Tables For Two - Paring down the shopping list and economizing on preparation are the keys to efficient cooking for two--especially on St. Valentine’s Day.

Entertaining your sweetie with a Valentine’s Day supper for two?

You’ve come to the right place. We have several menus that will help you win the war of the roses via the tummy, if such is your design. And who said planning supper wasn’t romantic?

Cooking for two--especially on St. Valentine’s Day--is the science of paring down the shopping list to essentials and economizing on the logistics of turning out a meal. After all, you don’t want to spend all your energy on the planning and execution stage of a menu on this special day.

First, some words about cooking for two in general: although many more markets today sell products packaged for one or two, you’ll often save money and time by purchasing and cooking larger quantities than needed for a single meal. However, some foods, such as fish and meat, are hardly worth taking up precious storage space, since they are easily available in small quantities at prices that do not vary much from larger cuts--unless you do the cutting yourself.

There are times, however, when it is advisable to buy enough for two or three meals, using one and storing the rest for use at a later time. It’s more efficient and energy-saving, for instance, to prepare casseroles of all kinds, rice and sometimes creamed pasta dishes by the batch and apportion them to suit your needs for use over a period of time.

When preparing freezable desserts, why not make several and store remainders for use later in the week or month? Be sure to label all packages, noting content and date prepared.

Whatever the menu, you want to be sure to have everything on the table at the proper moment. Or, if you’re planning a cooking session for two, organization of the ingredients and recipe requirements are a must for smooth sailing. So each menu is designed with some last-minute--as well as do-ahead--tactics in mind.

For instance, in the Tuna for Two Menu, you can easily prepare the salad and rice ahead of time. The table is set, and the sake is being kept warm on a warming tray or in a hot water bath. Even the plates can be garnished ahead, awaiting completion. The only last-minute work is grilling the fish and mushrooms.

Cooking the steak at the last moment is the idea behind the Steak Lover’s Menu because it can involve team effort. It’s a romantic menu requiring table-side cooking and serving with the added bonus of flaming the steak for spectacular finale. You may want to practice flaming foods on the stove before you attempt it table-side. And keep flamable objects out of the line of fire.

All the ingredients are set on a tray and off you go. You also saute the mushroom caps and Brussels sprouts at the table. The potatoes are prepared ahead and kept warm in the oven or zapped in the microwave at the last moment. You can prepare the Mock Caesar Salad ahead and dress it at the last moment. Purchase the tarts and have the coffee made and kept warm while you dine.

For the Seascape Supper, prepare the Won Ton Nibbles ahead and reheat to serve warm. Scallops should be stir-fried at the last moment. In fact, the dish makes a fine let’s-do-it-together dish for lovers. The rice is also a do-ahead dish and so is the sherbet, which is frozen in heart-shaped molds. You can have the tea waiting to be served from an attractive thermos, if necessary.

For the Tex-Mex Breakfast for Two, try a do-it-yourself breakfast tray idea by having tortillas and filling ingredients for the burritos on a warming tray. The Mexican sweetbreads can be purchased ahead, leaving only the Bloody Margaritas for the last moment.

The Latin Lovers’ Supper requires the handiwork of dedicated cooks who love to putter in the kitchen. However, most of the dishes, except for the grilled prawns, can be made ahead. And that includes the heart-shaped ravioli, the salad and the tiramisu.

TUNA FOR TWO

Warm Sake for Two

Grilled Yellowtail Tuna With Daikon and Wasabi

Grilled Shiitake Mushrooms

Japanese Salad

Steamed Rice

Ginger Ice Cream With Wafer Cookies

Tea for Two

Marinate the tuna several hours before grilling. Assemble the salad separately from dressing early in the day. Steam the rice early in the day. It will keep until dinner time. Purchase the ginger ice cream and add a wafer cookie to each serving just before serving. Tea can be served with dessert or during the meal if abstaining from sake. Sake can be kept warm on warming tray or in a container filled halfway with hot water.

