Dining In: Cook up an at-home affair to remember this Valentine’s Day

Tracey Koch

Photography by Amy Shutt

February 7, 2025

This article was originally published in the February 2023 issue of 225 magazine.

Valentine’s Day is the second busiest night of the year for restaurants across the country, according to the National Restaurant Association. If you’re reading this and have not made reservations to treat your special someone, chances are it’s already too late. But don’t worry. I have crafted an easy, restaurant-style meal you can create from the comfort of your own kitchen. These dishes will delight your significant other—and show them how much you care.

On the menu

Chargrilled Oysters

Calypso Green Salad

Chocolate Truffles

Clarified Butter

Recipes by Tracey Koch Adapted from Glen St. Martin and Grand Cayman’s Calypso Grill

By Tracey Koch

Tracey Koch has been creating recipes, instructing cooking classes for both kids and adults, and writing food columns in the Baton Rouge area for over 25 years. She began writing her favorite column, “Dining In,” back in 2013. Find it featured in the Taste section of 225 Magazine every month. When she is not in the kitchen developing and testing new recipes, she is writing stories for her children’s book series about a little goose from Toulouse.