Because I love to cook, it is easy to make any meal made at home romantic. All you need is a couple of candles on the table, well-cooked food, someone special and, to follow the meal, dessert. For the main course, I would choose something easy to make, something familiar. Dessert would be my focus, since I firmly believe that anything truly romantic should end with something sweet. These are my top four most romantic desserts:

Molten Chocolate Cake - Known sometimes as a chocolate lava cake, these individual serving sized cakes are menu must haves on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, they are often poorly made, as people simply undercook a regular chocolate cake to "create" a molten center; all they are doing is allowing batter to run all over the plate. A real molten chocolate cake should have a ball of ganache placed in the center before baking, which will melt and deliver a delicious sauce that is more delicious than any cake batter could ever be. This recipe from Epicurious substitutes chocolate pieces for the truffle center, but the Chocolate Espresso Lava Cakes are excellent, nevertheless.

Panna Cotta - Panna cotta is a custard-like dessert made of cream and barely held together with gelatin. The cream is cooked and then allowed to set up in the refrigerator, before being served as a delicate, decadent dessert. Panna cotta is almost as rich as crème brule, but tastes ethereally light. Amy's Guilt Free Panna Cotta (very similar to my photo above)could be just the treat for your Valentine.

Raspberries - Can as something as simple as fruit be romantic? Yes! The small size, seductive color and perfectly sweet flavor of raspberries add up to make a perfect dessert. Feed them to your lover or use them to accompany any number of desserts. Possibly the best way to have them is by filling them with rich, chocolate ganache. A box of Anne's Truffle Filled Raspberries would make the perfect gift for someone sweet.

Fondue - The most versatile dessert of all, fondue allows you to have fun with your food by dipping a variety of tasty tidbits in delicious sauces. Chocolate is classic, but white chocolate and dulce de leche are unusual alternatives. I recommend buying the chocolate and focusing on what you'll be dipping. Have an assortment of strawberries, bananas, oranges, marshmallows and cubed pound cake. Add a cute fondue set, and you'll definitely want to stay in on February 14th.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]