STEAK LOVER’S MENU

Martinis for two

Steak Diane

Small Peppered Baked Potatoes

Sauteed Mushroom Caps and Brussels Sprouts

Mock Caesar Salad

Apple or Berry Tart

Filter Coffee

Brandy

Martinis are on the tray and ready to pour when the guest arrives. The steak Diane ingredients are waiting to be used at table-side. Potatoes, jackets rubbed with salt, pepper and olive oil, are baking in the microwave or oven, timed to finish cooking when ready to serve. The mushroom caps and Brussels sprouts can be microwaved in their own serving dish or sauteed at the table after cooking the steak. Purchase the tarts and keep the coffee in a handsome thermos to serve with brandy after dinner.

SEASCAPE SUPPER

Champagne

Fried Won Ton Strips

Scallop Stir-Fry

Steamed Rice

Heart Shaped Raspberry Sherbet

Black Tea

The fried and salted won ton strips can be prepared ahead and re-crisped in the oven before serving. Have stir-fry ingredients ready to cook when guest arrives. This could be done in the kitchen or at the table over a brazier. Prepare steamed rice in electric steamer earlier in the day. Use store-bought sherbet and refreeze in heart-shaped molds.

TEX-MEX BREAKFAST FOR TWO

Bloody Margaritas

Mango and Papaya compote

Breakfast Chicken Burritos

Mexican Sweet Breads

Mexican Cocoa or Coffee

The burritos can be prepared in advance and reheated in the microwave, or filling ingredients and tortillas can be arranged self-service fashion on a tray for making your own burritos. Prepare the fruit compote by cutting papaya and mango into cubes and sprinkling with lemon or lime juice. Chill until ready to use. Purchase the Mexican breads and have the coffee or cocoa ready in a ceramic pot. Have ingredients for Bloody Margaritas ready to use on a tray when the guest arrives.

LATIN LOVERS’ SUPPER

Chianti Classico

Carpaccio-Arugula Salad

Sweetheart Ravioli

Grilled Prawns

Strawberry Tiramisu

Espresso

Prepare the ravioli ahead of time and reheat in a microwave oven or on the stove over low heat. The salad can also be prepared in advance. Chill or freeze the tiramisu until ready to serve. This leaves only the prawns to prepare at the last moment. To grill the prawns, marinate in a combination of lime juice and olive oil, salt and pepper. Broil or grill at the last moment, turning often. Assemble espresso makings on a tray and prepare at the last moment or have it ready to pour from a thermos.

GRILLED TUNA

3/4 pound yellow fin tuna fillet

Soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 teaspoon grated ginger root

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Salt, pepper

Shredded or ruffled daikon

Wasabi

Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms

Cut tuna fillet into 2 equal portions. Combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, olive oil, rice wine, ginger, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Brush soy mixture on both sides of tuna and marinate at least 2 hours in refrigerator.

When ready to serve, grill tuna fillets over medium high coals or under broiler 3 inches from source of heat 4 to 5 minutes, turning once. Serve garnished with shredded daikon and place wasabi in separate small dish to which soy sauce may be added for dipping tuna. Arrange Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms alongside tuna. Makes 2 servings.

Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms

1 tablespoon butter

2 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons rice wine

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Pepper

Melt butter in skillet. Add mushrooms and saute until not quite tender. Add rice wine and heat over medium-high heat until wine is reduced and mushrooms are tender. Add soy sauce and pepper to taste. Makes 2 servings.

JAPANESE SALAD

1/2 head butter lettuce

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon grated apple

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Dash pepper

4 tomato wedges

1 small carrot, grated

Tear lettuce in bowl. Add cucumber, vinegar, oil, apple, soy sauce and pepper. Toss lightly but well. Garnish with tomato wedges and top salad with grated carrot. Makes 2 servings.

STEAK DIANE FOR TWO

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons shallots

2 (6- to 10-ounce) New York steaks

2 tablespoons cognac, warmed

Salt, pepper

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon steak sauce

Melt butter in large skillet. Add shallots and saute until tender. Add steaks and cook until browned on both sides.

Pour cognac over steaks and ignite. Transfer steak to platter. Add salt and pepper to taste, chives, Worcestershire and steak sauce to dripping in pan. Heat 1 minute, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. Pour over steaks. Makes 2 servings.

