Chef Jacquinet

starts with a spring green salad with red wine vinaigrette. Follow that

with a retro favorite Swiss cheese fondue. Shallots, garlic, white wine

and cherry brandy can be purchased ahead of time, along with a French

baguette and a lovely, sparkling chilled wine. To finish, dip a few long-stemmed

strawberries in melted chocolate.

Married but

still Valentines, chef instructors Peter and Pamela Babcock of The Art

Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, take a duet approach to their ideal dinner

for two. Having successfully combined marriage and culinary careers for

10 years, the chefs complement each other perfectly when designing a romantic

meal.

"We both

like a lot of color, texture and flavor so for this menu, we've combined

some of our favorites," says Chef Pamela Babcock.

They begin

with a cream of carrot soup, followed by baby greens with poached pears

and stilton crostini. For the main course, broiled salmon steak with chardonnay

sauce. Finally, for dessert the chefs recommend banana pineapple strudel.

For a perfect

accompaniment, the chefs recommend a Veuve Clicquot. According to Chef

Peter Babcock, the key to enjoying a romantic meal is to create a simple,

delicious dinner that lets you spend as much time as possible with your

loved one.

"No matter

how wonderful the food, you don't want to spend the evening waving from

the kitchen. You want to be where your heart is that's where the romance

comes in," he says.

Many of these

recipes can be found on The Art Institutes' Web site at www.artinstitutes.edu .

The Art Institutes' system of 24 education institutions is located nationwide,

providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary

professionals.

The Art Institutes

system of schools has provided career-oriented academic programs for 40

years, with more than 125,000 graduates. For more information, call (888)

328-7900 or visit The Art Institutes Web site at www.artinstitutes.edu/nz .

Strawberries

Romanoff with Orange Dust

from Chef Frank

Lima, The New York Restaurant School

Hull one pint

of strawberries; wash and pat dry. Whip one pint of cream to stiff peaks.

While cream is at the soft peak stage, gradually add 1/4 cup superfine

sugar and one teaspoon vanilla extract and whip until stiff peaks form.

Keep on ice or well chilled. Before serving, fold 2 teaspoons of Grand

Marnier into whipped cream. Place 4 to 6 strawberries in a glass bowl,

top with whipped cream and sprinkle with orange dust.

Orange Dust

With a sharp

vegetable peeler, peel the zest of two bright oranges. Slice the zest

into 1/8-inch sticks (julienne). Place the julienned zest in a two-quart

saucepan with 1/4cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and then

simmer, 20 minutes or until tender. Remove zest with a fork and place

on a cookie sheet covered with parchment. Roll zest in one cup sugar until

cool. Do not remove from sheet pan and place in a 250-degree oven until

sugar crystallizes. Remove from oven; let cool. Place crystallized zest

in a food processor with one cup sugar. Pulverize. Store in dry container.

All recipes

that follow are from Chefs Peter and Pamela Babcock, The Art Institute

of Fort Lauderdale

Cream of Carrot

Soup with Ginger

3 pounds carrots,

peeled and sliced

4 ounces whole

butter

4 teaspoons

of sugar

1/2 cup rice,

jasmine or basmati preferred

2 1/2 quarts

chicken or vegetable stock

2 teaspoons

fresh ginger

1 cup heavy

cream, scalded

Cook the carrots

with butter, sugar and rice over medium heat until carrots begin to soften.

Add broth and bring to a simmer. When rice is tender, add the fresh ginger

and let simmer five more minutes. Puree the solids using a food mill,

hand blender or food processor. Whisk the hot cream into the soup, and

bring the soup