The food of love

Saturday is Valentine’s Day. Restaurants will be booked, which is why my husband Edward and I rarely dine out on the day dedicated to love. Last week, he told me he wanted to visit the Barnes Foundation on Valentine’s Day and perhaps get a bite to eat at The Tavern or Hymie’s Deli.

I have not been to this museum, filled with impressionistic and expressionistic art, since my high-school days, when I took a much-enjoyed art history course. Edward has never been to the Barnes. Since this unusual place is filled with French art, I thought about preparing a simple French dinner to be savored by the fireplace later in the evening.

The menu will feature two dishes made famous by the French, but loved all over the world. Champagne will be chilling in the fridge and later placed in an ice bucket. This is what the French call "frappe." I recently checked our wine supply and found several bottles of 2003 Beaujolais Nouveau, which was uncommonly good last year, along with our usual stash of C�tes du Rhone, one of our favorite reds. Cognac or Cointreau will be saved for dessert.

Caviar is a sexy way to begin Valentine’s Day dinner. You don’t have to go over the top and spend a small fortune on a tiny jar. I always purchase caviar from Assouline & Ting in the Reading Terminal Market or in Liberty Place. I like caviar with blini, those darling, light little pancakes that just melt in your mouth. I don’t have the time to make them from scratch, but frozen blini can be found in gourmet shops and specialty stores.

Another good base for caviar are those small, square buttery toasts from France. Caviar also goes well on top of potato pancakes. Again, I want a lovely, quiet evening in front of a roaring fire and don’t want to start messing with frying latkes. Frozen potato pancakes can be found in supermarkets. I particularly like the Empire brand.

Asparagus have long been prized for their aphrodisiac qualities. Several weeks ago, Edward and I and a large group of friends enjoyed a delicious dinner at Le Bar Lyonnaise, located downstairs in Le Bec-Fin. My first course was braised leeks with sauce "gribiche," a classic French sauce made with chopped hard-boiled eggs and other delicious ingredients. I’ll prepare the asparagus with the sauce as a first course. Gribiche is also delicious on poached fish, particularly trout.

I thought about preparing Blanquette de veau, a French veal stew that I have not made in several years. Since this entr�e contains eggs and cream, I thought it too rich after the asparagus with sauce gribiche. Thus, a simple French veal stew brimming with artichokes, mushrooms and pearl onions will be prepared the day before Valentine’s Day. All I have to do is reheat it gently as we enjoy our caviar.

A selection of French cheeses, such as Roquefort, Morbier and Camembert, is in order here. Since Edward and I will spend the day gazing at glorious works by Renoir, Manet, Monet, Matisse, Degas, C�zanne and a host of others, cool, luscious Anjou pears — in homage to C�zanne’s masterful still lifes — will accompany the cheese.

I used to love big, rich chocolate desserts, but find them much too much after a hearty meal. Chocolates or truffles will keep me most happy with a snifter of Cognac.

Since we will be dining on the coffee table by the fireplace, a romantic movie will be in order. My choice? Casablanca, mais certainment! Pass the Kleenex, please.

Here are recipes for Valentine’s Day.

Asparagus with Sauce Gribiche

Ingredients:

12 spears fresh asparagus

3 hardboiled eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped chervil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Vinegar or lemon juice, to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place the asparagus in a single layer in a frying pan. Cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. While they cook, make the gribiche.

Separate the whites from the yolks. Place the yolks, Dijon mustard and herbs in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth. While the blender or food processor is running, slowly dribble the olive oil in a steady stream. The mixture should look like mayonnaise. Place the mixture in a bowl and season to taste with lemon juice or vinegar. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Place the egg whites in the blender or food processor. Using the pulse button, chop the egg whites. Add them to the sauce gribiche and blend.

When ready to serve, drain the asparagus and place six on two warm salad plates. Top with sauce gribiche.

Note from Phyllis: Recipe can be easily doubled.

Veal Ragout

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless veal shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large clove garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1 (32-ounce) package beef stock or 2 (15-ounce) cans beef stock
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
12 small boiling onions, peeled and trimmed

6 large white mushroom caps, wiped clean and sliced
1 (15-ounce) can artichoke hearts, rinsed thoroughly in a colander under cold water, drained, each artichoke cut in half

Directions:

Dry the veal cubes thoroughly using paper towels. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan and, using tongs, brown the veal, a few pieces at a time, on all sides. Remove the browned veal to a 4-quart enamel on iron or heavy casserole. When all the veal is browned, discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the frying pan.

Turn the heat to low and add the garlic, stirring for about one minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for about two minutes. Stir in the stock, thyme, kosher salt, pepper and tomato paste, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen all the brown bits. Add the sauce to the veal in the casserole, bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add the onions, bring back to a slow boil and cook for 20 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for five minutes. Add the artichoke hearts, return to a low boil and cook for five minutes.

Serves four.

Note from Phyllis: I always have a tube of tomato paste in my refrigerator. This handy way to package tomato paste was invented in Italy. The Italians were wise to send it to us. The tomato paste keeps indefinitely. You can find tubes of tomato paste in gourmet stores, cheese shops such as Di Bruno’s and Claudio’s, and in some supermarkets. Although Edward and I will enjoy the veal ragout on Valentine’s Day evening, I always make enough ragout so we can enjoy leftovers. Ragout is the French word for meat stew and is not to be confused with the Italian "ragu," which is a Bolognese meat sauce.