Valentine Food Fantasies : What is the food of romance? : You Gotta Have Hearts

It’s Valentine’s Day, and the most prosaic people turn suddenly romantic. If you want your love to know that your heart’s in the right place, here are a few extraordinary edibles to help make the day special.

It looks like a beautiful heart-shaped box--but it’s not. It is actually a chocolate cake filled with raspberry-chocolate ganache and topped with “candies” made of frosting. Pictured on the cover, it is available for $50 at Sweet Lady Jane, 8360 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 653-7145.

Keep the vampires at bay with a 24-inch heart-shaped garlic wreath with peppers and herbs. It’s $125 at Marmalade, 710 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (213) 395-9196.

Pluck the hot, hot dried Habanero chile peppers from the heart-shaped wreath to use year-round. The wreath is $25 and it’s available at Frieda’s Finest Specialties, Inc., P.O. Box 58488, Los Angeles 90058.

Heart-shaped ravioli say “I love you” with every bite. Served today only at Osteria Romana Orsini, 9575 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 277-6050.

Hand-made, hand-painted chocolate boxes large enough to hold 12 chocolate truffles will melt any heart. They are available at Raffine, 3741 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village, (805) 496-2699.

A chocolate truffle sponge cake soaked in raspberry liqueur is heart-shaped and filled with raspberries--from Michel Richard, 310 Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, (213) 275-5707.

You’ll get heart-shaped dim sum with a meal or to take out at all Chin Chin restaurants in Los Angeles on St. Valentine’s Day.

Plump, gooey and inexpensive heart-shaped decorated cakes are available all week at Pavilions stores in Southern California, (about $6).

Heart-shaped knishes filled with potato and spinach are available to eat in or take out at Carnegie Deli, 300 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, (213) 275-DELI.

Mrs. Fields has come up with a giant “sweetheart” cookie, a collection of heart cookie medallions and a heart tin filled with a dozen of the cookies that made her rich and famous. They are available at all Mrs. Fields Cookie stores, from $1.50 to $19.99.

Heart-shaped finger sandwiches are being served at afternoon tea today at the Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., (213) 624-1011.

They call it aphrodisiac seafood pasta because it’s laced with saffron sauce and seasoned with romantic spices. The Valentine’s Day specialty is served at Locanda Veneta, 8638 West 3rd St., Los Angeles, (213) 274-1893.

Tortilla hearts are topped with leeks and seafood and pierced with a red “arrow” when they arrive at the table on St. Valentine’s Day at St. Estephe, 2640 Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach, (213) 545-1334.

Creamy mousse loaded with potent porcini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms is served as a love potion appetizer at Primi, 10543 Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles, (213) 475-9235.

Ravel at the Sheraton Grande offers an all-aphrodisiac Valentine’s menu designed by executive chef Mark Anderson for $45-per-person. Dinner ends with a chocolate heart with fresh raspberries and a small bottle of dessert wine for each couple. Sheraton Grande, Ravel, 333 S. Figueroa, (213) 617-1133.

Here are some heart recipes from local chefs to tantalize your sweetheart.

ST. ESTEPHE’S SHRIMP TORTILLA HEARTS WITH RED CHILE ARROW

12 blue or yellow corn tortillas

Vegetable oil for deep frying

1 1/2 cups 1-inch julienned leeks, white and green parts

1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

Water

24 fresh medium to large shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails intact

Red Chile Arrow Paint

Stack tortillas 2 at time and with sharp knife or heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut 2 heart shapes. Heat 1/2 inch oil in heavy skillet until medium-hot, about 275 degrees. Fry heart-shaped tortillas 30 seconds each, or until tender and pliable. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

Melt butter in skillet and saute leeks over medium heat until tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt. Keep warm.

Bring water in steamer pot to boil. Steam shrimp on rack over boiling water until pink, about 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon sauteed leeks on top of each tortilla and top with shrimp. Pipe Red Chile Arrow Paint across each heart. Makes 6 appetizer servings.

Note: Tortilla hearts may also be deep-fried until crisp like chips.

