The Co-op Food Stores

added 03/07/08

For your dinner, choose a setting that is new and different, perhaps a small table in front of the fireplace. Get out the candles—white, pink, red, rose, silver, and gold are all good color choices. Now is the time to use your freshly polished silver flatware, candlesticks, trays, or serving pieces. Mix and match dishes to complement the colors on the table. Place champagne glasses, napkins, and an ice bucket for your favorite bottle of sparkling beverage on a tray.

Fresh flowers are a must. Fill small bud vases with tulips or roses and a few greens. Or set out a pot of red tulips, wrapped in red foil and tied with a ribbon. Wrap flatware in napkins tied with a ribbon that also secures a fresh flower.

Cook ahead as much as possible. And always have dessert. It can be something you’ve made yourself, beautiful pastry from the bakery, or a special ice cream with a delicious sauce.

Check those important last minute details — logs for the fire, CDs in the stereo, lights dimmed, and candles and flowers wherever you expect your guests to be in your home. Whether you have a gathering of friends or an intimate dinner for two, make this Valentine’s Day one to remember!

Victoria Hicks

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Watercress and Goat Cheese Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Macadamia and Coconut Mahi Mahi with Jasmine Rice
Steamed Cherry Tomatoes with Dill
Walnut Mocha Torte
Champagne or sparkling beverage, if desired

Shopping List
Produce
2 small scallions
Tarragon
Chives
Parsley
Dill
2 bunches watercress
1 cucumber
1 lime
1 pint cherry tomatoes

Dairy
2 Tbs. plain yogurt
4 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
4 Tbs. butter

Cheese Department
6 oz. fresh mild goat cheese
(preferably in log form)

Seafood
11/2lbs. mahi mahi fillets

BIN Bulk
11/4cups jasmine rice
1 cup walnuts or pecans
1 cup sugar
Chocolate curls (optional)

Grocery
4 Tbs. mayonnaise
2 tsp. anchovy paste
3 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp. instant coffee crystals
1/4cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Watercress and Goat Cheese Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Serves 4

Prepare dressing and plate the salads ahead of time and refrigerate until dinner is ready.

4 Tbs. mayonnaise
2 Tbs. plain yogurt
2 tsp. anchovy paste, or to taste
3 tsp. white wine vinegar, or to taste
2 small scallions, minced
4 tsp. minced fresh tarragon
2 Tbs. minced fresh chives
2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 bunches watercress, rinsed and spun dry, coarse stems discarded
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
6 oz. log fresh mild goat cheese

In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, anchovy paste, vinegar, scallions, herbs, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate.

Divide watercress and cucumber among 4 plates. Cut goat cheese into fourths and place atop salad. Spoon dressing over salads.
—Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, July 1995

Macadamia and Coconut Mahi Mahi with Jasmine Rice and Cherry Tomatoes
Serves 4

For a beautiful presentation, prepare each plate with the rice and fish in the center, and surround with the cherry tomatoes.

11/2lbs. mahi mahi fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 lime, cut into wedges
Jasmine rice (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Rinse mahi mahi and pat dry. Cut fish diagonally into four 1-inch wide pieces and place in a single layer in a baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1/2cup of the macadamia nuts on fillets. Pour the coconut milk around the fillets. Bake 18 minutes or until opaque.

Place a spoonful of rice on each plate. Top with a piece of mahi-mahi; sprinkle the remaining nuts over the fillets, spooning coconut milk over the top. Serve with a wedge of lime.

Jasmine Rice

13/4cups water
11/4cups jasmine rice, rinsed well, drained
1/2tsp. salt

Combine water, rice, and salt in large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand covered 5 minutes. Fluff with rice with a fork before serving.

Steamed Cherry Tomatoes with Dill

1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh dill

Place the tomatoes in the upper part of the double boiler with butter, 1 tsp dill, and salt. Cover, and cook over hot water till the tomatoes are just heated through. Pour carefully into a heated serving dish and top with the additional chopped dill.

Cook’s Note: If you prefer to peel the tomatoes, pour boiling water over 1 pint cherry tomatoes. Let stand 1 minute, then plunge tomatoes into cold water. They will peel easily.
— James Beard’s American Cookery

Walnut Mocha Torte

1 cup walnuts or pecans
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
21/2tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
3/4cup sugar
1 recipe Mocha Frosting (see below)
Chocolate curls (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour two 8 × 1_-inch round baking pans.

In a medium bowl combine the walnuts or pecans, flour, and baking powder. In a blender container or food processor bowl blend eggs and sugar until smooth. Add nut mixture and blend until smooth. Spread cake batter in prepared pans. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched (center may dip slightly). Cool in pans for 10 minutes on wire racks. Remove from pans; cool completely.

Split each cake in half. Spread Mocha Frosting between layers, then frost top and sides of cake. Chill frosted cake several hours before serving. To serve, cut into wedges; top with chocolate curls and garnish with rose petals or violets, if desired.

Mocha Frosting
Makes 21/2cups

1 tsp. crushed instant coffee crystals
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/4cup unsweetened cocoa powder

In a small chilled bowl, dissolve crushed coffee crystals in whipping cream. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until slightly thickened. Add sugar and cocoa powder; beat until stiff peaks form.

— Better Homes & Gardens All-Time Best Desserts