Start Holiday With At-Home Appetizer

Service Although Valentine’s Day is a special occasion when many people prefer to eat out in a restaurant, I always like to prepare part of the evening’s meal myself.

This year my husband and I and several other couples have reserved a table at a nearby inn, but to start the celebration, everyone has been invited to our house for a glass of champagne and an appetizer.

Since Feb. 14 falls on a Tuesday, a workday for me, the hors d’oeuvre for my party needs to be a simple, make-ahead dish. After looking through quite a few recipes and finding nothing to spark my interest, I decided to create something new.

Oven-toasted slices of French bread spread with sun-dried tomatoes and herbed cheese, then broiled and served hot, seemed like a good winter opener. Two days in advance, I can mix the flavorful spread, a combination of low-fat cream cheese, parmesan cheese, shallots, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and basil. The night before, the bread can be toasted and placed in an airtight container. All that’s necessary at serving time is assembling the delicious toasts and quickly heating them under the broiler.

For added touches, I bought some heart-shaped doilies to line my serving tray, and for each couple I have prepared a small wicker basket lined with silver foil paper and mounded with candy kisses.

Post-Valentine uses for the herbed-tomato cheese are plentiful - provided you have some left over. Try combining small chunks with eggs before scrambling them, or use as a filling for boneless chicken breasts or as a spread in a sliced turkey and lettuce sandwich.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Herbed Cheese Toasts

1 (6-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 cup chopped parsley, preferably flatleaf

8 ounces low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup grated imported parmesan cheese

24 (1/2-inch-thick) slices French bread, preferably cut from loaf 2-1/2 inches in diameter

2 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned for garnish, optional

Fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley sprigs for garnish

Drain 2 teaspoons oil from jar of sun-dried tomatoes and place in medium heavy skillet. Chop enough sun-dried tomatoes to make 1/2 cup.

Heat oil in skillet over mediumhigh heat. When hot, add shallots and saute, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute, stirring, 1 minute more. Add reserved 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes and dried basil and cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chopped parsley.

Blend together cream cheese and parmesan cheese in bowl. Measure additional 2 teaspoons oil from jar of sun-dried tomatoes and add to cheese mixture along with sauteed shallot mixture. Mix well. Add more salt if needed. (Cheese can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperatures 30 minutes before using.)

To prepare toasts, place bread slices on baking sheet. Bake on center shelf at 300 degrees 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp. (If not using immediately, store in airtight container up to 1 day. If necessary, reheat to crisp at 300 degrees 5 minutes.)

To finish, spread toasts generously with cheese mixture. Preheat broiler and broil toasts 5 to 6 inches from heat until hot only, about 1 minute. Watch constantly so they do not burn. Serve on serving plate. Garnish each toast with julienned fresh basil. Garnish plate with several basil sprigs. Serve warm.

Yield: 24 toasts.

Note: Unused sun-dried tomatoes can be refrigerated in tightly covered jar several weeks.

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