting in a crowded restaurant isn’t quite your idea of romance, self-catering motivated by the love in your heart is the perfect way to say ‘I love you.’ Here are five Valentine’s Day ideas that will make your homemade dinner for two special.

Forget the calories, enjoy yourself and don’t forget dessert this Valentine’s Day.

Valentine's Fondue

Feeding the object of your desire can be sensual, presenting fondue as a fun and appealing experience. A fondue of cheeses accompanied by crudités and chunks of crusty bread from the bakery is a savoury option. Fondue comprised of bite-sized pieces of beef or seafood dipped into a melting pot of indulgent sauce is also scrumptious.

Sweet fondues consist of smooth melted chocolate, cream and perhaps with a hint of liqueur to add another flavour dimension. Include strawberries, bananas, kiwis, pound cake and shortbread cookies for dipping. Pop open a bottle of champagne to accompany and you will have a romantic dining experience ahead.

Another hand feeding menu can be composed of platters bearing elegant nibbles. Oysters Rockefeller could grace one serving plate.

A cheese board with a compliment of cheeses becomes another appetizing palette.

Include three cheeses of differing styles: a hard cheese, such as aged Gouda or Comte, a soft cheese such as Delice de Bourgogne, and a blue cheese such as Gorgonzola, Stilton or Roquefort.

Add an array of colourful and exotic fruits such as grapes, figs, Bosc pears and apricots.

Complete the arrangement with selections of crackers or crisp breads.

Chocolate truffles are the perfect ending to this tantalizing tidbit buffet.

If you envision a more traditional repast, pasta dressed decadent Alfredo sauce and studded with tender morsels of lobster brings the romance of Italy to your table. Lobster is made affordable when only purchasing for two. Because it is dispersed throughout this heavy entrée you can get away with simply purchasing a pair of lobster tails.

Shrimp scampi with its dripping garlicky butter nectar served atop a bed of bow tie pasta is an elegant alternative.

All you will need to accompany either of these rich entrées is a salad, some fresh Italian bread, the champagne libation and, of course, dessert.

Red Velvet Cake

INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE

½ cup shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces Red Food Coloring
2 TBL cocoa (heaping)
1 cup buttermilk
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp white vinegar

INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTING

3 TBL flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE)

DIRECTIONS FOR CAKE

• Cream shortening, sugar and eggs
  
• Make a paste of the food coloring and cocoa
  
• Add to creamed mixture
  
• Add buttermilk – alternating with flour and salt
  
• Add vanilla
  
• Add soda to vinegar
  
• Blend in to mixture
  
• Pour into 3 or 4 greased and floured 8″ pans
  
• Bake at 350 F. for 24-30 minutes
  
• Frost layers and cake with frosting
  

DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING

• Slowing add milk to flour – make sure no lumps
  
• Cook flour and milk, stirring constantly, until very thick
  
• Cool completely
  
• Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy
  
• Add to the cooked mixture
  
• Beat on high speed until very fluffy
  

If you would like a printable version of this recipe

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Pecan Linzer Cookies  Cherry Filling

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup cherry jam, strained 

Directions
Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl; set aside. Pulse pecans, confectioners’ sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor until finely ground (but not wet); transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.Add butter and granulated sugar; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in vanilla and egg. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until combined. Halve dough; shape into disks. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Cut out squares with a 2-inch fluted cutter. Cut out centers of half the squares with a 1/2-inch heart cutter; reroll scraps. Space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake squares and hearts until pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.Meanwhile, heat jam in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced and thickened, about 7 minutes; let cool.Sprinkle cutout cookies with confectioners’ sugar. Spread jam onto uncut squares; top with cutout ones. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Martha always has just the right recipe for the right occasion. This is definitely a cookie I will make again.

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