Local Foods

I just realized what my Valentine's Day was missing. For a few years there I was the happy recipient of a Belgian endive bouquet, complete with a big red satin ribbon tied in a bow, from the California endive growers. It was the kind of crazy, kitchy marketing move that I found rather endearing, and since I love the bitter, bitter leaves of endive, I always made good use of the many endive heads in the bouquet. One year I won a food trivia contest. Among the many available prizes I managed to score the giant box of endives. I was beyond thrilled.

I'm off to the market to buy my own endives. They will, alas, lack the charming bouquet form (somehow a plastic produce bag doesn't have the same pizazz, does it?), but I will put them to good use. I had a grandmother who claimed she could eat 12 ears of sweet corn when she was young. That seems nuts, but I can easily down a dozen heads of Braised Belgian Endive. No problem.

Braised endive doesn't sound quite right to you tonight? Check out these other endive recipes to find something more suitable.

I will admit to mixed feelings, at best, about this holiday. It seems a bit designed to make single people feel bad. That said, I wish those who are celebrating it a very happy one -- I've even pulled together these seasonal Valentine's Day menu ideas. My philosophy for a romantic meal? Keep it simple (there is nothing romantic about an exhausted cook) and keep it light (that "stuffed" feeling is not romantic by any stretch of the imagination).

A pink salad is a fun twist on the lamb chops, oysters, and chocolate so typical of Valentine's Day. Raddichio (as in this Radicchio Salad) is one option. Beets salads (as in one of these 10 Fabulous Beet Salads), are another way to go. The bright magenta creation to the left? That's a surprisingly delicious Beet Yogurt Salad.

Tapioca Pudding may well be my ultimate comfort food. It is so cozy and sweet and lovely. I really crave it this time of year, when the cold winds blow and the nights still get dark a bit earlier than I'd like. It comes in handy when trying to shut out the world, when you want to just get snuggly on the couch and read or watch a movie and stay in. Tapioca may not be available form local sources, but this Tapioca Pudding Recipe makes excellent use of the fine local eggs and milk I manage to procure.

Chocolate may be the traditional Valentine's Day dessert, but I vastly prefer a platter of wonderfully tender homemade marshmallows. It's true! You can make marshmallows! And, like so many things, they are so much better than what you can buy. It's a great weekend baking project, especially if your sweetie will appreciate the sweets that result. I've broken it down, with plenty of pictures to guide your way, in How to Make Marshmallows.

Thinking of shucking some oysters this weekend (or next Tuesday) in the name of romance and Valentine's Day? Great idea, at least if you wanted to romance me (although my husband just might object). The slurpy texture and mineral texture and non-filling effect of oysters is divine. Check out How to Shuck Oysters - I walk you through the process step-by-step. Have no idea how to serve them once they are shucked? Well, I have a few ideas for you: Simple and Delicious Oyster Sauces.

Not sure where to get good oysters? Check with a local fishmonger who can tell you where their oysters were harvested. I can't help but mention that if you're looking for a special gift oyster lovers will welcome the "Cupid's Package" from Taylor Shellfish Farms as part of their Valentine's Day celebration. Packages come with either 2 or 4 dozen oysters (6 or a dozen each of Totten Inlet Virginicas, Totten Inlet Pacifics, Kumamotos, and Olympias), an oyster knife, and a copy of "How to Eat an Oyster" a wonderfully bivalvophiliac essay by Jon Rowley.

See more Valentine's Day Gifts.

Other people can have all the chocolate and peanut butter they want, for me two great things that taste great together are cauliflower and fritters. I'm sort of joking but also actually serious. I love cauliflower and I love fritters and making one from the other brings a smile to my face. It also perks up mealtime in this most challenging of local eating times: winter's end. These Cauliflower Fritters are easy - just steam the cauliflower, mash it lightly into the fritter mixture, and fry up little pancake-like delights. A splash of hot sauce or this Cilantro Mint Chutney are nice additions, and I've been known to serve the fritters on a bed of arugula to fancy things up a bit.

Have you seen them around yet? In a small basket in the produce section perhaps? Tiny orange kumquats are small citrus fruits with a very tender peel that is completely edible. Eat them out of hand, add them to a salad (this Endive Kumquat Salad is a favorite of mine), or make these Honeyed Preserved Kumquats and spoon them over ice cream or plain yogurt. Learn more Ways to Use Kumquats.

Sparkling wine, champagne, prosecco, cava - whatever you want to call it, those festive, giddy bubbles scream romance with every burst. (The carbonation actually speeds along the effects of the alcohol, which may explain some behavior you or yours have exhibited at weddings past....) If you have a good champagne merchant near you, great; if not try D&M Liquor in San Francisco -- there is still time to order for next Tuesday. They are most definitely my champagne dealer of choice. They carry dozens and dozens of different champagnes at any time and can help you pick something more interesting, more fun, and, dare we say, more romantic than what you might find at the supermarket. (See more Valentine's Day Gifts.)

Don't want to go to such trouble or expense? Check out the Champagne Cocktails in this Valentine's Day Menu for ways to use the cheap stuff to delicious effect (such as the Kir Royales pictured here).

Many people will be glued to a television today. Others will choose to spend that time cranking out delicious treats. Yearning for some time in the kitchen but want to please the beer-laden crowd in the living room? Try Homemade French Fries. Insanely delicious, wonderfully fluffy on the inside, amazingly crispy on the outside.