Romantic Meals for Lovers

Whether you crave something as sophisticated as zucchini stuffed with lamb and pine nuts or as simple as salami and tomato on rye, this collection of some 140 recipes for 50 ""intimate occasions'' will surely please the palate. The ``love feasts'' are arranged by season. A true romantic, Kirschbaum complements each menu with ways to enhance the experience: perhaps ``a secluded cabin in the woods, a crackling fire, a cold bottle of Inniskillin Chardonnay, and some Bruce Cockburn playing in the background.'' Love poems and quotations appear throughout, and a section at the end offers legends of aphrodisiacs and romantic herbs and spices. Be wary thoughwhile Kirschbaum lays thick the romance, she skips over a lot of basic details like, for instance, how many bananas one should buy for a recipe calling for three-quarters of a cup of mashed banana. Nonetheless, the banana bread is delicious, and besides, who cares about too few or too many bananas when you're in love? (February)