MOCK CAESAR SALAD

2 cups torn Romaine lettuce

2 to 4 anchovy fillets, mashed

1 clove garlic, mashed

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

Salt, pepper

Croutons

Place lettuce in bowl. Mix anchovy, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with lettuce. Add croutons. Makes 2 servings.

SCALLOP STIR-FRY

3/4 pound scallops

1 tablespoon butter

1 shallot, minced

2 to 3 black Chinese mushrooms, softened in water and sliced

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons rice wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 cups thinly sliced Chinese cabbage

1/4 sweet red pepper, sliced

1/4 yellow or green pepper, sliced

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Saute scallops in butter until almost opaque. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add shallot and mushrooms. Saute until shallots and mushrooms are tender.

Add chicken broth, rice wine and soy sauce. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduce by half. Add cabbage, red and yellow peppers. Stir-fry until cabbage is tender.

Add scallops. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Makes 2 servings.

BLOODY MARGARITAS

Juice of 1 lime

1 ounce triple sec

2 ounces tequila

Ice cubes

Coarse salt

Mixed tomato juice cocktail

2 celery heart stalks with leaves

Shake lime juice, triple sec and tequila with ice cubes in commercial electric drink mixer or cocktail shaker. Strain into tall glass rimmed with coarse salt. Fill with tomato juice cocktail. Garnish with celery stalks. Makes 2 servings.

BREAKFAST CHICKEN BURRITOS

2 chicken breast halves, boned and chopped

1/2 small onion, minced

1 small chile, seeds removed and minced

1 small clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped green pepper

1 small tomato, chopped

4 eggs, beaten

Salt, pepper

4 large flour tortillas, heated

Salsa

Sour cream

Caviar, optional

Cilantro sprigs

Saute chicken, onion, chile and garlic in butter until chicken is cooked. Add pepper and tomato. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally until liquid is absorbed.

Add eggs and scramble until set. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon about 3/4 cup egg mixture onto each tortilla. Roll up, tucking in ends to form firmly wrapped burrito. Serve topped with salsa, sour cream and caviar. Garnish with cilantro. Makes 4 burritos.

STRAWBERRY TIRAMISU

12 ladyfingers

Raspberry juice

2 strawberries, sliced

1 cup ricotta cheese or cream cheese

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Few drops red food coloring

Powdered sugar

Line bottom of 2 individual greased souffle dishes with circle of wax paper. Grease. Sprinkle ladyfingers lightly with raspberry juice. Arrange ladyfingers upright around sides of dishes. Place 1 or 2 strawberries slices in bottom of mold.

Beat together ricotta, sugar, raspberry liqueur, vanilla and food coloring until smooth. Spoon cheese mixture into dishes and smooth top. Trim ladyfingers. Cover with wax paper and chill.

When ready to serve, invert onto serving dishes. Remove wax paper lining. Dust with powdered sugar. Garnish with remaining strawberry slices. Makes 2 servings.

SWEETHEART RAVIOLI

1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken or shrimp

1 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, separated

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Salt, pepper

Ravioli Hearts Dough

Bechamel Sauce

Combine chicken, cheese, egg yolk, parsley, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Spoon filling onto centers of 6 of the hearts. Brush edges with egg white and top with another heart-shaped ravioli layer, pinching edges lightly to seal.

Bring salted water in large skillet to boil. Add few drops red food color, to preserve color, if desired. Drop each ravioli in boiling salted water and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until tender. Remove with slotted spoon to heated platter.

Divide Bechamel Sauce between 2 plates and overlap 3 ravioli on each plate. Makes 2 servings.

Ravioli Hearts Dough

1 cup flour

1/2 small egg, lightly beaten

Dash salt

3 to 4 tablespoons beet juice

Olive oil

Place flour on board and make well in center. Place egg, salt and beet juice in well and work with fork until dough is stiff. Roll out on floured board to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 12 (3-inch) heart shapes, using cutter or by hand. Brush with oil.

Bechamel Sauce

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup half and half or whipping cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Dash white pepper

Salt

Melt butter and stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add half and half, stirring until smooth and slightly thickened. Add cheese, pepper and salt to taste.

Food Styling by Minnie Bernardino and Donna Deane