Cuisine: The sweetest celebration of all

Old wives' tales say that "if a young lady dreams of a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, she will marry a sailor. Be it a sparrow, she will marry a poor man and be very happy. If the bird be a goldfinch, she will marry a wealthy man."

No comment as to whether this will make her happy.

In the ancient Roman calendar, Feb. 14 was the festival of Lupercalia, devoted to Juno, queen of the goddesses.

It also honored wives and marriage. The origin of our celebration is obscure. There were three Christian men named Valentine who were martyred by the Romans in different places and at different times.

Some scholars think the inspiration for the modern holiday was a man imprisoned and later executed by Emperor Claudius. He is supposed to have left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter who had befriended him, signed "From Your Valentine."

A fanciful tale, and perhaps it's true.

In A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius adroitly began substituting a church celebration in place of the old pagan festival, a method often employed by early religious leaders. Chaucer noted that birds began to choose mates at this auspicious time, and in the French and English literature of the Middle Ages, the custom of sending love notes and little gifts was mentioned.

This became a hallowed tradition, reaching its height in the Victorian era.

Somewhere along the way, a diabolical artist devised the comic valentines of our youth, now collector's items. When we saw the valentine box appear at the front of the room in grade school, we could count on receiving several of these hateful messages with the ugliest drawings imaginable.

Fortunately, high school brought a return to the happy customs of old. At age 14, I treasured a heart-shaped locket of make-believe gold with a tiny photo of my boyfriend in it. Today this romantic date is often marked with engagements or weddings, and is much appreciated by florists and card and candy manufacturers.

You still have six days to do something about this.

Let us turn our attention to food associated with the date.

Candy has been mentioned, but many other ideas come to mind for a romantic dinner.

Think of champagne! It might be the first time since New Year's Eve that the thought has crossed your mind.

Flowers are in order, of course — either a bouquet or a corsage, depending on your plans for the evening.

For a big production, consider the following menu — actually a simple one if you take advantage of your nearest market.

Cold shrimp with cocktail sauce

Grilled steaks or lamb chops

Stuffed baked potatoes

Green vegetables of choice

Cranberry spinach salad

Hot rolls with herb butter

White chocolate mousse

Espresso and cordials

All of the above is self-explanatory except for the dessert and salad (fresh spinach with Craisins, crumbled feta cheese, sliced red onion and vinaigrette dressing). The recipe for the dessert is as follows.

White chocolate mousse

This recipe, from a famous restaurant in Ohio, is easy to make and sinfully delicious. It serves eight.

6 ounces white chocolate

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 egg whites

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 pint whipping cream

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a heavy pan over low heat, melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat and stir in the syrup. The mixture will be very thick.

In a bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Gently add the chocolate mixture to the egg whites.

In another bowl, beat the cream until fairly thick, then gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Fold the white chocolate mixture into the cream, then cover and chill for three to 24 hours.

Serve with bittersweet sauce and garnish with a wedge of chocolate bar if desired.

For sauce:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

4 ounces whipping cream

Melt the chocolate in a heavy pan over low heat. Remove from the stove, add the whipping cream and serve immediately.

Chocolate usually plays a big part in this holiday. Here's a novel idea if you're grilling beef or lamb for the big dinner.

In Morocco, they use a dry rub of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, dry mustard and powdered cocoa. If you feel adventurous, try it out.

For more conventional ideas, here are some sweet treats you can whip up to surprise somebody.

Homemade candy bars

1 bag mini-marshmallows

1 can peanuts of your choice

1 small package milk chocolate chips

1 small package butterscotch chips

1 cup smooth peanut butter

Combine the marshmallows and peanuts in a bowl. In a saucepan, melt together over low heat the chocolate and butterscotch chips and the peanut butter. Cool slightly and stir in the marshmallows and nuts.

Spoon into a 9-by-13-inch sprayed pan and spread evenly. Chill in the refrigerator and cut into "bars" to serve.

Mocha fudge

For those of you who really want something indulgent without so many calories, here's a modern version of an old favorite. This contains 25 percent less fat than conventional recipes.

3 cups reduced-fat chocolate chips

14-ounce can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

3 tablespoons chocolate extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon powdered instant coffee

Nutmeats (optional)

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate with the condensed milk. Remove from the heat and stir in the extracts and coffee.

Line an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick coating. Spread the fudge in the pan and chill for two hours or until firm.

Turn the fudge out onto a cutting surface, remove the foil and cut into squares. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Cranberry and white chocolate cookies

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups oats

1-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 ounces Craisins

2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Mix in order and drop by rounded teaspoons on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on racks.

This makes 30 cookies.

It bears repeating: Always chill cookie dough before arranging it on baking sheets.

When using two sheets, rotate halfway through the baking time by reversing the pans on the top and bottom shelves and turning them around.

The cookies will be much more uniform this way.