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a Valentine's day menu

mixed greens with clementine, almond and pomegranate seeds
The ancient Egyptians regarded pomegranates as an aphrodisiac food, making the fruit a perfect choice for a Valentine’s day meal. For cynical sorts who don’t believe in such things, the seeds also make a beautiful accent for salad; they have a great texture and lovely tangy flavor too.

4 cups or so mixed greens, rinsed and dried well
1 clementine
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds*, or more if you like
2 Tbsps. sliced almonds

orange vinaigrette
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. honey
¼ tsp. country Dijon mustard
plenty of salt and pepper to taste

time 5 minutes
serves 2

* You can often find pomegranate seeds at Trader Joes. Alternatively, if you find a whole pomegranate, you can get the seeds out yourself. It’s a little bit of work, but kinda fun. About.com has a handy picture tutorial.

1 Make the dressing: combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. Set aside.

2 In a dry skillet, toss the almonds. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Slide the toasted almonds into a bowl.

3 Wash and thoroughly dry your greens. Peel the clementine, removing as much of the stringy white bits as possible. Separate the sections. Now use a sharp paring knife to gently remove the membrane from each section; you might find you need to leave a little bit along the “spine” to help keep the shape intact.

4 Give your dressing another good whisk. Now toss the greens with as much dressing as needed to coat well; taste and add more salt if needed. Divide the greens across two plates; top with clementine sections, pomegranate seeds and sliced almonds.

pan-seared scallops with grapes and almonds
The sweet-tart flavors of sautéed grapes paired with nutty almonds makes for a yummy, rich sauce that accents the mild brininess of fresh scallops. Serve with steamed jasmine or basmati rice to sop up all the tasty juices.

3 Tbsp. butter
12 large sea scallops
1/2 a shallot
½ cup black or red seedless grapes
1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. country Dijon mustard
¼ cup of sliced almonds
big splash of white wine
fresh Italian parsley for garnish

time 15 minutes
serves 2

1 Quarter the grapes. Peel and mince the shallot. Chop up the parsley (enough to yield a tablespoon or so). Now, in a dry skillet toast, toast the sliced almonds over medium heat until lightly browned. Set the almonds aside. Mix the lemon juice, brown sugar and mustard together in a small bowl.

2 Sprinkle the scallops with plenty of salt and pepper all over. Heat 2 Tbsp. of butter in a skillet that’s large enough to accommodate all your scallops, over medium-high. When the butter starts to brown, arrange the scallops in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes per side (2 minutes if the scallops seem on the smaller side). The scallops should be nicely browned and just cooked-through in the middle (make a small slice in a larger one to check for doneness). Transfer to a baking dish and cover with foil. Set aside.

3 Lower the heat to medium and add another Tbsp. of butter to the pan. Saute the shallot and grapes for a minute or two, until the shallot is soft and the mixture sizzly-aromatic. Stir in a big splash of white wine, and scrape up any browned bits that have accumulated from searing the scallops. Now add the lemon juice, brown sugar and mustard mixture, along with any scallop juices that have accumulated from the resting scallops. Let the mixture come to a bubble, then stir in the almonds and parsley.

4 To serve, divide the scallops and spoon on the sauce, all over a bed of steamed rice.

crème brûlée
Though I’m a chocoholic myself, the boy’s dessert weakness is anything rich and custardy. This classic caramel-custard dessert is surprisingly easy to put together; you can do most of the work the night before if you like, leaving more time to relax and enjoy your meal come Valentine’s Day itself.

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
2 large egg yolks
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
about 4 tsps. brown sugar
fresh berries for garnish

equipment: 2 6-oz. ovenproof custard cups, plus a high-sided baking pan large enough to accommodate the cups

time 20 minutes, plus chilling and final caramelizing
yields 2

1 Preheat the oven to 350F.

2 Pour the milk and cream into a small pot, and heat over medium-high until small bubbles start to form. Remove from heat and set aside.

3 Beat the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla in a small mixing bowl. Add about half of the hot milk mixture and stir well to combine; pour the whole shebang back into the pot along with the rest of the milk mixture. Over medium-low heat, cook the custard, stirring frequently, until you have a mixture that’s thickened enough to heavily coat the back of a spoon. This will take about 10-15 minutes.

4 Divide the custard between the two custard cups. Place the cups in your baking pan, and fill the pan with boiling water, to about 1” from the top of the cups. Slide it all carefully into the oven, and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the custard has just set. Remove the cups from the pan, let cool at room temperature for a half or so, then chill in the fridge for 2 more hours, or until the next day even (if you’re chilling overnight, once the cups are cool, it’s good to cover with plastic wrap to avoid picking up other flavors from your fridge).

5 When you’re almost ready to serve dessert, arrange a rack in the top of your oven and preheat the broiler. Sprinkle about 2 tsps of brown sugar atop each custard, enough to completely cover the surface. Place the custard cups back into the baking pan you used earlier; surround with ice. When the broiler’s all heated up, slide in the pan and broil for 2-5 minutes, until the sugar has just melted and lightly browned. Keep an eye on the custards while they’re in the broiler, turning the custards as needed to cook evenly, as sugar goes from caramelized to burnt VERY quickly. Serve with a generous smattering of fresh berries.

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