That's amore!

<p>For a heartwarming meal that's sure to please, Fresco's Chef Tiko Herrera recommends Bocconcini de Caprese (foreground), followed by Chicken Piccata.</p><p>Looking for a special way to say "I love you?" The chefs of three Italian eateries offer these tasty — and tastefully-prepared — three-course meals for a romantic dinner for two. The dishes are easy to prepare, elegant in their presentation and are sure to make a lasting impression. </p><p>FRANCESCA'S TRATTORIA: EASY ELEGANCE</p><p> If there's a theme to the romantic dinner for two suggested by chef Massoud (Michael) Khey of Francesca's Trattoria off of N.W. 43rd Street (near Thornebrook Village), it's "easy does it." The fare is simple to prepare, lovely to look at, and easy to digest. </p><p> Khey, who opened the restaurant with his wife, Frances, a year and a half ago, was born in Geneva and trained as a chef in Switzerland, Italy, France and Germany. He and Frances had restaurants in Miami and Fort Lauderdale before moving to Gainesville in 2006 after their two sons moved here to attend the University of Florida. Although their sons have graduated and one of them has moved to Louisiana, the couple liked the area so much they decided to stay.</p><p> Chef Khey suggests beginning the meal with an appetizer of shrimp scampi bruschetta. The shrimp are sautéed and served atop two slices of grilled ciabbata bread , then topped with a garlic-lemon-wine sauce and garnished with a mix of lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p> The main course may be made with snapper, grouper or any other mildly flavored, fresh seasonal fish (white meat). The fish is first seared to seal in its juices, then baked briefly and topped with a reduction sauce of white wine, cream and lemon juice.</p><p>For dessert, he recommends chocolate bavarois, a sweet, light treat with a pudding-like consistency.</p><p>"It's very simple," Khey says of the meal. "The most important thing is to find fresh seafood, because with seafood, especially, you can really taste the freshness."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Shrimp scampi bruschetta </p><p>Entrée</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Chocolate bavarois</p><p>Suggested wine pairings </p><p>Appetizer: Ferrari Carano Pinot Grigio;Entree: Coppola Directors chardonnay; Dessert: Asti Spumante sparkling champagne</p><p>Shrimp Scampi Bruschetta</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and </p><p>Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 slices ciabbata bread</p><p>6 ounces shrimp (peeled, deveined and tail off) </p><p>1/2 ounce chopped garlic</p><p>1 whole garlic clove</p><p>2 ounces white wine </p><p>juice of 1/2 lemon</p><p>1 ounce chicken stock </p><p>1 ounce butter </p><p>Extra virgin olive oil </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Sauté shrimp in hot oil until pink. </p><p>Drain the oil from the cooked shrimp and add to the pan 1/2 ounce butter, chopped garlic, white wine, lemon juice, chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce for two minutes over medium heat, then stir in remaining butter. Remove from heat.</p><p> Put ciabbata bread on panini press (or grill) and press to toast. Rub garlic clove on toasted bread, then drizzle with olive oil. </p><p>To serve, place bread on plate, spoon shrimp over bread and pour sauce over shrimp. Garnish with mixed lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 6-ounce fresh snapper fillets</p><p>6 ounces extra large shrimp </p><p>1 ounce chopped shallots</p><p>8 ounces fresh grape tomatoes cut in half </p><p>4 ounces white wine </p><p>8 ounces heavy cream</p><p>8 ounces spinach </p><p>5 ounces butter </p><p>2 ounces basil</p><p>8 ounces of pasta of your choice </p><p>1/2 lemon </p><p>6 ounces extra virgin olive oil</p><p> Preparation</p><p>Season the fillet with salt, pepper and basil. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté fillet in extra virgin olive oil, searing both sides evenly. </p><p>Place fillet in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 165 degrees.</p><p>Discard oil in sauté pan. Place 1/2 ounce butter in sauté pan on medium heat. Add shrimp, shallots and tomatoes, and sauté for two minutes. Add white wine and reduce for 2 minutes, then add cream, juice from the lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce for a few minutes longer.</p><p>In another sauté pan add 1/2 ounce shallots and butter. Sauté for one minute. Add spinach to wilt, then add salt and pepper to taste.</p><p>Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and transfer cooked pasta to a large serving plate. Place cooked spinach next to pasta, then arrange snapper on top of spinach. Place the shrimp on the side of the fish. </p><p>Finish the sauce by adding the remainder of the butter to the pan. Spoon sauce over fish and pasta. Garnish with basil.</p><p>FRESCO: TRADITION WITH A TWIST</p><p> Chef Tiko Herrera inherited his love of cooking from his father, an executive chef from Cuba who once worked as culinary director for Club Med and who owned an Italian restaurant in Fort Myers Beach, where Herrera grew up. Herrera moved to Gainesville after his mother, who worked for Bell South, was transferred here when he was 18. </p><p> Herrera says his taste for Italian food leans toward the more traditional dishes of northern Italy, such as chicken cacciatore. </p><p> "These were the kinds of dishes my father prepared in his restaurant," Herrera says. But at Fresco, an Italian bistro on S.W. 34th Street just south of Archer Road, Herrera often adds a contemporary twist to many of his father's classic recipes. His choice for a romantic dinner for two begins with an appetizer of bocconcini de caprese, consisting of slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, vine ripe tomatoes and seasonal fruit topped with fresh basil and oregano. </p><p> Herrera's main course, chicken piccata, incorporates capers as an innovative seasoning twist, says Fresco co-owner Gordon Braund, who opened the bistro a little over two years ago. "Most people put too many in," Braund says. "He has just the right balance." </p><p> When making this dish, be sure to select good, fresh boneless chicken breasts, Braund says. Place each breast on a cutting board and make diagonal cuts lengthwise into thirds to make medallions. Use a meat pounder to pound each medallion to a uniform thickness. "Otherwise," says Braund, "the thick part of the chicken breast won't be done enough and the thin part will be overdone." </p><p>Herrera suggests finishing up the meal with bananas Foster, a tasty rum-infused dessert that's as much fun to make as it is to eat.</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Appetizer </p><p>Bocconcini di caprese (antipasta)</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Chicken piccata</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Suggested wine pairing</p><p>A crisp chardonnay or a hearty sauvignon blanc</p><p>Chicken Piccata</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>6-8 ounces boneless skinless breast of chicken cut lengthwise on the diagonal into medallions</p><p>1/2 tablespoon capers </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil </p><p>3-4 artichoke hearts cut in half </p><p>1 large lemon cut in half</p><p>1 tablespoon butter </p><p>1/2 cup white wine</p><p>Flour</p><p>Salt and white pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Pound thick spots of breast with mallet so chicken is even thickness. </p><p>In sauté pan over medium heat add olive oil. </p><p>Lightly dust chicken breast with flour and drop into sauté pan. Sauté chicken medallions for just a few minutes on each side. </p><p>Add butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, capers, artichoke hearts and white wine. Simmer chicken just until the meat turns white; do not overcook. </p><p>Place chicken on plate, cover with saucer. Serve with a side of pasta or sautéed potatoes. Garnish with twisted lemon slice.</p><p></p><p>Bocconcini di Caprese</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella</p><p>1 large Roma or beefsteak tomato</p><p>Handful of fresh mixed greens</p><p>Seasonal fruit (6 or 7 grapes, 2 or 3 sliced strawberries, melon slices, etc.)</p><p>2 fresh basil leaves</p><p>Pinch dried oregano </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil</p><p>Salt and pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Slice the mozzarella and tomato into 4–6 slices. Arrange on plate with slices overlapping in a crescent. </p><p>Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle oregano, basil, salt and pepper over mozzarella and tomato slices. Dress greens with a vinaigrette. Garnish with fruit.</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 ripe bananas, sliced</p><p>2 cups vanilla ice cream </p><p>2 tablespoons butter</p><p>2 tablespoons spiced rum</p><p>4 tablespoons brown sugar</p><p>1 teaspoon cinnamon </p><p>Preparation </p><p>Melt butter in sauté pan. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. </p><p>Add rum. (Use caution; rum may flame up.) If mixture does not flame, use lighter at edge of sauce to flame. Be careful to keep face away from sauce as it flames. </p><p>Sauté until bubbling and sugar melts into butter. Stir well. </p><p>Add and sauté bananas for about one minute, until golden brown. </p><p>To serve, pour over well chilled vanilla ice cream. Garnish with a cookie.</p><p>Chocolate Bavarois</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Serves 3</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>3-1/4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped</p><p>6 ounces whole milk</p><p>2 egg yolks</p><p>1-1/2 ounces caster (superfine grain) sugar </p><p>1/2 tablespoon gelatin</p><p>5 ounces cream</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Combine the chocolate and milk in a small pan. Stir over low heat until chocolate has melted and the milk just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Beat the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Gradually add the hot chocolate milk, whisking until combined. Return to a clean pan and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Put 1 tablespoon of water in a small heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin in an even layer over the surface and leave to go spongy. Stir into the hot chocolate mixture until dissolved.</p><p>Refrigerate until mixture is cold but not set, stirring occasionally. Beat the cream until soft peaks form, and then fold in chocolate mixture into a batch. Pour into three 8-ounce glasses and refrigerate for several hours, or until set.</p><p></p><p>THE FAT TUSCAN: COOKING FROM THE HEART </p><p> For Marianne Toppino, co-owner and chef at The Fat Tuscan bistro, saying "I love you" starts in the kitchen.</p><p> "I grew up in a large Italian family. We cooked dinner six nights a week for nine people or more. We were always in the kitchen," says Toppino, who grew up in Gainesville but whose family comes from the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. "When you're Italian, it's how you show love." </p><p> Toppino and her longtime friend and business partner, Michelle Reeves, use Toppino's family recipes as the basis for the menu offerings at The Fat Tuscan. </p><p> The two opened the Italian bistro in a restored Victorian-era home on the corner of N.E. Eighth Avenue and N.E. First Street in October 2008. The restaurant is open for lunch six days a week and brunch on Saturday morning. On the last Saturday of every month, the restaurant offers a five-course Italian dinner. </p><p> For a light and elegant home-cooked dinner for two, Toppino suggests a three-course meal that begins with pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad. For the home cook, she suggests using a store-bought polenta, which comes ready-made in a tube and is much easier to prepare than polenta made from scratch. Many grocery stores carry prepared polenta in the refrigerated section. Just slice off a few rounds and sauté.</p><p> The main course, pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment), flavored with lemon, olive oil, calamata olives and fresh parsley and oregano, has a Mediterranean flair. And like other Mediterranean dishes, it's not just good-tasting, but good for your health, too. </p><p> "Cooking in parchment steams the fish with a minimum of fuss and equipment, while keeping in moisture," Toppino says. "It's something really easy for the home cook to do, and it's also very impressive." The fish is unwrapped at the table when it is served, releasing a savory aroma that's sure to please your sweetheart. </p><p> To round out the meal, she suggests vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries. </p><p> "This dessert is great for those looking to break out of the traditional Valentine's chocolate box," Toppino says.