Valentine's Day is one of those days that if you are in the restaurant business is comparable to a visit to the dentist. It is something you know you have to do, but you'll be glad when it's over.
Valentine's Day, on a Friday this year, will be worse yet. Everyone will want to take their sweeties out. In most restaurants, Friday night is the busiest day of the week anyway; add a busload of patrons on top of that, and it makes for overload. No matter how well prepared you are and how much extra staff you have, there are still only so many tables. It is one of those evenings you just try and do your best under the circumstances -- and hope Murphy's Law will not kick in this particular night.
Years ago, Ralph gave me a card with two young kids on the front that said: "True love is not smooching in a parked car and the guy runs out of gas and the gal says she loves him E it's years later when they're smooching in the living room and he runs out of gas. And she still says she loves him."
So whether you plan to go out for a nice dinner or stay at home and cook for your honey with a little smooching in the living room, I hope you have a special Valentine's Day. Here are some recipes great for this an any special occasion.
ELEGANT CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES
(From a 1983 food section of the San Francisco Chronicle.)
2 chicken breasts (boneless and skinned)
Salt and pepper
Flour
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream or cr?me fraiche
1 10 ounce package of frozen artichoke hearts, cooked and drained
1 cup pitted black olives halved or quartered (length-wise)
Pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness; cut each piece into thirds. Sprinkle flour with salt and pepper; coat chicken lightly with flour. Saute chicken quickly in butter over medium-high heat, turning once until golden brown. Remove to a heated platter and keep warm. Add wine to skillet and deglaze pan, add cream and simmer until sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in artichokes and olives. Pour sauce over warm breasts. Serve with pasta or rice of your choosing. Garnish with chopped parsley.
The next delicious dessert comes from Jennifer Osheroffs, who use to work at Adele's and will soon be working at the SugarPlum Bakery and Treats when it opens in March in Genoa. This great dessert would be an easy finish for Valentine's Day.
CHOCOLATE POTS DE CReME
3/4 cup milk, heated to boiling point
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 egg
2 T. sugar
2 T. liquor (Jennifer uses Grand Marnier, or your choice)
Put all ingredients in blender. Blend on high 1 minute until smooth. Pour into individual serving cups and chill until set. Makes 4 to 6 servings. (As a rule, pot de cr?me's are usually cooked in the oven in a water bath, but Jennifer says boiling the milk cooks the egg and melts the chocolate in one easy swoop.)
If your plans don't include a dinner in or out, the next recipe just might suit you for a stay-at-home lazy morning with some yummy pancakes. This recipe is from Sunset magazine and Marsten's restaurant in Pasadena. Blueberries are just starting to come to the markets, and this is a terrific use for them.
BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsps. baking soda
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained or canned blueberries, drained
In a bowl mix eggs, buttermilk and butter until blended. Stir in flour, soda, powder and salt. Gently stir in berries. Drop batter onto preheated griddle that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Turn when pancake bottoms are golden brown. Will yield about 20 4-inch pancakes.
Linda Marrone has been a Carson City resident since 1973. She and her husband, Ralph, operated Marrone's Restaurant in Carson City and currently own Somethin's Cookin' Catering.
