Menu: Valentine's Day Soiree

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Menu: Valentine's Day Soiree

 

Recipe By : Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Entertaining, page 11

Serving Size : 2 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Menus

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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Artichokes with Rouille à la Provençale

Beet and Watercress Bisque

Exotic Greens

with Kiwi-Honey Vinaigrette

Bow-Tie Pasta with Wild Mushrooms

and Fresh Tomato Sauce

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries Coated

with Hazelnuts

 

See separate recipes.

 

This Valentine's dinner promises to seduce the appetite with sultry and

adventurous flavors. This feast begins with Artichokes with Rouille à la

Provençale, a roasted sweet pepper sauce redolent with the perfume of

garlic. The artichoke leaves are dipped into the sauce one at a time;

every bite is savored. Roasting the bell peppers gives them a soft texture

and smoky flavor. Add the jalapeño pepper if you like your food with a kick.

 

The artichoke ritual is followed by Beet and Watercress Bisque, a stunning

magenta-hued soup endowed with herbal nuances and a sophisticated presence.

 

Love is often unpredictable and so are some of the best meals. In the

middle of this epicurean performance comes Exotic Greens with Kiwi-Honey

Vinaigrette, a salad designed to entice the palate with light, fruity flavors.

 

Then comes the piece de resistance: Bow-Tie Pasta with Wild Mushrooms and

Fresh Tomato Sauce. It is fitting that tomatoes, once called pomme d'amour

( " the apple of love " ) in French, play a role in a meal with Cupid hovering

about. Fresh tomato sauce has an untamed quality to it and is much more

wholesome and rustic than conventional commercial sauces. The wild

mushrooms give this sauce an earthy resonance with uncommonly good

flavors. For a change of pace, feta cheese makes a tasty topping.

 

The Valentine's feast culminates in Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries Coated

with Hazelnuts, a divine treat sure to inspire love at first bite. Large

strawberries are both aesthetically pleasing and a pleasure to devour,

especially when dipped in melted chocolate and rolled in chopped nuts.

 

Overall, the menu makes the most of do-ahead opportunities, leaving you

time to enjoy the company as well as the food. An intimate dinner enjoyed

at home can be far more rewarding than a night spent out in the midst of

jostling crowds, noisy traffic, and overbooked restaurants.

 

1 DAY BEFORE: Make the Beet and Watercress Bisque and Kiwi-Honey

Vinaigrette for the salad and refrigerate.

 

3 TO 4 HOURS BEFORE: Make the rouille for the Artichokes with Rouille à la

Provençale and refrigerate. Toss the salad and refrigerate.

 

1 ½ HOURS BEFORE: Dip the strawberries in chocolate for the

dessert. Store in the refrigerator.

 

1 HOUR BEFORE: Cook the artichokes.

 

30 MINUTES BEFORE: Make the wild mushroom sauce for the Bow-Tie

Pasta. Reheat the bisque.

 

15 TO 20 MINUTES BEFORE: Cook the bow-tie pasta.

 

DINNERTIME: Serve the Artichokes with Rouille à la Provençale as the first

course, followed by the Beet and Watercress Bisque, then the Exotic Greens

with Kiwi-Honey Vinaigrette.

 

Keep the Bow-Tie Pasta with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Tomato Sauce warm on

the stovetop. Just before serving, top the pasta with sauce and

cheese. After a brief respite, bring out the Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Coated with Hazelnuts with champagne or coffee.

 

WHAT YOUR GUESTS CAN BRING: Roses, champagne, and chocolate are welcome,

but not necessarily in that order.

 

Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Entertaining, by the editors of Vegetarian

Times. Menus and Recipes by Jay Solomon.

 

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