</p><p> Preparing the meal is pretty straightforward, Toppino says. Her only preparation tips for the home cook: "Put your heart into it."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Marianne Toppino and </p><p>Michelle Reeves</p><p>The Fat Tuscan</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment)</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries</p><p>Suggested wine PAIRING</p><p>Dante Reserve chardonnay</p><p>Pan-fried Polenta Rounds with a Lemon Arugula Salad</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>1 tube prepared polenta</p><p>6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>2 teaspoons lemon juice</p><p>2 cups of baby arugula</p><p>Shaved Parmesan cheese to taste </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Slice polenta into 1/4-inch thick rounds, and sauté until golden brown, about four minutes per side.</p><p>Remove from pan and place on paper towels to remove any excess oil. </p><p>In a small bowl, dress arugula with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. </p><p>To serve, place 2 or 3 rounds of polenta on each plate, top with half of the salad mixture and garnish with shaved Parmesan.</p><p>Pesce Spada in Cartoccio</p><p>(Swordfish in Parchment)</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 8-ounce swordfish steaks, cut 1-1/2 inches thick</p><p>1 small shallot, finely minced</p><p>1 tablespoon grated lemon zest</p><p>1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano</p><p>2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley</p><p>12 grape tomatoes</p><p>12 calamata olives, pitted</p><p>2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>1 teaspoon salt</p><p>1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper</p><p>2 sheets parchment paper, each approximately 24 inches long</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Preheat oven to 375 degrees.</p><p>In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot, lemon zest, parsley and oregano. Set aside mixture.</p><p>In a small sauté pan, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the grape tomatoes, stirring often, until the tomatoes just begin to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. </p><p>Lay out both pieces of parchment, placing the swordfish steaks on the lower half of the sheet. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub the top with the remaining olive oil. </p><p>Place 2 tablespoons of the shallot mixture on each swordfish steak, followed by half the tomatoes and pitted olives. Bring top of parchment toward you, lining up the edges. Starting at the left near the crease, begin to make small folds in the parchment, creating an air pocket for the fish to cook in. Continue to the right, tucking in the end. Repeat with other sheet. </p><p>Place parchment-wrapped swordfish on a baking tray and cook for 14-16 minutes. </p><p>To serve, transfer each to a plate and cut open the bags at the table, releasing an aromatic steam that will wow your Valentine.</p><p>Vanilla-Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries</p><p>Serves 4</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 cups heavy cream</p><p>1/4 cup sugar</p><p>1/2 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise</p><p>1 packet powdered gelatin (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)</p><p>3 tablespoons cold water</p><p>1 cup assorted fresh berries</p><p>Mint sprigs for garnish</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. </p><p>Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir into cream mixture. </p><p>Lightly spray four wine glasses with a neutral-tasting cooking oil. </p><p>In a mixing bowl, sprinkle gelatin into the cold water and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour the warm cream mixture over the gelatin and stir until combined. Divide into prepared cups and chill until firm, 2 to 4 hours or more.</p><p>To serve, top each with fresh berries and mint.</p><p>For a heartwarming meal that's sure to please, Fresco's Chef Tiko Herrera recommends Bocconcini de Caprese (foreground), followed by Chicken Piccata.</p><p>Looking for a special way to say "I love you?" The chefs of three Italian eateries offer these tasty — and tastefully-prepared — three-course meals for a romantic dinner for two. The dishes are easy to prepare, elegant in their presentation and are sure to make a lasting impression. </p><p>FRANCESCA'S TRATTORIA: EASY ELEGANCE</p><p> If there's a theme to the romantic dinner for two suggested by chef Massoud (Michael) Khey of Francesca's Trattoria off of N.W. 43rd Street (near Thornebrook Village), it's "easy does it." The fare is simple to prepare, lovely to look at, and easy to digest. </p><p> Khey, who opened the restaurant with his wife, Frances, a year and a half ago, was born in Geneva and trained as a chef in Switzerland, Italy, France and Germany. He and Frances had restaurants in Miami and Fort Lauderdale before moving to Gainesville in 2006 after their two sons moved here to attend the University of Florida. Although their sons have graduated and one of them has moved to Louisiana, the couple liked the area so much they decided to stay.</p><p> Chef Khey suggests beginning the meal with an appetizer of shrimp scampi bruschetta. The shrimp are sautéed and served atop two slices of grilled ciabbata bread , then topped with a garlic-lemon-wine sauce and garnished with a mix of lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p> The main course may be made with snapper, grouper or any other mildly flavored, fresh seasonal fish (white meat). The fish is first seared to seal in its juices, then baked briefly and topped with a reduction sauce of white wine, cream and lemon juice.</p><p>For dessert, he recommends chocolate bavarois, a sweet, light treat with a pudding-like consistency.</p><p>"It's very simple," Khey says of the meal. "The most important thing is to find fresh seafood, because with seafood, especially, you can really taste the freshness."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Shrimp scampi bruschetta </p><p>Entrée</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Chocolate bavarois</p><p>Suggested wine pairings </p><p>Appetizer: Ferrari Carano Pinot Grigio;Entree: Coppola Directors chardonnay; Dessert: Asti Spumante sparkling champagne</p><p>Shrimp Scampi Bruschetta</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and </p><p>Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 slices ciabbata bread</p><p>6 ounces shrimp (peeled, deveined and tail off) </p><p>1/2 ounce chopped garlic</p><p>1 whole garlic clove</p><p>2 ounces white wine </p><p>juice of 1/2 lemon</p><p>1 ounce chicken stock </p><p>1 ounce butter </p><p>Extra virgin olive oil </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Sauté shrimp in hot oil until pink. </p><p>Drain the oil from the cooked shrimp and add to the pan 1/2 ounce butter, chopped garlic, white wine, lemon juice, chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce for two minutes over medium heat, then stir in remaining butter. Remove from heat.</p><p> Put ciabbata bread on panini press (or grill) and press to toast. Rub garlic clove on toasted bread, then drizzle with olive oil. </p><p>To serve, place bread on plate, spoon shrimp over bread and pour sauce over shrimp. Garnish with mixed lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 6-ounce fresh snapper fillets</p><p>6 ounces extra large shrimp </p><p>1 ounce chopped shallots</p><p>8 ounces fresh grape tomatoes cut in half </p><p>4 ounces white wine </p><p>8 ounces heavy cream</p><p>8 ounces spinach </p><p>5 ounces butter </p><p>2 ounces basil</p><p>8 ounces of pasta of your choice </p><p>1/2 lemon </p><p>6 ounces extra virgin olive oil</p><p> Preparation</p><p>Season the fillet with salt, pepper and basil. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté fillet in extra virgin olive oil, searing both sides evenly. </p><p>Place fillet in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 165 degrees.</p><p>Discard oil in sauté pan. Place 1/2 ounce butter in sauté pan on medium heat. Add shrimp, shallots and tomatoes, and sauté for two minutes. Add white wine and reduce for 2 minutes, then add cream, juice from the lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce for a few minutes longer.</p><p>In another sauté pan add 1/2 ounce shallots and butter. Sauté for one minute. Add spinach to wilt, then add salt and pepper to taste.</p><p>Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and transfer cooked pasta to a large serving plate. Place cooked spinach next to pasta, then arrange snapper on top of spinach. Place the shrimp on the side of the fish. </p><p>Finish the sauce by adding the remainder of the butter to the pan. Spoon sauce over fish and pasta. Garnish with basil.</p><p>FRESCO: TRADITION WITH A TWIST</p><p> Chef Tiko Herrera inherited his love of cooking from his father, an executive chef from Cuba who once worked as culinary director for Club Med and who owned an Italian restaurant in Fort Myers Beach, where Herrera grew up. Herrera moved to Gainesville after his mother, who worked for Bell South, was transferred here when he was 18. </p><p> Herrera says his taste for Italian food leans toward the more traditional dishes of northern Italy, such as chicken cacciatore. </p><p> "These were the kinds of dishes my father prepared in his restaurant," Herrera says. But at Fresco, an Italian bistro on S.W. 34th Street just south of Archer Road, Herrera often adds a contemporary twist to many of his father's classic recipes. His choice for a romantic dinner for two begins with an appetizer of bocconcini de caprese, consisting of slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, vine ripe tomatoes and seasonal fruit topped with fresh basil and oregano. </p><p> Herrera's main course, chicken piccata, incorporates capers as an innovative seasoning twist, says Fresco co-owner Gordon Braund, who opened the bistro a little over two years ago. "Most people put too many in," Braund says. "He has just the right balance." </p><p> When making this dish, be sure to select good, fresh boneless chicken breasts, Braund says. Place each breast on a cutting board and make diagonal cuts lengthwise into thirds to make medallions. Use a meat pounder to pound each medallion to a uniform thickness. "Otherwise," says Braund, "the thick part of the chicken breast won't be done enough and the thin part will be overdone." </p><p>Herrera suggests finishing up the meal with bananas Foster, a tasty rum-infused dessert that's as much fun to make as it is to eat.</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Appetizer </p><p>Bocconcini di caprese (antipasta)</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Chicken piccata</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Suggested wine pairing</p><p>A crisp chardonnay or a hearty sauvignon blanc</p><p>Chicken Piccata</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>6-8 ounces boneless skinless breast of chicken cut lengthwise on the diagonal into medallions</p><p>1/2 tablespoon capers </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil </p><p>3-4 artichoke hearts cut in half </p><p>1 large lemon cut in half</p><p>1 tablespoon butter </p><p>1/2 cup white wine</p><p>Flour</p><p>Salt and white pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Pound thick spots of breast with mallet so chicken is even thickness. </p><p>In sauté pan over medium heat add olive oil. </p><p>Lightly dust chicken breast with flour and drop into sauté pan. Sauté chicken medallions for just a few minutes on each side. </p><p>Add butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, capers, artichoke hearts and white wine. Simmer chicken just until the meat turns white; do not overcook. </p><p>Place chicken on plate, cover with saucer. Serve with a side of pasta or sautéed potatoes. Garnish with twisted lemon slice.</p><p></p><p>Bocconcini di Caprese</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella</p><p>1 large Roma or beefsteak tomato</p><p>Handful of fresh mixed greens</p><p>Seasonal fruit (6 or 7 grapes, 2 or 3 sliced strawberries, melon slices, etc.)