No Fuss Valentine's Meals to Impress Your Sweetheart

Valentine's Day is the perfect day to pamper your partner and to show your love through food. I'll be giving you recipes over the next week for meals you can make for your sweetheart that won't keep you in the kitchen fussing, and won't break the bank. And because the big day falls on a Saturday this year, you can be sure there will be breakfast in bed.

This year we tried something a little different and asked TreeHugger and Planet Green writers from around the world what their green fantasy Valentine's dinner would be. Their input definitely influenced my recipes and I'll use some of their ideas over the week. I was really impressed with their responses and I'd like to share them with you.

Paula Alvarado in Buenos Aires suggested that French Toast would be romantic, because it's something her boyfriend can make. For dinner she wants something involving Camembert cheese. Blythe Copeland in Great Neck, New York picked up on the romance of having your husband do the cooking (and the dishes). She wanted something that was easy enough for her husband to make while she sipped wine, or something they could make together.

Jaymi Heimbuch in Santa Maria, California is taking advantage of her locale by making a caprice using organic California tomatoes, mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, basil and balsamic, with toasted slices of a whole wheat baguette. In the spirit of my farmer's market posts, she is waiting to find out what comes in her CSA box to make along side her poached tilapia.

Matthew McDermott in Brooklyn suggests an Indian dinner with Lemon rice, Garlic-Chili Chutney, Aloo Mattar which is made with peas, red potatoes, tomatoes, onion, chili, ginger, spices and Chickpea Flour Crepes.

April Streeter in Gothenberg, Sweden celebrates her partner's birthday on the 12th, but she weighs in for that meal with sustainably harvested kumamoto oysters on the half shelf with champagne vinegar mignonette, homemade bread with bretagne butter or some other sea-salt butter, or some decadent triple-cream cheese, roasted root vegetables tossed with olive oil and celtic sea salt and pan-fried fish with parsley and lemon.

Nicole Willner from Brooklyn suggests a romantic dinner of food that reflects her and her partner's love. She was afraid it was cheesy, but I say, it's Valentine's Day so go right ahead.

Healthy: A colorful melody of roasted vegetables including beets, squash, string beans, fennel.

Robust: Lots of garlic, onions and herbs to cook all of the item in- thyme, oregano, sage.

Satisfying: Organic, Grass-fed lamb roasted with cumin, cardamom, turmeric, coriander and mint.

Sweet: Cous Cous tossed with apricots and raisins.

Jeff Nield from Vancouver, British Columbia says he isn't sure how much of a Valentine's day there will be at his house with a baby, a toddler and a mother-in-law staying in the basement. Hey Jeff, I'd send the kids downstairs with Grandma, and then you've got it made. For breakfast he suggests waffles with local organic whipped cream and a strawberry sauce made with frozen organic berries from peak season reduced with maple syrup to sweeten them. For dinner he'd have salmon from his local fisherfolks, perhaps baked with dried cranberry and honey along with with whatever root vegetables look good from farmers' market that day. He'd also saute some winter greens with garlic and pine nuts or maybe roasted almonds.

Heather Sperling from Chicago writes that finger food is a must on V-day—all the better for feeding tasty little bites to whomever you're with... Oysters are her perfect starter, with mignonette or James Beard-style on a bit of brown bread with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of caviar (sustainably raised American paddlefish roe is a good bet). She suggests the company Rappahannock River Oysters that's working to get Chesapeake oysters back on the market in a sustainable way. For a main course, fresh pasta with a lemon cream sauce, topped with more of the caviar (few things are sexier than making fresh pasta. The silky dough, the kneading, the satisfaction of rolling it out...). I quite agree.

Sara Novak of Columbia, South Carolina is making a salad of local greens with roasted hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds, and local goat cheese from Split Creek Farms. She's also having a local white fish in parchment paper atop tons of fresh local vegetables in a sesame ginger sauce.

That brings us to dessert, which means lots of chocolate. Our writers suggested creme brule, chocolate fondue, Martha Stewart's chocolate mousse made with organic eggs and cream, mint brownies made with local eggs and milk and organic ice cream on top, and a variety of things to be dipped in dark chocolate.

I picked up on the finger food and chocolate dips and made Caramel Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur de Sel. I know I promised recipes that aren't fussy and this is the only one which is, but imagine how surprised the object of your desire will be to find out that you made them chocolates with your own hands. The chocolate I used for the inside of the truffle was a bit too strong and it overpowered the caramel flavour, so go with a lighter chocolate on the inside and then you can go with as dark a chocolate as you like for the coating. You can make these up to a week in advance, but don't leave it to the last minute, because they need to sit overnight.

Caramel Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur de Sel

20 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, divided

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

2/3 cup whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Additional fleur de sel

1. Place 8 ounces chocolate in metal bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water); stir until chocolate is smooth. Remove chocolate from over water.

2. Combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in small saucepan. Leave it over a low heat until sugar dissolves, then increase heat and boil until syrup is deep amber color, about 4 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Stir over very low heat until caramel is smooth and thickened. Mix caramel and 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel into melted chocolate. Chill until truffle filling is firm, at least 3 hours.

3. Place cocoa in bowl. Using 1 tablespoon truffle filling for each truffle, roll into balls, then roll in cocoa. (I actually used a melon baller and had half circles)Arrange on baking sheet. Cover; chill overnight.

4. Place a sheet of foil or wax paper under a cake rack. Place remaining 12 ounces chocolate in medium metal bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water); stir until chocolate is melted and smooth and thermometer inserted into chocolate registers 115°F. Remove bowl from over water. Working quickly, submerge 1 truffle in melted chocolate. Using fork, lift out truffle and tap fork against side of bowl to allow excess coating to drip off. Transfer truffle to rack. Repeat with remaining truffles. Sprinkle truffles lightly with additional fleur de sel before the chocolate hardens. Let stand until coating sets, at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Adapted from Bon Appetit, January, 2004