I have two heart-shaped pans that I would like to use to make something
special for my on-again off-again girl on Valentines Day. She has sort of
basic but healthy food preferences so it has to be something without a lot
of sugar, sour cream, etc. She recently made a carrot cake with cream cheese
icing, so it can't be that - but something like that. Any ideas would be
greatly appreciated...

C=2E James Strutz wrote:
> I have two heart-shaped pans that I would like to use to make
something
> special for my on-again off-again girl on Valentines Day. She has
sort of
> basic but healthy food preferences so it has to be something without
a lot
> of sugar, sour cream, etc. She recently made a carrot cake with cream
cheese
> icing, so it can't be that - but something like that. Any ideas would
be
> greatly appreciated...

Lot's of versions, here's but one...

TOMATO ASPIC

Fabio Picchi, owner and chef of the restaurant Cibr=E8o in Florence,
takes full advantage of seasonal abundance from the Sant'Ambrogio
market next door. He delights in using traditional ingredients in novel
ways, as his refreshing tomato aspic illustrates. It's a spicy tomato
sauce with a wiggle (barely set), which is bright red, speckled with
herbs, zapped with chilies and garlic, and much more fun than the
conventional ladies-lunch aspic. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less
but requires additional unattended time.

1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened plum tomatoes
1 envelope (about 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup fresh basil or flat-leafed parsley leaves (or a combination of
both), washed well, spun dry, and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small hot red chili, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves), or
dried hot red pepper flakes to taste
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling over
aspics

Lightly oil five 4- to 6-ounce ramekins.
Halve tomatoes and squeeze juice and seeds into a sieve set over a
4-cup measure. In a food processor blend tomato halves until smooth and
force puree through sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard
solids and add enough strained tomato puree to juice in measuring cup
to measure 2 1/4 cups.

Transfer 1/4 cup tomato mixture to another bowl and sprinkle with
gelatin. Let gelatin soften 1 minute. In a small saucepan bring 1/2 cup
tomato mixture just to a boil and add to gelatin mixture, stirring to
dissolve gelatin. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups tomato mixture and other
ingredients (except for additional oil) and divide mixture among
ramekins. Chill aspics, covered, until set at least 3 hours and up to 1
day. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin and dip in a bowl of
hot water for 20 seconds. Invert each ramekin onto a plate and drizzle
aspics with additional oil.

C. James Strutz wrote:
> I have two heart-shaped pans that I would like to use to make
something
> special for my on-again off-again girl on Valentines Day. She has
sort of
> basic but healthy food preferences so it has to be something without
a lot
> of sugar, sour cream, etc. She recently made a carrot cake with cream
cheese
> icing, so it can't be that - but something like that. Any ideas would
be
> greatly appreciated...


Pizzas come to mind.
A neopolitan with basil, tomato, and some fresh moz would be pretty low
on the guilt scale.

http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/RECIPE.../pizzaNap.html for
something similar. (You don't need much cheese. Enough to coat the
crust, or enough to keep your honey happy.)

Pierre

On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 08:26:05 -0500, "C. James Strutz"
> wrote:

>I have two heart-shaped pans that I would like to use to make something
>special for my on-again off-again girl on Valentines Day. She has sort of
>basic but healthy food preferences so it has to be something without a lot
>of sugar, sour cream, etc. She recently made a carrot cake with cream cheese
>icing, so it can't be that - but something like that. Any ideas would be
>greatly appreciated...
>
>
I made a heart-shaped meatloaf once.


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

C. James Strutz wrote:
> I have two heart-shaped pans that I would like to use to make something
> special for my on-again off-again girl on Valentines Day. She has sort of
> basic but healthy food preferences so it has to be something without a lot
> of sugar, sour cream, etc. She recently made a carrot cake with cream cheese
> icing, so it can't be that - but something like that. Any ideas would be
> greatly appreciated...
>
>
>


You could make pumpkin or zucchini bread with cream cheese icing.
(These sound healthier than they actually are.)

gloria p

Puester wrote:
> C. James Strutz wrote:
>> I have two heart-shaped pans that I would like to use to make
>> something special for my on-again off-again girl on Valentines Day.
>> She has sort of basic but healthy food preferences so it has to be
>> something without a lot of sugar, sour cream, etc. She recently made
>> a carrot cake with cream cheese icing, so it can't be that - but
>> something like that. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated...
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> You could make pumpkin or zucchini bread with cream cheese icing.
> (These sound healthier than they actually are.)
>
> gloria p

In those cases I'd leave off the icing, but that's just me

Jill

Carrot cake has alot of sugar and oil. So maybe she wouldn't really
mind a brownie cake. Maybe a heart shaped scone. It's sweeter than a
biscuit but not as decadent as some pastries. Also, maybe angel food
cake topped with strawberries and a light whipped cream.

In article >,
"C. James Strutz" > wrote:

> I have two heart-shaped pans that I would like to use to make something
> special for my on-again off-again girl on Valentines Day.

How about an egg dish (quiche, strata, something)?

sd

modom wrote:

> I made a heart-shaped meatloaf once.

Hm...that gives me a really grotesque idea, more in a Halloween theme than
Valentine's Day: Get a beef heart, split it open, stuff it with an
oatmeal/offal mixture similar to the stuff that goes into a haggis, sew it
shut, then boil it. Add some red food coloring to the water for that special
festive appearance.

The recipe needs a bit of work: For one thing, I'm not sure how to keep it
from sliding around on a platter. Its shape means that you'd need to make a
fairly high-sided bed to hold it, and it's probably going to be mighty
slippery in any case. (Where's Thing when you need it?) There are also any
number of stuffing options; the haggis parallel was just one of the more
obvious. I'll have to give it some more thought, but it's not going to be
ready by Valentine's Day.

Bob

"Bob" > , if that's their real name, wrote:

>Hm...that gives me a really grotesque idea, more in a Halloween theme than
>Valentine's Day:

<snip luscious recipe>

You're a sick, sick man. Gotta love that!

Carol
--
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

*James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_