</p><p>2 fresh basil leaves</p><p>Pinch dried oregano </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil</p><p>Salt and pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Slice the mozzarella and tomato into 4–6 slices. Arrange on plate with slices overlapping in a crescent. </p><p>Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle oregano, basil, salt and pepper over mozzarella and tomato slices. Dress greens with a vinaigrette. Garnish with fruit.</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 ripe bananas, sliced</p><p>2 cups vanilla ice cream </p><p>2 tablespoons butter</p><p>2 tablespoons spiced rum</p><p>4 tablespoons brown sugar</p><p>1 teaspoon cinnamon </p><p>Preparation </p><p>Melt butter in sauté pan. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. </p><p>Add rum. (Use caution; rum may flame up.) If mixture does not flame, use lighter at edge of sauce to flame. Be careful to keep face away from sauce as it flames. </p><p>Sauté until bubbling and sugar melts into butter. Stir well. </p><p>Add and sauté bananas for about one minute, until golden brown. </p><p>To serve, pour over well chilled vanilla ice cream. Garnish with a cookie.</p><p>Chocolate Bavarois</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Serves 3</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>3-1/4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped</p><p>6 ounces whole milk</p><p>2 egg yolks</p><p>1-1/2 ounces caster (superfine grain) sugar </p><p>1/2 tablespoon gelatin</p><p>5 ounces cream</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Combine the chocolate and milk in a small pan. Stir over low heat until chocolate has melted and the milk just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Beat the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Gradually add the hot chocolate milk, whisking until combined. Return to a clean pan and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Put 1 tablespoon of water in a small heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin in an even layer over the surface and leave to go spongy. Stir into the hot chocolate mixture until dissolved.</p><p>Refrigerate until mixture is cold but not set, stirring occasionally. Beat the cream until soft peaks form, and then fold in chocolate mixture into a batch. Pour into three 8-ounce glasses and refrigerate for several hours, or until set.</p><p></p><p>THE FAT TUSCAN: COOKING FROM THE HEART </p><p> For Marianne Toppino, co-owner and chef at The Fat Tuscan bistro, saying "I love you" starts in the kitchen.</p><p> "I grew up in a large Italian family. We cooked dinner six nights a week for nine people or more. We were always in the kitchen," says Toppino, who grew up in Gainesville but whose family comes from the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. "When you're Italian, it's how you show love." </p><p> Toppino and her longtime friend and business partner, Michelle Reeves, use Toppino's family recipes as the basis for the menu offerings at The Fat Tuscan. </p><p> The two opened the Italian bistro in a restored Victorian-era home on the corner of N.E. Eighth Avenue and N.E. First Street in October 2008. The restaurant is open for lunch six days a week and brunch on Saturday morning. On the last Saturday of every month, the restaurant offers a five-course Italian dinner. </p><p> For a light and elegant home-cooked dinner for two, Toppino suggests a three-course meal that begins with pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad. For the home cook, she suggests using a store-bought polenta, which comes ready-made in a tube and is much easier to prepare than polenta made from scratch. Many grocery stores carry prepared polenta in the refrigerated section. Just slice off a few rounds and sauté.</p><p> The main course, pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment), flavored with lemon, olive oil, calamata olives and fresh parsley and oregano, has a Mediterranean flair. And like other Mediterranean dishes, it's not just good-tasting, but good for your health, too. </p><p> "Cooking in parchment steams the fish with a minimum of fuss and equipment, while keeping in moisture," Toppino says. "It's something really easy for the home cook to do, and it's also very impressive." The fish is unwrapped at the table when it is served, releasing a savory aroma that's sure to please your sweetheart. </p><p> To round out the meal, she suggests vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries. </p><p> "This dessert is great for those looking to break out of the traditional Valentine's chocolate box," Toppino says.</p><p> Preparing the meal is pretty straightforward, Toppino says. Her only preparation tips for the home cook: "Put your heart into it."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Marianne Toppino and </p><p>Michelle Reeves</p><p>The Fat Tuscan</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment)</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries</p><p>Suggested wine PAIRING</p><p>Dante Reserve chardonnay</p><p>Pan-fried Polenta Rounds with a Lemon Arugula Salad</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>1 tube prepared polenta</p><p>6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>2 teaspoons lemon juice</p><p>2 cups of baby arugula</p><p>Shaved Parmesan cheese to taste </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Slice polenta into 1/4-inch thick rounds, and sauté until golden brown, about four minutes per side.</p><p>Remove from pan and place on paper towels to remove any excess oil. </p><p>In a small bowl, dress arugula with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. </p><p>To serve, place 2 or 3 rounds of polenta on each plate, top with half of the salad mixture and garnish with shaved Parmesan.</p><p>Pesce Spada in Cartoccio</p><p>(Swordfish in Parchment)</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 8-ounce swordfish steaks, cut 1-1/2 inches thick</p><p>1 small shallot, finely minced</p><p>1 tablespoon grated lemon zest</p><p>1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano</p><p>2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley</p><p>12 grape tomatoes</p><p>12 calamata olives, pitted</p><p>2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>1 teaspoon salt</p><p>1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper</p><p>2 sheets parchment paper, each approximately 24 inches long</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Preheat oven to 375 degrees.</p><p>In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot, lemon zest, parsley and oregano. Set aside mixture.</p><p>In a small sauté pan, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the grape tomatoes, stirring often, until the tomatoes just begin to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. </p><p>Lay out both pieces of parchment, placing the swordfish steaks on the lower half of the sheet. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub the top with the remaining olive oil. </p><p>Place 2 tablespoons of the shallot mixture on each swordfish steak, followed by half the tomatoes and pitted olives. Bring top of parchment toward you, lining up the edges. Starting at the left near the crease, begin to make small folds in the parchment, creating an air pocket for the fish to cook in. Continue to the right, tucking in the end. Repeat with other sheet. </p><p>Place parchment-wrapped swordfish on a baking tray and cook for 14-16 minutes. </p><p>To serve, transfer each to a plate and cut open the bags at the table, releasing an aromatic steam that will wow your Valentine.</p><p>Vanilla-Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries</p><p>Serves 4</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 cups heavy cream</p><p>1/4 cup sugar</p><p>1/2 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise</p><p>1 packet powdered gelatin (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)</p><p>3 tablespoons cold water</p><p>1 cup assorted fresh berries</p><p>Mint sprigs for garnish</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. </p><p>Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir into cream mixture. </p><p>Lightly spray four wine glasses with a neutral-tasting cooking oil. </p><p>In a mixing bowl, sprinkle gelatin into the cold water and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour the warm cream mixture over the gelatin and stir until combined. Divide into prepared cups and chill until firm, 2 to 4 hours or more.</p><p>To serve, top each with fresh berries and mint.</p><p>For a heartwarming meal that's sure to please, Fresco's Chef Tiko Herrera recommends Bocconcini de Caprese (foreground), followed by Chicken Piccata.</p><p>Looking for a special way to say "I love you?" The chefs of three Italian eateries offer these tasty — and tastefully-prepared — three-course meals for a romantic dinner for two. The dishes are easy to prepare, elegant in their presentation and are sure to make a lasting impression. </p><p>FRANCESCA'S TRATTORIA: EASY ELEGANCE</p><p> If there's a theme to the romantic dinner for two suggested by chef Massoud (Michael) Khey of Francesca's Trattoria off of N.W. 43rd Street (near Thornebrook Village), it's "easy does it." The fare is simple to prepare, lovely to look at, and easy to digest. </p><p> Khey, who opened the restaurant with his wife, Frances, a year and a half ago, was born in Geneva and trained as a chef in Switzerland, Italy, France and Germany. He and Frances had restaurants in Miami and Fort Lauderdale before moving to Gainesville in 2006 after their two sons moved here to attend the University of Florida. Although their sons have graduated and one of them has moved to Louisiana, the couple liked the area so much they decided to stay.</p><p> Chef Khey suggests beginning the meal with an appetizer of shrimp scampi bruschetta. The shrimp are sautéed and served atop two slices of grilled ciabbata bread , then topped with a garlic-lemon-wine sauce and garnished with a mix of lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p> The main course may be made with snapper, grouper or any other mildly flavored, fresh seasonal fish (white meat). The fish is first seared to seal in its juices, then baked briefly and topped with a reduction sauce of white wine, cream and lemon juice.</p><p>For dessert, he recommends chocolate bavarois, a sweet, light treat with a pudding-like consistency.</p><p>"It's very simple," Khey says of the meal. "The most important thing is to find fresh seafood, because with seafood, especially, you can really taste the freshness."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Shrimp scampi bruschetta </p><p>Entrée</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Chocolate bavarois</p><p>Suggested wine pairings </p><p>Appetizer: Ferrari Carano Pinot Grigio;Entree: Coppola Directors chardonnay; Dessert: Asti Spumante sparkling champagne</p><p>Shrimp Scampi Bruschetta</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and </p><p>Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 slices ciabbata bread</p><p>6 ounces shrimp (peeled, deveined and tail off) </p><p>1/2 ounce chopped garlic</p><p>1 whole garlic clove</p><p>2 ounces white wine </p><p>juice of 1/2 lemon</p><p>1 ounce chicken stock </p><p>1 ounce butter </p><p>Extra virgin olive oil </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Sauté shrimp in hot oil until pink. </p><p>Drain the oil from the cooked shrimp and add to the pan 1/2 ounce butter, chopped garlic, white wine, lemon juice, chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce for two minutes over medium heat, then stir in remaining butter. Remove from heat.</p><p> Put ciabbata bread on panini press (or grill) and press to toast. Rub garlic clove on toasted bread, then drizzle with olive oil. </p><p>To serve, place bread on plate, spoon shrimp over bread and pour sauce over shrimp. Garnish with mixed lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 6-ounce fresh snapper fillets</p><p>6 ounces extra large shrimp </p><p>1 ounce chopped shallots</p><p>8 ounces fresh grape tomatoes cut in half </p><p>4 ounces white wine </p><p>8 ounces heavy cream</p><p>8 ounces spinach </p><p>5 ounces butter </p><p>2 ounces basil</p><p>8 ounces of pasta of your choice </p><p>1/2 lemon </p><p>6 ounces extra virgin olive oil</p><p> Preparation</p><p>Season the fillet with salt, pepper and basil. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté fillet in extra virgin olive oil, searing both sides evenly. </p><p>Place fillet in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 165 degrees.</p><p>Discard oil in sauté pan. Place 1/2 ounce butter in sauté pan on medium heat. Add shrimp, shallots and tomatoes, and sauté for two minutes. Add white wine and reduce for 2 minutes, then add cream, juice from the lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce for a few minutes longer.