Road To Valentine's Day: Get your local chocolate on
LOVE COVERED IN CHOCOLATE >>>
Label me a sentimental fool, but I confess up front to having an affinity for St. Valentine's Day that is hopelessly and helplessly romantic. Sure it's become a "Hallmark Holiday," but it's also a time of year when the imagination is the limit to the range of seductive attire, playthings and, of course, food available to woo your loved one. If M.F.K. Fisher is correct - and she always is - "gastronomy is and always has been connected with its sister art of love."
Dining with a loved one on Valentine's Day requires keen attention to the lust factor. Pot roast just isn't going to get the job done; you've got to dine with flair!
Of course, this can mean a number of things, from splurging at a fancy restaurant to a mountain outing with a backpack full of pate, nuts, fruit, cheese and a good bottle of vino. If you are cooking your way into someone's heart this Valentine's Day, you may as well throw out the calorie counters. It's best, on this special day, to err on the side of decadence. Sensual foodstuffs like asparagus and mangos (eaten sans utensils, of course) or oysters, are always good bets to get Cupid's arrows quivering.