Red Chile Arrow Paint

1 tablespoon oil

2 medium garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup red chile powder, mild to medium-hot

3/4 cup water

Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in red chile powder, stirring constantly. Immediately add water and stir until well blended.

Remove skillet from heat and pass paint through fine sieve. Store in refrigerator until needed. To use place paint in small plastic squeeze bottle with fine tip and decorate in arrow shape.

PRIMI’S MUSHROOM TIMBALE

1/4 pound large porcini mushrooms

1/4 pound large shiitake mushrooms

1/4 pound large oyster or white mushrooms

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

3/4 cup whipping cream

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Melted butter

Fontina Sauce

Slice mushrooms into very thin wide pieces and set aside 1/3 of largest. Saute remaining 2/3 in olive oil with garlic and parsley until tender. Cool slightly. Place mixture in blender with whipping cream, egg yolks and Parmesan cheese. Process until silky-smooth.

Generously butter 4 (2 1/2- to 3-inch) timbale or gelatin molds (heart-shaped for Valentine) or 2 larger molds. Line molds with reserved mushroom slices, starting from sides down to bottom, covering completely. Fill with mushroom mixture.

Place molds in large pan and fill with hot water to come half way up molds. Bake at 450 degrees 15 to 20 minutes or until firm. Invert molds on individual serving plates. Spoon Fontina Sauce around each timbale. Garnish with parsley or tomato rose. Makes 4 appetizer servings.

Note: Use any combination of other mushrooms as desired.

Fontina Sauce

8 ounces good quality Italian Fontina cheese, mozzarella or Swiss cheese (melting types only)

1 cup hot milk

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Dash salt

Dash pepper

Chop or shred cheese coarsely. Combine with milk in saucepan and let stand 2 hours (this is important for cheese to melt properly and blend with milk). Cook over very low heat or in top of double boiler, whisking frequently until cheese melts, slowly adding Parmesan cheese and dash of salt and pepper. (Do not overheat or cheese will separate.) Keep warm.

VALENTINE CHOCOLATE HEART WITH FRESH RASPBERRIES

(Chef Mark Anderson, Ravel Restaurant)

Sponge Cake

Chocolate Frangelico Mousse

Ganache

Raspberries

Shaved white chocolate

Fruit puree, sweetened

Cut Sponge Cake in half, trimming any rough or ragged edges. Using 3-inch heart-shape cutter, cut out heart-shaped cakes (about 3 or 4 each half cake, 2 hearts per dessert).

Coat 1 heart with Chocolate Mousse about 1/4-inch thick. Top with another heart and coat entire heart with Chocolate Mousse. Chill well, about 45 minutes. Repeat with remaining hearts and mousse.

Lightly spoon Ganache over each heart to cover all surface. Decorate top edges with raspberries and bottom edges with shaved white chocolate. Serve with fruit puree. Makes about 3 to 4 cakes.

Sponge Cake

1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup egg yolks

1/4 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 cup egg whites, about 6

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Raspberries

Sift flour and 1 cup sugar, salt and baking powder in mixing bowl or mixer. Add egg yolks, orange juice, vanilla and orange zest. Do not stir or mix. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy. Add cream of tartar and beat until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff but not dry.

Beat flour and yolk mixture until well blended, about 1 minute. Fold yolk mixture into egg whites, about 1/3 at time, folding until all is incorporated. Bake at 350 degrees 40 minutes, or until cake springs back when pressed in center. Cool.

Note: For a chocolate sponge cake, sift flour with 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.

Chocolate Frangelico

Mousse

1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

2 tablespoons Frangelico liqueur

1 teaspoon creme de cocoa

2 cups whipped cream

Place chocolate and butter in top of double boiler over low heat. Blend until smooth. Cool. Whip egg yolk until fluffy. Stir warm chocolate into yolk, 3 to 4 tablespoons at time. Pour into bowl.

Stir in coffee, Frangelico and creme de cocoa and blend well. Fold in 1 cup whipped cream, incorporating well, then remaining cup until smooth. Cool.

Ganache

1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup whipping cream

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler. Boil whipping cream and add to chocolate. Mix with wooden spoon just until smooth.