</p><p>In another sauté pan add 1/2 ounce shallots and butter. Sauté for one minute. Add spinach to wilt, then add salt and pepper to taste.</p><p>Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and transfer cooked pasta to a large serving plate. Place cooked spinach next to pasta, then arrange snapper on top of spinach. Place the shrimp on the side of the fish. </p><p>Finish the sauce by adding the remainder of the butter to the pan. Spoon sauce over fish and pasta. Garnish with basil.</p><p>FRESCO: TRADITION WITH A TWIST</p><p> Chef Tiko Herrera inherited his love of cooking from his father, an executive chef from Cuba who once worked as culinary director for Club Med and who owned an Italian restaurant in Fort Myers Beach, where Herrera grew up. Herrera moved to Gainesville after his mother, who worked for Bell South, was transferred here when he was 18. </p><p> Herrera says his taste for Italian food leans toward the more traditional dishes of northern Italy, such as chicken cacciatore. </p><p> "These were the kinds of dishes my father prepared in his restaurant," Herrera says. But at Fresco, an Italian bistro on S.W. 34th Street just south of Archer Road, Herrera often adds a contemporary twist to many of his father's classic recipes. His choice for a romantic dinner for two begins with an appetizer of bocconcini de caprese, consisting of slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, vine ripe tomatoes and seasonal fruit topped with fresh basil and oregano. </p><p> Herrera's main course, chicken piccata, incorporates capers as an innovative seasoning twist, says Fresco co-owner Gordon Braund, who opened the bistro a little over two years ago. "Most people put too many in," Braund says. "He has just the right balance." </p><p> When making this dish, be sure to select good, fresh boneless chicken breasts, Braund says. Place each breast on a cutting board and make diagonal cuts lengthwise into thirds to make medallions. Use a meat pounder to pound each medallion to a uniform thickness. "Otherwise," says Braund, "the thick part of the chicken breast won't be done enough and the thin part will be overdone." </p><p>Herrera suggests finishing up the meal with bananas Foster, a tasty rum-infused dessert that's as much fun to make as it is to eat.</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Appetizer </p><p>Bocconcini di caprese (antipasta)</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Chicken piccata</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Suggested wine pairing</p><p>A crisp chardonnay or a hearty sauvignon blanc</p><p>Chicken Piccata</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>6-8 ounces boneless skinless breast of chicken cut lengthwise on the diagonal into medallions</p><p>1/2 tablespoon capers </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil </p><p>3-4 artichoke hearts cut in half </p><p>1 large lemon cut in half</p><p>1 tablespoon butter </p><p>1/2 cup white wine</p><p>Flour</p><p>Salt and white pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Pound thick spots of breast with mallet so chicken is even thickness. </p><p>In sauté pan over medium heat add olive oil. </p><p>Lightly dust chicken breast with flour and drop into sauté pan. Sauté chicken medallions for just a few minutes on each side. </p><p>Add butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, capers, artichoke hearts and white wine. Simmer chicken just until the meat turns white; do not overcook. </p><p>Place chicken on plate, cover with saucer. Serve with a side of pasta or sautéed potatoes. Garnish with twisted lemon slice.</p><p></p><p>Bocconcini di Caprese</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella</p><p>1 large Roma or beefsteak tomato</p><p>Handful of fresh mixed greens</p><p>Seasonal fruit (6 or 7 grapes, 2 or 3 sliced strawberries, melon slices, etc.)</p><p>2 fresh basil leaves</p><p>Pinch dried oregano </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil</p><p>Salt and pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Slice the mozzarella and tomato into 4–6 slices. Arrange on plate with slices overlapping in a crescent. </p><p>Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle oregano, basil, salt and pepper over mozzarella and tomato slices. Dress greens with a vinaigrette. Garnish with fruit.</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 ripe bananas, sliced</p><p>2 cups vanilla ice cream </p><p>2 tablespoons butter</p><p>2 tablespoons spiced rum</p><p>4 tablespoons brown sugar</p><p>1 teaspoon cinnamon </p><p>Preparation </p><p>Melt butter in sauté pan. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. </p><p>Add rum. (Use caution; rum may flame up.) If mixture does not flame, use lighter at edge of sauce to flame. Be careful to keep face away from sauce as it flames. </p><p>Sauté until bubbling and sugar melts into butter. Stir well. </p><p>Add and sauté bananas for about one minute, until golden brown. </p><p>To serve, pour over well chilled vanilla ice cream. Garnish with a cookie.</p><p>Chocolate Bavarois</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Serves 3</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>3-1/4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped</p><p>6 ounces whole milk</p><p>2 egg yolks</p><p>1-1/2 ounces caster (superfine grain) sugar </p><p>1/2 tablespoon gelatin</p><p>5 ounces cream</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Combine the chocolate and milk in a small pan. Stir over low heat until chocolate has melted and the milk just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Beat the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Gradually add the hot chocolate milk, whisking until combined. Return to a clean pan and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Put 1 tablespoon of water in a small heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin in an even layer over the surface and leave to go spongy. Stir into the hot chocolate mixture until dissolved.</p><p>Refrigerate until mixture is cold but not set, stirring occasionally. Beat the cream until soft peaks form, and then fold in chocolate mixture into a batch. Pour into three 8-ounce glasses and refrigerate for several hours, or until set.</p><p></p><p>THE FAT TUSCAN: COOKING FROM THE HEART </p><p> For Marianne Toppino, co-owner and chef at The Fat Tuscan bistro, saying "I love you" starts in the kitchen.</p><p> "I grew up in a large Italian family. We cooked dinner six nights a week for nine people or more. We were always in the kitchen," says Toppino, who grew up in Gainesville but whose family comes from the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. "When you're Italian, it's how you show love." </p><p> Toppino and her longtime friend and business partner, Michelle Reeves, use Toppino's family recipes as the basis for the menu offerings at The Fat Tuscan. </p><p> The two opened the Italian bistro in a restored Victorian-era home on the corner of N.E. Eighth Avenue and N.E. First Street in October 2008. The restaurant is open for lunch six days a week and brunch on Saturday morning. On the last Saturday of every month, the restaurant offers a five-course Italian dinner. </p><p> For a light and elegant home-cooked dinner for two, Toppino suggests a three-course meal that begins with pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad. For the home cook, she suggests using a store-bought polenta, which comes ready-made in a tube and is much easier to prepare than polenta made from scratch. Many grocery stores carry prepared polenta in the refrigerated section. Just slice off a few rounds and sauté.</p><p> The main course, pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment), flavored with lemon, olive oil, calamata olives and fresh parsley and oregano, has a Mediterranean flair. And like other Mediterranean dishes, it's not just good-tasting, but good for your health, too. </p><p> "Cooking in parchment steams the fish with a minimum of fuss and equipment, while keeping in moisture," Toppino says. "It's something really easy for the home cook to do, and it's also very impressive." The fish is unwrapped at the table when it is served, releasing a savory aroma that's sure to please your sweetheart. </p><p> To round out the meal, she suggests vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries. </p><p> "This dessert is great for those looking to break out of the traditional Valentine's chocolate box," Toppino says.</p><p> Preparing the meal is pretty straightforward, Toppino says. Her only preparation tips for the home cook: "Put your heart into it."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Marianne Toppino and </p><p>Michelle Reeves</p><p>The Fat Tuscan</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment)</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries</p><p>Suggested wine PAIRING</p><p>Dante Reserve chardonnay</p><p>Pan-fried Polenta Rounds with a Lemon Arugula Salad</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>1 tube prepared polenta</p><p>6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>2 teaspoons lemon juice</p><p>2 cups of baby arugula</p><p>Shaved Parmesan cheese to taste </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Slice polenta into 1/4-inch thick rounds, and sauté until golden brown, about four minutes per side.</p><p>Remove from pan and place on paper towels to remove any excess oil. </p><p>In a small bowl, dress arugula with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. </p><p>To serve, place 2 or 3 rounds of polenta on each plate, top with half of the salad mixture and garnish with shaved Parmesan.</p><p>Pesce Spada in Cartoccio</p><p>(Swordfish in Parchment)</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 8-ounce swordfish steaks, cut 1-1/2 inches thick</p><p>1 small shallot, finely minced</p><p>1 tablespoon grated lemon zest</p><p>1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano</p><p>2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley</p><p>12 grape tomatoes</p><p>12 calamata olives, pitted</p><p>2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>1 teaspoon salt</p><p>1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper</p><p>2 sheets parchment paper, each approximately 24 inches long</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Preheat oven to 375 degrees.</p><p>In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot, lemon zest, parsley and oregano. Set aside mixture.</p><p>In a small sauté pan, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the grape tomatoes, stirring often, until the tomatoes just begin to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. </p><p>Lay out both pieces of parchment, placing the swordfish steaks on the lower half of the sheet. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub the top with the remaining olive oil. </p><p>Place 2 tablespoons of the shallot mixture on each swordfish steak, followed by half the tomatoes and pitted olives. Bring top of parchment toward you, lining up the edges. Starting at the left near the crease, begin to make small folds in the parchment, creating an air pocket for the fish to cook in. Continue to the right, tucking in the end. Repeat with other sheet. </p><p>Place parchment-wrapped swordfish on a baking tray and cook for 14-16 minutes. </p><p>To serve, transfer each to a plate and cut open the bags at the table, releasing an aromatic steam that will wow your Valentine.</p><p>Vanilla-Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries</p><p>Serves 4</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 cups heavy cream</p><p>1/4 cup sugar</p><p>1/2 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise</p><p>1 packet powdered gelatin (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)</p><p>3 tablespoons cold water</p><p>1 cup assorted fresh berries</p><p>Mint sprigs for garnish</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. </p><p>Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir into cream mixture. </p><p>Lightly spray four wine glasses with a neutral-tasting cooking oil. </p><p>In a mixing bowl, sprinkle gelatin into the cold water and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour the warm cream mixture over the gelatin and stir until combined. Divide into prepared cups and chill until firm, 2 to 4 hours or more.</p><p>To serve, top each with fresh berries and mint.</p><p>For a heartwarming meal that's sure to please, Fresco's Chef Tiko Herrera recommends Bocconcini de Caprese (foreground), followed by Chicken Piccata.