Vittles for Valentine’s Day!

If it’s true that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, then Valentine’s Day has GOT to be a culinary celebration! The hard decision is whether it should be our own effort or that of the chef at a fabulous restaurant. I’m arguing for the former, since it presents stronger evidence of true love, and it doesn’t involve long waits at crowded restaurants while the maitre d tries to stab a peak-ed rose into a melting baked Alaska that you’ve ordered.

To my way of thinking, a Valentine menu should be centered around favorite ingredients; in this case artichokes with shrimp and rum cake. I’ve chosen two sinfully good recipes, but you need to be forewarned: DON’T COUNT THE CALORIES! Remember, Valentine’s Day comes only once a year.
The first recipe is Shrimp and Artichokes in Butter Sauce. I can’t remember where it came from, but the second recipe, Rum Cake, came from my friend Leslie Ariail some twenty-five years ago. It takes advantage of every shortcut in the book. People rave about it to such an extent that it’s embarrassing to tell them how simple it is to make. It can also be made with bourbon instead of rum.

SHRIMP AND ARTICHOKES IN BUTTER SAUCE

2 large artichokes

½ t salt

3 cloves garlic

¼ t dried oregano

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/8 t cayenne pepper

¾ t fresh ground pepper

¾ lb shrimp in the shell

2 t Worcestershire sauce

bunch minced scallions

½ t dried basil

1 stick cold unsalted butter

Cut off artichoke stems and and steam the artichokes 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Drop garlic into the cuisinart and mince it. Turn the motor off and add lemon juice, black pepper, Worcestershire, basil, salt, (if you are using regular salted butter then cut out the ½ t salt) oregano and cayenne. Pulse to combine.

Cut the butter into twelve slices, put it in the cuisinart and blend. Spread the shrimp in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with the scallions. Drop butter mixture evenly over the top and bake, stirring once, for six minutes. Put the artichokes in two bowls and surround them with the shrimp and the sauce. Scatter a few lemon wedges around and serve with hot, crusty bread.

LESLIE’S RUM CAKE

1 Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden Cake Mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1 cup rum
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup nuts

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put all but the nuts in a bowl and mix with an electric beater 2 – 3 minutes. Stir in the nuts. Put in a greased bundt pan and bake 50 – 60 minutes. Cool the cake and then turn it out onto a plate. Prick it with a fork all over. Pour over it the following glaze, which will “well” up in the middle.

GLAZE: Boil for two minutes: ¾ cup rum, ¾ stick butter and ¾ cup sugar.