Be My Lamb

Most romantic celebrations seem destined for restaurants. We all live such busy lives these days that romance at the table appears more feasible away from home.

But there is much to be said about intimate dining at home. More than the meaningful ritual of preparing a wonderful meal for someone special, consider the civilized pleasures of sitting at your own table in quiet candle-lit surroundings while enjoying the food and wine at your own deliberate pace. Sounds like a perfect Valentine’s Day celebration to me.

The following festive menu was designed to lure busy cooks back home for Valentine’s Day. Created for preparation and cooking in well under an hour, the menu includes grilled or broiled herbed lamb chops served on a mixed green salad, with tomatoey simmered white beans and raspberry jubilee sundaes. Because the salad is part of the dinner itself, there’s little need to go back and forth to the kitchen, one thing that can detract from the joys of dining at home.

The rest of the menu is carry-in: cooked shrimp, cocktail sauce, crusty baguettes and crisp buttery wafers to serve with the dessert. And remember to pick up a good wine, maybe a California Cabernet Sauvignon, to share with your valentine.

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Hot herbed lamb chops served on a chilled salad of mixed arugula, Bibb lettuce and fresh basil leaves make an elegant presentation that is also full of flavor and interesting contrasts.

GRILLED HERBED LAMB CHOPS ON MIXED GREENS

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1 teaspoon sugar

Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 loin lamb chops, 1 1/2 inches thick, well trimmed

3 cups loosely packed greens, mix of trimmed arugula leaves, Bibb lettuce and basil, rinsed, chilled

6 Kalamata olives, flesh cut in fine julienne

Balsamic Honey-Mustard Dressing

Mix garlic, rosemary, thyme, sugar, salt, pepper and oil in small dish. Rub on both sides of chops. Set aside at room temperature about 30 minutes. Grill or broil chops approximately 4 minutes per side, or until done as desired.

Toss greens and olives in salad bowl with Balsamic Honey-Mustard Dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste.

To serve, place salad on 2 dinner plates, arranging attractively to 1 side of plate. Arrange 2 lamb chops on each salad. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

Each serving contains about:

661 calories; 1,216 mg sodium; 99 mg cholesterol; 58 grams fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 24 grams protein; 1.44 grams fiber.

Balsamic Honey-Mustard Dressing

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon water

3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon honey

Dash salt

Freshly ground pepper

Mix olive oil, vinegar, water, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in small dish. Set aside.

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Fresh and sun-dried tomatoes together bring out the flavor of these beans. The kind of sun-dried tomatoes that require soaking in hot water to soften them have the best flavor for this dish. The idea is to heat the beans quickly so they don’t become mushy. The dish goes well with the grilled lamb chops.

SIMMERED WHITE BEANS WITH TOMATOES

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 large shallot, minced

6 sun-dried tomato halves softened in 1/3 cup hot water, cut into 1/4-inch dice, soaking liquid reserved

1 (15-ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed in cold water and well-drained

2 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut in 1/4-inch dice

1/8 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add garlic and shallot. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring often. Add diced sun-dried tomatoes and their liquid. Simmer gently 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add beans. Stir well.

When ready to serve, heat beans over medium-high heat. Add diced fresh tomatoes, salt and pepper. Heat through. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot. Makes 2 servings.

Each serving contains about:

820 calories; 325 mg sodium; trace cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 141 grams carbohydrates; 48 grams protein; 14.76 grams fiber.

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Here, fresh raspberries replace canned cherries in the cherries jubilee dessert that has been popular for many years. Remember to let the ice cream sit briefly at room temperature so that it is scoopable.

RASPBERRIES JUBILEE

1/4 cup seedless raspberry fruit spread

3 tablespoons brandy

3 tablespoons water

2 cups raspberries

Low-fat vanilla ice cream

Crisp butter cookies, optional

Combine fruit spread, brandy and water. Set aside at room temperature. Also set aside 1/2 cup raspberries at room temperature. Divide remaining 1 1/2 cups berries among 2 goblets and chill.

When ready to serve, heat raspberry sauce. Scoop ice cream into goblets. When sauce is simmering, fold in 1/2 cup room temperature berries. Immediately spoon sauce and berries over ice cream. Serve immediately with crisp butter cookies. Makes 2 servings.

Each serving contains about:

417 calories; 110 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 75 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 5.08 grams fiber.