</p><p>Looking for a special way to say "I love you?" The chefs of three Italian eateries offer these tasty — and tastefully-prepared — three-course meals for a romantic dinner for two. The dishes are easy to prepare, elegant in their presentation and are sure to make a lasting impression. </p><p>FRANCESCA'S TRATTORIA: EASY ELEGANCE</p><p> If there's a theme to the romantic dinner for two suggested by chef Massoud (Michael) Khey of Francesca's Trattoria off of N.W. 43rd Street (near Thornebrook Village), it's "easy does it." The fare is simple to prepare, lovely to look at, and easy to digest. </p><p> Khey, who opened the restaurant with his wife, Frances, a year and a half ago, was born in Geneva and trained as a chef in Switzerland, Italy, France and Germany. He and Frances had restaurants in Miami and Fort Lauderdale before moving to Gainesville in 2006 after their two sons moved here to attend the University of Florida. Although their sons have graduated and one of them has moved to Louisiana, the couple liked the area so much they decided to stay.</p><p> Chef Khey suggests beginning the meal with an appetizer of shrimp scampi bruschetta. The shrimp are sautéed and served atop two slices of grilled ciabbata bread , then topped with a garlic-lemon-wine sauce and garnished with a mix of lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p> The main course may be made with snapper, grouper or any other mildly flavored, fresh seasonal fish (white meat). The fish is first seared to seal in its juices, then baked briefly and topped with a reduction sauce of white wine, cream and lemon juice.</p><p>For dessert, he recommends chocolate bavarois, a sweet, light treat with a pudding-like consistency.</p><p>"It's very simple," Khey says of the meal. "The most important thing is to find fresh seafood, because with seafood, especially, you can really taste the freshness."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Shrimp scampi bruschetta </p><p>Entrée</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Chocolate bavarois</p><p>Suggested wine pairings </p><p>Appetizer: Ferrari Carano Pinot Grigio;Entree: Coppola Directors chardonnay; Dessert: Asti Spumante sparkling champagne</p><p>Shrimp Scampi Bruschetta</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and </p><p>Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 slices ciabbata bread</p><p>6 ounces shrimp (peeled, deveined and tail off) </p><p>1/2 ounce chopped garlic</p><p>1 whole garlic clove</p><p>2 ounces white wine </p><p>juice of 1/2 lemon</p><p>1 ounce chicken stock </p><p>1 ounce butter </p><p>Extra virgin olive oil </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Sauté shrimp in hot oil until pink. </p><p>Drain the oil from the cooked shrimp and add to the pan 1/2 ounce butter, chopped garlic, white wine, lemon juice, chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce for two minutes over medium heat, then stir in remaining butter. Remove from heat.</p><p> Put ciabbata bread on panini press (or grill) and press to toast. Rub garlic clove on toasted bread, then drizzle with olive oil. </p><p>To serve, place bread on plate, spoon shrimp over bread and pour sauce over shrimp. Garnish with mixed lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 6-ounce fresh snapper fillets</p><p>6 ounces extra large shrimp </p><p>1 ounce chopped shallots</p><p>8 ounces fresh grape tomatoes cut in half </p><p>4 ounces white wine </p><p>8 ounces heavy cream</p><p>8 ounces spinach </p><p>5 ounces butter </p><p>2 ounces basil</p><p>8 ounces of pasta of your choice </p><p>1/2 lemon </p><p>6 ounces extra virgin olive oil</p><p> Preparation</p><p>Season the fillet with salt, pepper and basil. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté fillet in extra virgin olive oil, searing both sides evenly. </p><p>Place fillet in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 165 degrees.</p><p>Discard oil in sauté pan. Place 1/2 ounce butter in sauté pan on medium heat. Add shrimp, shallots and tomatoes, and sauté for two minutes. Add white wine and reduce for 2 minutes, then add cream, juice from the lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce for a few minutes longer.</p><p>In another sauté pan add 1/2 ounce shallots and butter. Sauté for one minute. Add spinach to wilt, then add salt and pepper to taste.</p><p>Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and transfer cooked pasta to a large serving plate. Place cooked spinach next to pasta, then arrange snapper on top of spinach. Place the shrimp on the side of the fish. </p><p>Finish the sauce by adding the remainder of the butter to the pan. Spoon sauce over fish and pasta. Garnish with basil.</p><p>FRESCO: TRADITION WITH A TWIST</p><p> Chef Tiko Herrera inherited his love of cooking from his father, an executive chef from Cuba who once worked as culinary director for Club Med and who owned an Italian restaurant in Fort Myers Beach, where Herrera grew up. Herrera moved to Gainesville after his mother, who worked for Bell South, was transferred here when he was 18. </p><p> Herrera says his taste for Italian food leans toward the more traditional dishes of northern Italy, such as chicken cacciatore. </p><p> "These were the kinds of dishes my father prepared in his restaurant," Herrera says. But at Fresco, an Italian bistro on S.W. 34th Street just south of Archer Road, Herrera often adds a contemporary twist to many of his father's classic recipes. His choice for a romantic dinner for two begins with an appetizer of bocconcini de caprese, consisting of slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, vine ripe tomatoes and seasonal fruit topped with fresh basil and oregano. </p><p> Herrera's main course, chicken piccata, incorporates capers as an innovative seasoning twist, says Fresco co-owner Gordon Braund, who opened the bistro a little over two years ago. "Most people put too many in," Braund says. "He has just the right balance." </p><p> When making this dish, be sure to select good, fresh boneless chicken breasts, Braund says. Place each breast on a cutting board and make diagonal cuts lengthwise into thirds to make medallions. Use a meat pounder to pound each medallion to a uniform thickness. "Otherwise," says Braund, "the thick part of the chicken breast won't be done enough and the thin part will be overdone." </p><p>Herrera suggests finishing up the meal with bananas Foster, a tasty rum-infused dessert that's as much fun to make as it is to eat.</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Appetizer </p><p>Bocconcini di caprese (antipasta)</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Chicken piccata</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Suggested wine pairing</p><p>A crisp chardonnay or a hearty sauvignon blanc</p><p>Chicken Piccata</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>6-8 ounces boneless skinless breast of chicken cut lengthwise on the diagonal into medallions</p><p>1/2 tablespoon capers </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil </p><p>3-4 artichoke hearts cut in half </p><p>1 large lemon cut in half</p><p>1 tablespoon butter </p><p>1/2 cup white wine</p><p>Flour</p><p>Salt and white pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Pound thick spots of breast with mallet so chicken is even thickness. </p><p>In sauté pan over medium heat add olive oil. </p><p>Lightly dust chicken breast with flour and drop into sauté pan. Sauté chicken medallions for just a few minutes on each side. </p><p>Add butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, capers, artichoke hearts and white wine. Simmer chicken just until the meat turns white; do not overcook. </p><p>Place chicken on plate, cover with saucer. Serve with a side of pasta or sautéed potatoes. Garnish with twisted lemon slice.</p><p></p><p>Bocconcini di Caprese</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella</p><p>1 large Roma or beefsteak tomato</p><p>Handful of fresh mixed greens</p><p>Seasonal fruit (6 or 7 grapes, 2 or 3 sliced strawberries, melon slices, etc.)</p><p>2 fresh basil leaves</p><p>Pinch dried oregano </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil</p><p>Salt and pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Slice the mozzarella and tomato into 4–6 slices. Arrange on plate with slices overlapping in a crescent. </p><p>Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle oregano, basil, salt and pepper over mozzarella and tomato slices. Dress greens with a vinaigrette. Garnish with fruit.</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 ripe bananas, sliced</p><p>2 cups vanilla ice cream </p><p>2 tablespoons butter</p><p>2 tablespoons spiced rum</p><p>4 tablespoons brown sugar</p><p>1 teaspoon cinnamon </p><p>Preparation </p><p>Melt butter in sauté pan. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. </p><p>Add rum. (Use caution; rum may flame up.) If mixture does not flame, use lighter at edge of sauce to flame. Be careful to keep face away from sauce as it flames. </p><p>Sauté until bubbling and sugar melts into butter. Stir well. </p><p>Add and sauté bananas for about one minute, until golden brown. </p><p>To serve, pour over well chilled vanilla ice cream. Garnish with a cookie.</p><p>Chocolate Bavarois</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Serves 3</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>3-1/4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped</p><p>6 ounces whole milk</p><p>2 egg yolks</p><p>1-1/2 ounces caster (superfine grain) sugar </p><p>1/2 tablespoon gelatin</p><p>5 ounces cream</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Combine the chocolate and milk in a small pan. Stir over low heat until chocolate has melted and the milk just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Beat the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Gradually add the hot chocolate milk, whisking until combined. Return to a clean pan and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Put 1 tablespoon of water in a small heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin in an even layer over the surface and leave to go spongy. Stir into the hot chocolate mixture until dissolved.</p><p>Refrigerate until mixture is cold but not set, stirring occasionally. Beat the cream until soft peaks form, and then fold in chocolate mixture into a batch. Pour into three 8-ounce glasses and refrigerate for several hours, or until set.</p><p></p><p>THE FAT TUSCAN: COOKING FROM THE HEART </p><p> For Marianne Toppino, co-owner and chef at The Fat Tuscan bistro, saying "I love you" starts in the kitchen.</p><p> "I grew up in a large Italian family. We cooked dinner six nights a week for nine people or more. We were always in the kitchen," says Toppino, who grew up in Gainesville but whose family comes from the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. "When you're Italian, it's how you show love." </p><p> Toppino and her longtime friend and business partner, Michelle Reeves, use Toppino's family recipes as the basis for the menu offerings at The Fat Tuscan. </p><p> The two opened the Italian bistro in a restored Victorian-era home on the corner of N.E. Eighth Avenue and N.E. First Street in October 2008. The restaurant is open for lunch six days a week and brunch on Saturday morning. On the last Saturday of every month, the restaurant offers a five-course Italian dinner. </p><p> For a light and elegant home-cooked dinner for two, Toppino suggests a three-course meal that begins with pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad. For the home cook, she suggests using a store-bought polenta, which comes ready-made in a tube and is much easier to prepare than polenta made from scratch. Many grocery stores carry prepared polenta in the refrigerated section. Just slice off a few rounds and sauté.</p><p> The main course, pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment), flavored with lemon, olive oil, calamata olives and fresh parsley and oregano, has a Mediterranean flair. And like other Mediterranean dishes, it's not just good-tasting, but good for your health, too. </p><p> "Cooking in parchment steams the fish with a minimum of fuss and equipment, while keeping in moisture," Toppino says. "It's something really easy for the home cook to do, and it's also very impressive." The fish is unwrapped at the table when it is served, releasing a savory aroma that's sure to please your sweetheart. </p><p> To round out the meal, she suggests vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries. </p><p> "This dessert is great for those looking to break out of the traditional Valentine's chocolate box," Toppino says.