For one Valentine’s Day several years ago, I watched a TV cooking spot being taped for one of those morning shows. The host was a very good and earnest cook intent on reforming American diets, and she had two ideas, one that was really good and one that was really bad.

The good idea was for a platter of sliced oranges and red onions drizzled with a vinaigrette dressing to be served as a salad or side dish. I’ve since made this many times, sometimes mixing it into a salad of spinach or lettuce, sometimes not. It is so tasty, and in February and March when there are head colds flying around and we all feel a little deprived of sunshine, it is just the ticket to boost our moods and vitamin C – and it is really tasty besides.

Her really bad idea was to give your Valentines some nice apples instead of that terrible, fattening chocolate. It reminded me of temperance and the way diet reformers in the 1800s used to denounce Thanksgiving as a terrible day for the diet. The real problem is that we eat like most days were Thanksgiving, and we can – and some of us do – have chocolate every day. I told her if she really wanted to reform our diet, she ought to encourage chocolate on Valentine’s Day and apples all the rest of the time. She looked at me, blinked, and seemed puzzled.

So in honor of Valentine’s Day, here is a way to make a very special Valentine’s present for anyone you love. These truffles are a little bit of trouble to make, but since you will be giving them apples (or bananas or oranges) all the rest of the time, why not put some effort into a special occasion?

You can vary them a bit. These have a flavoring of orange, but if you like mocha, consider using a coffee liqueur instead of orange, and even burying a coffee bean inside. You can also put a hazelnut in them, or roll them in crushed almonds. Use the best quality cooking chocolate you can afford so that they will be smooth and creamy when they melt in your mouth. The recipe makes a lot; you can give a dozen to four true loves and still eat two yourself.

Send queries or answers to Sandy Oliver, 1061 Main Road, Islesboro 04848. E-mail tastebuds@prexar.com. Tell us where your recipes came from. List ingredients, specify number of servings, and do not abbreviate measurements. Include name, address and daytime phone number.

Truffles

Yields 50 truffles

1 stick of butter

1/4 cup of heavy cream

3 strips of orange peel, orange part only

1/2 pound of bitter or semi-sweet chocolate

2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier

1/2 cup powdered cocoa

Heat the cream and the orange strips until it nearly boils, then allow to cool. Melt the butter, and allow to stand and settle. In the top of a double boiler (or in a heavy steel bowl or pan set into another pan full of hot water over the flame), melt the chocolate. Take it off the heat and add the yellow portion of the butter, while trying to avoid adding the milky part. Stir gently together. Take the orange peel out of the cream and add the cream to the chocolate mixture. Then add the Grand Marnier (or other liqueur or flavoring).

Chill the mixture until it has thickened (10-15 minutes). Form into 3/4-inch balls and roll quickly between the hands (you’ll get all sticky anyway – and think what fun it will be to lick your hands clean afterwards). You may have to put the mixture back in the fridge to chill again. Roll the balls in the cocoa. Set out on waxed paper to firm up. When they are nice and hard, put them in a heart-shaped box.