(indoors if you're in a cold climate)

This is a great menu -- you can prepare it up to a day in advance, if you would prefer not to spend your Valentine's day cooking. It's also not super-heavy, so it won't put you to sleep or weigh you down, should you have (cough) V-day plans beyond dinner.

1. Salad of hearts of palm and olives
Take one 14-ounce can of hearts of palm. Drain, and slice into 1/2-inch rounds. Slice 1/2-cup mixed good olives. Mix together.
Toss with dressing made from 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 3/4 tsp dried oregano, 1 clove garlic (if you're OK with garlic on a date) and 3 tbsp olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve on a bed of Boston lettuce. (If you're making this in advance, you can refrigerate the salad but take it out 1/2 hour early to bring the oil back to room temperature, and then plate with the lettuce.)

2. Prosciutto and mozzarella sandwiches
Put two slices of Italian bread side by side on a board. Layer the following:
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1 large roma tomato, seeded and chopped
3 oz. prosciutto
1 bunch arugula, trimmed, chopped and tossed with olive oil (S&P to taste)
4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly
Two more slices of bread to top
Cut sandwiches in half diagonally, wrap tightly in plastic, chill at least one hour, up to a day.
Serve plated with blood orange segments and pomegranate seeds.

Prosecco is a good choice to accompany dinner.

3. Chocolate-raspberry pot au creme
Bring 2/3 cup whole milk to a boil, slowly over medium heat.
Meanwhile, combine one egg, 2 tbsp sugar, pinch salt, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 2 tbsp hazelnut liquor in a blender. Pour in 1/3rd of the boiling milk, blend for 30 seconds, repeat until milk is gone. (This cooks the egg -- although if you're at all worried, use pasteurized eggs -- and melts the chocolate.) Blend until smooth. Pour into four 4-5 oz ramekins (you won't fill them all the way) and chill until firm (about an hour, but you can do this a day in advance too).
Top with raspberry sauce (1 cup unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed slightly; 1/2 shot Chambord, 1/2 tbsp confectioner's sugar, pureed and strained), whipped cream and fresh raspberries. (This recipe serves four, but there's no good way of halving it, with the egg, so you'll have leftovers.)

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!