</p><p> Preparing the meal is pretty straightforward, Toppino says. Her only preparation tips for the home cook: "Put your heart into it."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Marianne Toppino and </p><p>Michelle Reeves</p><p>The Fat Tuscan</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment)</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries</p><p>Suggested wine PAIRING</p><p>Dante Reserve chardonnay</p><p>Pan-fried Polenta Rounds with a Lemon Arugula Salad</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>1 tube prepared polenta</p><p>6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>2 teaspoons lemon juice</p><p>2 cups of baby arugula</p><p>Shaved Parmesan cheese to taste </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Slice polenta into 1/4-inch thick rounds, and sauté until golden brown, about four minutes per side.</p><p>Remove from pan and place on paper towels to remove any excess oil. </p><p>In a small bowl, dress arugula with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. </p><p>To serve, place 2 or 3 rounds of polenta on each plate, top with half of the salad mixture and garnish with shaved Parmesan.</p><p>Pesce Spada in Cartoccio</p><p>(Swordfish in Parchment)</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 8-ounce swordfish steaks, cut 1-1/2 inches thick</p><p>1 small shallot, finely minced</p><p>1 tablespoon grated lemon zest</p><p>1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano</p><p>2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley</p><p>12 grape tomatoes</p><p>12 calamata olives, pitted</p><p>2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>1 teaspoon salt</p><p>1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper</p><p>2 sheets parchment paper, each approximately 24 inches long</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Preheat oven to 375 degrees.</p><p>In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot, lemon zest, parsley and oregano. Set aside mixture.</p><p>In a small sauté pan, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the grape tomatoes, stirring often, until the tomatoes just begin to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. </p><p>Lay out both pieces of parchment, placing the swordfish steaks on the lower half of the sheet. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub the top with the remaining olive oil. </p><p>Place 2 tablespoons of the shallot mixture on each swordfish steak, followed by half the tomatoes and pitted olives. Bring top of parchment toward you, lining up the edges. Starting at the left near the crease, begin to make small folds in the parchment, creating an air pocket for the fish to cook in. Continue to the right, tucking in the end. Repeat with other sheet. </p><p>Place parchment-wrapped swordfish on a baking tray and cook for 14-16 minutes. </p><p>To serve, transfer each to a plate and cut open the bags at the table, releasing an aromatic steam that will wow your Valentine.</p><p>Vanilla-Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries</p><p>Serves 4</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 cups heavy cream</p><p>1/4 cup sugar</p><p>1/2 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise</p><p>1 packet powdered gelatin (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)</p><p>3 tablespoons cold water</p><p>1 cup assorted fresh berries</p><p>Mint sprigs for garnish</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. </p><p>Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir into cream mixture. </p><p>Lightly spray four wine glasses with a neutral-tasting cooking oil. </p><p>In a mixing bowl, sprinkle gelatin into the cold water and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour the warm cream mixture over the gelatin and stir until combined. Divide into prepared cups and chill until firm, 2 to 4 hours or more.</p><p>To serve, top each with fresh berries and mint.</p><p>For a heartwarming meal that's sure to please, Fresco's Chef Tiko Herrera recommends Bocconcini de Caprese (foreground), followed by Chicken Piccata.</p><p>Looking for a special way to say "I love you?" The chefs of three Italian eateries offer these tasty — and tastefully-prepared — three-course meals for a romantic dinner for two. The dishes are easy to prepare, elegant in their presentation and are sure to make a lasting impression. </p><p>FRANCESCA'S TRATTORIA: EASY ELEGANCE</p><p> If there's a theme to the romantic dinner for two suggested by chef Massoud (Michael) Khey of Francesca's Trattoria off of N.W. 43rd Street (near Thornebrook Village), it's "easy does it." The fare is simple to prepare, lovely to look at, and easy to digest. </p><p> Khey, who opened the restaurant with his wife, Frances, a year and a half ago, was born in Geneva and trained as a chef in Switzerland, Italy, France and Germany. He and Frances had restaurants in Miami and Fort Lauderdale before moving to Gainesville in 2006 after their two sons moved here to attend the University of Florida. Although their sons have graduated and one of them has moved to Louisiana, the couple liked the area so much they decided to stay.</p><p> Chef Khey suggests beginning the meal with an appetizer of shrimp scampi bruschetta. The shrimp are sautéed and served atop two slices of grilled ciabbata bread , then topped with a garlic-lemon-wine sauce and garnished with a mix of lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p> The main course may be made with snapper, grouper or any other mildly flavored, fresh seasonal fish (white meat). The fish is first seared to seal in its juices, then baked briefly and topped with a reduction sauce of white wine, cream and lemon juice.</p><p>For dessert, he recommends chocolate bavarois, a sweet, light treat with a pudding-like consistency.</p><p>"It's very simple," Khey says of the meal. "The most important thing is to find fresh seafood, because with seafood, especially, you can really taste the freshness."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Shrimp scampi bruschetta </p><p>Entrée</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Chocolate bavarois</p><p>Suggested wine pairings </p><p>Appetizer: Ferrari Carano Pinot Grigio;Entree: Coppola Directors chardonnay; Dessert: Asti Spumante sparkling champagne</p><p>Shrimp Scampi Bruschetta</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and </p><p>Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 slices ciabbata bread</p><p>6 ounces shrimp (peeled, deveined and tail off) </p><p>1/2 ounce chopped garlic</p><p>1 whole garlic clove</p><p>2 ounces white wine </p><p>juice of 1/2 lemon</p><p>1 ounce chicken stock </p><p>1 ounce butter </p><p>Extra virgin olive oil </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Sauté shrimp in hot oil until pink. </p><p>Drain the oil from the cooked shrimp and add to the pan 1/2 ounce butter, chopped garlic, white wine, lemon juice, chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce for two minutes over medium heat, then stir in remaining butter. Remove from heat.</p><p> Put ciabbata bread on panini press (or grill) and press to toast. Rub garlic clove on toasted bread, then drizzle with olive oil. </p><p>To serve, place bread on plate, spoon shrimp over bread and pour sauce over shrimp. Garnish with mixed lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 6-ounce fresh snapper fillets</p><p>6 ounces extra large shrimp </p><p>1 ounce chopped shallots</p><p>8 ounces fresh grape tomatoes cut in half </p><p>4 ounces white wine </p><p>8 ounces heavy cream</p><p>8 ounces spinach </p><p>5 ounces butter </p><p>2 ounces basil</p><p>8 ounces of pasta of your choice </p><p>1/2 lemon </p><p>6 ounces extra virgin olive oil</p><p> Preparation</p><p>Season the fillet with salt, pepper and basil. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté fillet in extra virgin olive oil, searing both sides evenly. </p><p>Place fillet in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 165 degrees.</p><p>Discard oil in sauté pan. Place 1/2 ounce butter in sauté pan on medium heat. Add shrimp, shallots and tomatoes, and sauté for two minutes. Add white wine and reduce for 2 minutes, then add cream, juice from the lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce for a few minutes longer.</p><p>In another sauté pan add 1/2 ounce shallots and butter. Sauté for one minute. Add spinach to wilt, then add salt and pepper to taste.</p><p>Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and transfer cooked pasta to a large serving plate. Place cooked spinach next to pasta, then arrange snapper on top of spinach. Place the shrimp on the side of the fish. </p><p>Finish the sauce by adding the remainder of the butter to the pan. Spoon sauce over fish and pasta. Garnish with basil.</p><p>FRESCO: TRADITION WITH A TWIST</p><p> Chef Tiko Herrera inherited his love of cooking from his father, an executive chef from Cuba who once worked as culinary director for Club Med and who owned an Italian restaurant in Fort Myers Beach, where Herrera grew up. Herrera moved to Gainesville after his mother, who worked for Bell South, was transferred here when he was 18. </p><p> Herrera says his taste for Italian food leans toward the more traditional dishes of northern Italy, such as chicken cacciatore. </p><p> "These were the kinds of dishes my father prepared in his restaurant," Herrera says. But at Fresco, an Italian bistro on S.W. 34th Street just south of Archer Road, Herrera often adds a contemporary twist to many of his father's classic recipes. His choice for a romantic dinner for two begins with an appetizer of bocconcini de caprese, consisting of slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, vine ripe tomatoes and seasonal fruit topped with fresh basil and oregano. </p><p> Herrera's main course, chicken piccata, incorporates capers as an innovative seasoning twist, says Fresco co-owner Gordon Braund, who opened the bistro a little over two years ago. "Most people put too many in," Braund says. "He has just the right balance." </p><p> When making this dish, be sure to select good, fresh boneless chicken breasts, Braund says. Place each breast on a cutting board and make diagonal cuts lengthwise into thirds to make medallions. Use a meat pounder to pound each medallion to a uniform thickness. "Otherwise," says Braund, "the thick part of the chicken breast won't be done enough and the thin part will be overdone." </p><p>Herrera suggests finishing up the meal with bananas Foster, a tasty rum-infused dessert that's as much fun to make as it is to eat.</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Appetizer </p><p>Bocconcini di caprese (antipasta)</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Chicken piccata</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Suggested wine pairing</p><p>A crisp chardonnay or a hearty sauvignon blanc</p><p>Chicken Piccata</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>6-8 ounces boneless skinless breast of chicken cut lengthwise on the diagonal into medallions</p><p>1/2 tablespoon capers </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil </p><p>3-4 artichoke hearts cut in half </p><p>1 large lemon cut in half</p><p>1 tablespoon butter </p><p>1/2 cup white wine</p><p>Flour</p><p>Salt and white pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Pound thick spots of breast with mallet so chicken is even thickness. </p><p>In sauté pan over medium heat add olive oil. </p><p>Lightly dust chicken breast with flour and drop into sauté pan. Sauté chicken medallions for just a few minutes on each side. </p><p>Add butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, capers, artichoke hearts and white wine. Simmer chicken just until the meat turns white; do not overcook. </p><p>Place chicken on plate, cover with saucer. Serve with a side of pasta or sautéed potatoes. Garnish with twisted lemon slice.</p><p></p><p>Bocconcini di Caprese</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella</p><p>1 large Roma or beefsteak tomato</p><p>Handful of fresh mixed greens</p><p>Seasonal fruit (6 or 7 grapes, 2 or 3 sliced strawberries, melon slices, etc.)</p><p>2 fresh basil leaves</p><p>Pinch dried oregano </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil</p><p>Salt and pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Slice the mozzarella and tomato into 4–6 slices. Arrange on plate with slices overlapping in a crescent. </p><p>Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle oregano, basil, salt and pepper over mozzarella and tomato slices. Dress greens with a vinaigrette. Garnish with fruit.