I got the idea for the vinaigrette from La Cuisine de Mercotte ; when I moved to France in the seventies, the most incredible food I tasted was a passion fruit sorbet. I wanted to find it in the US, to no avail. Finally, supermarkets started to carry passion fruit, in the exotic fruit section. If you buy one, get the crinkled ones and hold them to make sure they are somewhat heavy; otherwise, you will end up with one that has almost no flesh. If you have never tasted passion fruit, you should! I found some frozen passion fruit juice  at Indian groceries.

This meal can be made in a jiffy and yet it is somewhat fancy; with the passion fruit addition, it fits the Valentine theme.

INGREDIENTS: For two servings

• 8 large sea scallops
• olive oil
• 1 bunch of asparagus, green and white or only one type
• 2 or 3  passion fruits (depending on size)
• Spices: salt, pepper, sugar

If you want to make the tuiles, these can be done 2 days before and kept in a tightly closed container. You will use shredded parmesan cheese. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and heat the oven to 375F; position a hear-shaped cookie cutter (metal!) on the parchment paper and fill it with 2 tablespoons of cheese. Bake for about 5 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to turn color. Watch it carefully because it will burn rather quickly. Remove from the oven and cool for a minute or so, then tap it gently with a knife to dislodge the tuile. Store or use that day.

METHOD:

1. Start with the vinaigrette:

Grab a serrated knife and cut the passion fruits in two. Scoop out the flesh (including the seeds) into a bowl. Using your taste as a guide, add some sugar, salt, pepper and olive oil and whip to emulsify.

1. Cook the scallops:

Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet. Dry  the scallops with a paper towel, sprinkle with seasoning and pan-fry on both sides, waiting to brown lightly one side and then flipping them to the other side, about 3 minutes per side depending on their size and thickness (they will shrink). Set aside in a warm oven.

1. Cook the asparagus:

While the asparagus are cooking, boil some water or steam the asparagus over boiling water for 5 minutes or so until tender. Remove, drain and place on a serving plate.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

On each plate, place 3 asparagus stalks of each color, joining them together at the tip in a warm embrace. Add the sizzling scallops on top in a neat row. Drizzle some passion fruit vinaigrette and let it drip, unrestrained, all over the plate. Stick a parmesan tuile in between the asparagus stalks.

The inspiration for this recipe came to me after visiting www.mamina.fr and seeing a chocolate cake topped with a raspberry tuile. The tuile looked so ethereal and vibrantly pink I knew I had to make it. Rice pudding is a humble  dessert in Lebanese cuisine so I figured  I would give it des lettres de noblesse, make it fancy. This dessert is easy, delicious and can be done over a couple of days. The rice pudding is topped with a jellied raspberry glaze and served with a tuile or two and a few fresh raspberries. Why do supermarkets taunt people with perfect  looking raspberries year-round? I just could not resist.

RICE PUDDING:

INGREDIENTS: This quantity will yield  4 servings

• 1/2 cup of medium-grain rice, can be sushi or Turkish or Egyptian
• 1 1/3 cup (about) of water
• 1 1/3 cup of milk
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water and rose water
• 1/2 stick of vanilla (optional)

METHOD:

1. Soak the rice in water for thirty minutes.
2. Drain the rice and place in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, then add the water (enough water to cover the rice by one inch)
3. Bring the water and rice to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or so until the rice is cooked and the water almost evaporated.
4. Add the milk to the saucepan. If using, scrape the vanilla bean and dump the seeds into the pan over the milk. Keep simmering on low heat, stirring uncovered, until the mixture has  thickened.
5. Add the sugar and the flavoring and keep stirring for 2 or 3 minutes longer.
6. Remove the rice pudding from the heat, pour into the designated cups and let it cool.

Raspberry tuiles:

These taste like a fruit roll-up, very chewy and moist. They can be served on their own with fresh raspberries.

INGREDIENTS: This quantity will make 12 or so and can be doubled.

• 50 g of butter (2 ounces)
• 85 g of sugar (3 ounces)
• 50 g of raspberry pulp (get the pulp from the puree obtained for the glaze-see below 1.75 ounces)
• 40 g of all-purpose flour (1 1/2 ounces)

METHOD:

1. Let butter sit at room temperature for one hour or so then cream the butter in a mixer with the sugar.
2. Add the raspberry pulp and the flour to the mixture, mixing until it is well incorporated and smooth.
3. Place in a small bowl in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for one hour or overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F (180 C). Place a silpat cover or a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
5. Take a small spoon and drop a spoonful of batter on the cookie sheet. With the back of the spoon, press the batter and spread it to form the shape you wish. Leave a lot of room between the cookies and bake for 8 minutes or less until the cookies bubble up and the edges brown a bit.
6. Place the cookie sheet  in the fridge for a minute to cool the cookies quickly and shape them.
7. Remove the cookies from the cookie sheet with a metal spatula and place on a cold surface or on a greased rolling pin, if you wish to shape them. These cookies are chewy and moist.

Raspberry glaze:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package frozen raspberries ( 12 ounces or 340 g)-To  be used to make the tuiles and the glaze
• 1 teaspoon plain gelatin
• 1 tablespoon  light corn syrup (or glucose)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup sugar

METHOD:

1. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of cold water.
2. Open the package of raspberries and put into a blender or food processor and puree, using 1/4 cup water if necessary to facilitate the operation.  Strain the puree by placing a strainer over a bowl and pushing the puree through with a spatula. Collect 3/4 cup of puree to use for the glaze and the rest to be used for the tuiles.
3. Heat sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 cup water until dissolved. Remove from heat and add the gelatin and stir until dissolved. Add the fruit puree and stir.
4. Strain (optional) over a bowl.
5. Cool the mixture for 30 minutes until it gets more firm but not set. Pour over the pudding.