</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 ripe bananas, sliced</p><p>2 cups vanilla ice cream </p><p>2 tablespoons butter</p><p>2 tablespoons spiced rum</p><p>4 tablespoons brown sugar</p><p>1 teaspoon cinnamon </p><p>Preparation </p><p>Melt butter in sauté pan. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. </p><p>Add rum. (Use caution; rum may flame up.) If mixture does not flame, use lighter at edge of sauce to flame. Be careful to keep face away from sauce as it flames. </p><p>Sauté until bubbling and sugar melts into butter. Stir well. </p><p>Add and sauté bananas for about one minute, until golden brown. </p><p>To serve, pour over well chilled vanilla ice cream. Garnish with a cookie.</p><p>Chocolate Bavarois</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Serves 3</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>3-1/4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped</p><p>6 ounces whole milk</p><p>2 egg yolks</p><p>1-1/2 ounces caster (superfine grain) sugar </p><p>1/2 tablespoon gelatin</p><p>5 ounces cream</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Combine the chocolate and milk in a small pan. Stir over low heat until chocolate has melted and the milk just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Beat the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Gradually add the hot chocolate milk, whisking until combined. Return to a clean pan and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Put 1 tablespoon of water in a small heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin in an even layer over the surface and leave to go spongy. Stir into the hot chocolate mixture until dissolved.</p><p>Refrigerate until mixture is cold but not set, stirring occasionally. Beat the cream until soft peaks form, and then fold in chocolate mixture into a batch. Pour into three 8-ounce glasses and refrigerate for several hours, or until set.</p><p></p><p>THE FAT TUSCAN: COOKING FROM THE HEART </p><p> For Marianne Toppino, co-owner and chef at The Fat Tuscan bistro, saying "I love you" starts in the kitchen.</p><p> "I grew up in a large Italian family. We cooked dinner six nights a week for nine people or more. We were always in the kitchen," says Toppino, who grew up in Gainesville but whose family comes from the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. "When you're Italian, it's how you show love." </p><p> Toppino and her longtime friend and business partner, Michelle Reeves, use Toppino's family recipes as the basis for the menu offerings at The Fat Tuscan. </p><p> The two opened the Italian bistro in a restored Victorian-era home on the corner of N.E. Eighth Avenue and N.E. First Street in October 2008. The restaurant is open for lunch six days a week and brunch on Saturday morning. On the last Saturday of every month, the restaurant offers a five-course Italian dinner. </p><p> For a light and elegant home-cooked dinner for two, Toppino suggests a three-course meal that begins with pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad. For the home cook, she suggests using a store-bought polenta, which comes ready-made in a tube and is much easier to prepare than polenta made from scratch. Many grocery stores carry prepared polenta in the refrigerated section. Just slice off a few rounds and sauté.</p><p> The main course, pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment), flavored with lemon, olive oil, calamata olives and fresh parsley and oregano, has a Mediterranean flair. And like other Mediterranean dishes, it's not just good-tasting, but good for your health, too. </p><p> "Cooking in parchment steams the fish with a minimum of fuss and equipment, while keeping in moisture," Toppino says. "It's something really easy for the home cook to do, and it's also very impressive." The fish is unwrapped at the table when it is served, releasing a savory aroma that's sure to please your sweetheart. </p><p> To round out the meal, she suggests vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries. </p><p> "This dessert is great for those looking to break out of the traditional Valentine's chocolate box," Toppino says.</p><p> Preparing the meal is pretty straightforward, Toppino says. Her only preparation tips for the home cook: "Put your heart into it."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Marianne Toppino and </p><p>Michelle Reeves</p><p>The Fat Tuscan</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment)</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries</p><p>Suggested wine PAIRING</p><p>Dante Reserve chardonnay</p><p>Pan-fried Polenta Rounds with a Lemon Arugula Salad</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>1 tube prepared polenta</p><p>6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>2 teaspoons lemon juice</p><p>2 cups of baby arugula</p><p>Shaved Parmesan cheese to taste </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Slice polenta into 1/4-inch thick rounds, and sauté until golden brown, about four minutes per side.</p><p>Remove from pan and place on paper towels to remove any excess oil. </p><p>In a small bowl, dress arugula with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. </p><p>To serve, place 2 or 3 rounds of polenta on each plate, top with half of the salad mixture and garnish with shaved Parmesan.</p><p>Pesce Spada in Cartoccio</p><p>(Swordfish in Parchment)</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 8-ounce swordfish steaks, cut 1-1/2 inches thick</p><p>1 small shallot, finely minced</p><p>1 tablespoon grated lemon zest</p><p>1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano</p><p>2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley</p><p>12 grape tomatoes</p><p>12 calamata olives, pitted</p><p>2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>1 teaspoon salt</p><p>1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper</p><p>2 sheets parchment paper, each approximately 24 inches long</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Preheat oven to 375 degrees.</p><p>In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot, lemon zest, parsley and oregano. Set aside mixture.</p><p>In a small sauté pan, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the grape tomatoes, stirring often, until the tomatoes just begin to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. </p><p>Lay out both pieces of parchment, placing the swordfish steaks on the lower half of the sheet. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub the top with the remaining olive oil. </p><p>Place 2 tablespoons of the shallot mixture on each swordfish steak, followed by half the tomatoes and pitted olives. Bring top of parchment toward you, lining up the edges. Starting at the left near the crease, begin to make small folds in the parchment, creating an air pocket for the fish to cook in. Continue to the right, tucking in the end. Repeat with other sheet. </p><p>Place parchment-wrapped swordfish on a baking tray and cook for 14-16 minutes. </p><p>To serve, transfer each to a plate and cut open the bags at the table, releasing an aromatic steam that will wow your Valentine.</p><p>Vanilla-Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries</p><p>Serves 4</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 cups heavy cream</p><p>1/4 cup sugar</p><p>1/2 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise</p><p>1 packet powdered gelatin (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)</p><p>3 tablespoons cold water</p><p>1 cup assorted fresh berries</p><p>Mint sprigs for garnish</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. </p><p>Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir into cream mixture. </p><p>Lightly spray four wine glasses with a neutral-tasting cooking oil. </p><p>In a mixing bowl, sprinkle gelatin into the cold water and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour the warm cream mixture over the gelatin and stir until combined. Divide into prepared cups and chill until firm, 2 to 4 hours or more.</p><p>To serve, top each with fresh berries and mint.</p><p>For a heartwarming meal that's sure to please, Fresco's Chef Tiko Herrera recommends Bocconcini de Caprese (foreground), followed by Chicken Piccata.</p><p>Looking for a special way to say "I love you?" The chefs of three Italian eateries offer these tasty — and tastefully-prepared — three-course meals for a romantic dinner for two. The dishes are easy to prepare, elegant in their presentation and are sure to make a lasting impression. </p><p>FRANCESCA'S TRATTORIA: EASY ELEGANCE</p><p> If there's a theme to the romantic dinner for two suggested by chef Massoud (Michael) Khey of Francesca's Trattoria off of N.W. 43rd Street (near Thornebrook Village), it's "easy does it." The fare is simple to prepare, lovely to look at, and easy to digest. </p><p> Khey, who opened the restaurant with his wife, Frances, a year and a half ago, was born in Geneva and trained as a chef in Switzerland, Italy, France and Germany. He and Frances had restaurants in Miami and Fort Lauderdale before moving to Gainesville in 2006 after their two sons moved here to attend the University of Florida. Although their sons have graduated and one of them has moved to Louisiana, the couple liked the area so much they decided to stay.</p><p> Chef Khey suggests beginning the meal with an appetizer of shrimp scampi bruschetta. The shrimp are sautéed and served atop two slices of grilled ciabbata bread , then topped with a garlic-lemon-wine sauce and garnished with a mix of lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p> The main course may be made with snapper, grouper or any other mildly flavored, fresh seasonal fish (white meat). The fish is first seared to seal in its juices, then baked briefly and topped with a reduction sauce of white wine, cream and lemon juice.</p><p>For dessert, he recommends chocolate bavarois, a sweet, light treat with a pudding-like consistency.</p><p>"It's very simple," Khey says of the meal. "The most important thing is to find fresh seafood, because with seafood, especially, you can really taste the freshness."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Shrimp scampi bruschetta </p><p>Entrée</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Chocolate bavarois</p><p>Suggested wine pairings </p><p>Appetizer: Ferrari Carano Pinot Grigio;Entree: Coppola Directors chardonnay; Dessert: Asti Spumante sparkling champagne</p><p>Shrimp Scampi Bruschetta</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and </p><p>Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 slices ciabbata bread</p><p>6 ounces shrimp (peeled, deveined and tail off) </p><p>1/2 ounce chopped garlic</p><p>1 whole garlic clove</p><p>2 ounces white wine </p><p>juice of 1/2 lemon</p><p>1 ounce chicken stock </p><p>1 ounce butter </p><p>Extra virgin olive oil </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Sauté shrimp in hot oil until pink. </p><p>Drain the oil from the cooked shrimp and add to the pan 1/2 ounce butter, chopped garlic, white wine, lemon juice, chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce for two minutes over medium heat, then stir in remaining butter. Remove from heat.</p><p> Put ciabbata bread on panini press (or grill) and press to toast. Rub garlic clove on toasted bread, then drizzle with olive oil. </p><p>To serve, place bread on plate, spoon shrimp over bread and pour sauce over shrimp. Garnish with mixed lettuce, tomatoes and onions.</p><p>Snapper a la Francesca</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 6-ounce fresh snapper fillets</p><p>6 ounces extra large shrimp </p><p>1 ounce chopped shallots</p><p>8 ounces fresh grape tomatoes cut in half </p><p>4 ounces white wine </p><p>8 ounces heavy cream</p><p>8 ounces spinach </p><p>5 ounces butter </p><p>2 ounces basil</p><p>8 ounces of pasta of your choice </p><p>1/2 lemon </p><p>6 ounces extra virgin olive oil</p><p> Preparation</p><p>Season the fillet with salt, pepper and basil. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté fillet in extra virgin olive oil, searing both sides evenly. </p><p>Place fillet in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 165 degrees.</p><p>Discard oil in sauté pan. Place 1/2 ounce butter in sauté pan on medium heat. Add shrimp, shallots and tomatoes, and sauté for two minutes. Add white wine and reduce for 2 minutes, then add cream, juice from the lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce for a few minutes longer.</p><p>In another sauté pan add 1/2 ounce shallots and butter. Sauté for one minute. Add spinach to wilt, then add salt and pepper to taste.</p><p>Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and transfer cooked pasta to a large serving plate. Place cooked spinach next to pasta, then arrange snapper on top of spinach. Place the shrimp on the side of the fish. </p><p>Finish the sauce by adding the remainder of the butter to the pan. Spoon sauce over fish and pasta. Garnish with basil.</p><p>FRESCO: TRADITION WITH A TWIST</p><p> Chef Tiko Herrera inherited his love of cooking from his father, an executive chef from Cuba who once worked as culinary director for Club Med and who owned an Italian restaurant in Fort Myers Beach, where Herrera grew up. Herrera moved to Gainesville after his mother, who worked for Bell South, was transferred here when he was 18. </p><p> Herrera says his taste for Italian food leans toward the more traditional dishes of northern Italy, such as chicken cacciatore. </p><p> "These were the kinds of dishes my father prepared in his restaurant," Herrera says. But at Fresco, an Italian bistro on S.W. 34th Street just south of Archer Road, Herrera often adds a contemporary twist to many of his father's classic recipes. His choice for a romantic dinner for two begins with an appetizer of bocconcini de caprese, consisting of slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, vine ripe tomatoes and seasonal fruit topped with fresh basil and oregano. </p><p> Herrera's main course, chicken piccata, incorporates capers as an innovative seasoning twist, says Fresco co-owner Gordon Braund, who opened the bistro a little over two years ago. "Most people put too many in," Braund says. "He has just the right balance." </p><p> When making this dish, be sure to select good, fresh boneless chicken breasts, Braund says. Place each breast on a cutting board and make diagonal cuts lengthwise into thirds to make medallions. Use a meat pounder to pound each medallion to a uniform thickness. "Otherwise," says Braund, "the thick part of the chicken breast won't be done enough and the thin part will be overdone." </p><p>Herrera suggests finishing up the meal with bananas Foster, a tasty rum-infused dessert that's as much fun to make as it is to eat.</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Appetizer </p><p>Bocconcini di caprese (antipasta)</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Chicken piccata</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Suggested wine pairing</p><p>A crisp chardonnay or a hearty sauvignon blanc</p><p>Chicken Piccata</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>6-8 ounces boneless skinless breast of chicken cut lengthwise on the diagonal into medallions</p><p>1/2 tablespoon capers </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil </p><p>3-4 artichoke hearts cut in half </p><p>1 large lemon cut in half</p><p>1 tablespoon butter </p><p>1/2 cup white wine</p><p>Flour</p><p>Salt and white pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Pound thick spots of breast with mallet so chicken is even thickness. </p><p>In sauté pan over medium heat add olive oil. </p><p>Lightly dust chicken breast with flour and drop into sauté pan. Sauté chicken medallions for just a few minutes on each side. </p><p>Add butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, capers, artichoke hearts and white wine. Simmer chicken just until the meat turns white; do not overcook. </p><p>Place chicken on plate, cover with saucer. Serve with a side of pasta or sautéed potatoes. Garnish with twisted lemon slice.</p><p></p><p>Bocconcini di Caprese</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella</p><p>1 large Roma or beefsteak tomato</p><p>Handful of fresh mixed greens</p><p>Seasonal fruit (6 or 7 grapes, 2 or 3 sliced strawberries, melon slices, etc.)</p><p>2 fresh basil leaves</p><p>Pinch dried oregano </p><p>1 tablespoon olive oil</p><p>Salt and pepper (pinch)</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Slice the mozzarella and tomato into 4–6 slices. Arrange on plate with slices overlapping in a crescent. </p><p>Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle oregano, basil, salt and pepper over mozzarella and tomato slices. Dress greens with a vinaigrette. Garnish with fruit.</p><p>Bananas Foster</p><p>Courtesy of Tiko Herrera</p><p>Fresco Italian Bistro</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 ripe bananas, sliced</p><p>2 cups vanilla ice cream </p><p>2 tablespoons butter</p><p>2 tablespoons spiced rum</p><p>4 tablespoons brown sugar</p><p>1 teaspoon cinnamon </p><p>Preparation </p><p>Melt butter in sauté pan. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. </p><p>Add rum. (Use caution; rum may flame up.) If mixture does not flame, use lighter at edge of sauce to flame. Be careful to keep face away from sauce as it flames. </p><p>Sauté until bubbling and sugar melts into butter. Stir well. </p><p>Add and sauté bananas for about one minute, until golden brown. </p><p>To serve, pour over well chilled vanilla ice cream. Garnish with a cookie.</p><p>Chocolate Bavarois</p><p>Courtesy of Michael and Frances Khey</p><p>Francesca's Trattoria</p><p>Serves 3</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>3-1/4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped</p><p>6 ounces whole milk</p><p>2 egg yolks</p><p>1-1/2 ounces caster (superfine grain) sugar </p><p>1/2 tablespoon gelatin</p><p>5 ounces cream</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Combine the chocolate and milk in a small pan. Stir over low heat until chocolate has melted and the milk just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Beat the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Gradually add the hot chocolate milk, whisking until combined. Return to a clean pan and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat.</p><p>Put 1 tablespoon of water in a small heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin in an even layer over the surface and leave to go spongy. Stir into the hot chocolate mixture until dissolved.</p><p>Refrigerate until mixture is cold but not set, stirring occasionally. Beat the cream until soft peaks form, and then fold in chocolate mixture into a batch. Pour into three 8-ounce glasses and refrigerate for several hours, or until set.</p><p></p><p>THE FAT TUSCAN: COOKING FROM THE HEART </p><p> For Marianne Toppino, co-owner and chef at The Fat Tuscan bistro, saying "I love you" starts in the kitchen.</p><p> "I grew up in a large Italian family. We cooked dinner six nights a week for nine people or more. We were always in the kitchen," says Toppino, who grew up in Gainesville but whose family comes from the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. "When you're Italian, it's how you show love." </p><p> Toppino and her longtime friend and business partner, Michelle Reeves, use Toppino's family recipes as the basis for the menu offerings at The Fat Tuscan. </p><p> The two opened the Italian bistro in a restored Victorian-era home on the corner of N.E. Eighth Avenue and N.E. First Street in October 2008. The restaurant is open for lunch six days a week and brunch on Saturday morning. On the last Saturday of every month, the restaurant offers a five-course Italian dinner. </p><p> For a light and elegant home-cooked dinner for two, Toppino suggests a three-course meal that begins with pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad. For the home cook, she suggests using a store-bought polenta, which comes ready-made in a tube and is much easier to prepare than polenta made from scratch. Many grocery stores carry prepared polenta in the refrigerated section. Just slice off a few rounds and sauté.</p><p> The main course, pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment), flavored with lemon, olive oil, calamata olives and fresh parsley and oregano, has a Mediterranean flair. And like other Mediterranean dishes, it's not just good-tasting, but good for your health, too. </p><p> "Cooking in parchment steams the fish with a minimum of fuss and equipment, while keeping in moisture," Toppino says. "It's something really easy for the home cook to do, and it's also very impressive." The fish is unwrapped at the table when it is served, releasing a savory aroma that's sure to please your sweetheart. </p><p> To round out the meal, she suggests vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries. </p><p> "This dessert is great for those looking to break out of the traditional Valentine's chocolate box," Toppino says.</p><p> Preparing the meal is pretty straightforward, Toppino says. Her only preparation tips for the home cook: "Put your heart into it."</p><p>THE MENU</p><p>Courtesy of Marianne Toppino and </p><p>Michelle Reeves</p><p>The Fat Tuscan</p><p>Appetizer</p><p>Pan-fried polenta rounds with a lemon arugula salad</p><p>Entrée</p><p>Pesce spada in cartoccio (swordfish in parchment)</p><p>Dessert</p><p>Vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries</p><p>Suggested wine PAIRING</p><p>Dante Reserve chardonnay</p><p>Pan-fried Polenta Rounds with a Lemon Arugula Salad</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>1 tube prepared polenta</p><p>6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>2 teaspoons lemon juice</p><p>2 cups of baby arugula</p><p>Shaved Parmesan cheese to taste </p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Slice polenta into 1/4-inch thick rounds, and sauté until golden brown, about four minutes per side.</p><p>Remove from pan and place on paper towels to remove any excess oil. </p><p>In a small bowl, dress arugula with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. </p><p>To serve, place 2 or 3 rounds of polenta on each plate, top with half of the salad mixture and garnish with shaved Parmesan.</p><p>Pesce Spada in Cartoccio</p><p>(Swordfish in Parchment)</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 8-ounce swordfish steaks, cut 1-1/2 inches thick</p><p>1 small shallot, finely minced</p><p>1 tablespoon grated lemon zest</p><p>1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano</p><p>2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley</p><p>12 grape tomatoes</p><p>12 calamata olives, pitted</p><p>2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided</p><p>1 teaspoon salt</p><p>1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper</p><p>2 sheets parchment paper, each approximately 24 inches long</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Preheat oven to 375 degrees.</p><p>In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot, lemon zest, parsley and oregano. Set aside mixture.</p><p>In a small sauté pan, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the grape tomatoes, stirring often, until the tomatoes just begin to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. </p><p>Lay out both pieces of parchment, placing the swordfish steaks on the lower half of the sheet. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub the top with the remaining olive oil. </p><p>Place 2 tablespoons of the shallot mixture on each swordfish steak, followed by half the tomatoes and pitted olives. Bring top of parchment toward you, lining up the edges. Starting at the left near the crease, begin to make small folds in the parchment, creating an air pocket for the fish to cook in. Continue to the right, tucking in the end. Repeat with other sheet. </p><p>Place parchment-wrapped swordfish on a baking tray and cook for 14-16 minutes. </p><p>To serve, transfer each to a plate and cut open the bags at the table, releasing an aromatic steam that will wow your Valentine.</p><p>Vanilla-Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries</p><p>Serves 4</p><p>Ingredients</p><p>2 cups heavy cream</p><p>1/4 cup sugar</p><p>1/2 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise</p><p>1 packet powdered gelatin (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)</p><p>3 tablespoons cold water</p><p>1 cup assorted fresh berries</p><p>Mint sprigs for garnish</p><p>Preparation</p><p>Heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. </p><p>Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir into cream mixture. </p><p>Lightly spray four wine glasses with a neutral-tasting cooking oil. </p><p>In a mixing bowl, sprinkle gelatin into the cold water and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour the warm cream mixture over the gelatin and stir until combined. Divide into prepared cups and chill until firm, 2 to 4 hours or more.</p><p>To serve, top each with fresh berries and mint.</p>