A little pan-Asian passion

You don't have to believe in the power of aphrodisiacs to understand the benefits of cooking for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

"There's something special about seeing the one you love in the kitchen cooking a meal that's meant for you," says chef Michael Schulson. "It'll always hit home."

Schulson, chef/owner of two well-regarded restaurants (Izakaya at the Borgata and the newly opened Sampan in Center City), and first-season host of TLC's Ultimate Cake Off, which just started its second season, admits he has consistently flunked Valentine's Day 101.

"I've had many a failure in my love life on V-Day," says Schulson, a 2007 contender for sexiest chef in New York. "The women I was dating would get all excited about being with a chef on V-Day. They'd expect me to be home and cook them a romantic meal."

Those women clearly did not understand the realities of the restaurant business.

Police and fire stations, hospitals and newsrooms all require shift work; and when duty calls, romance suffers. But it seems none fare worse than the mates of restaurant workers. Dishwashers, servers, bartenders, even executive chefs know they'll pay later for having to work on Valentine's Day.

So it behooves those of you who are not expected at the office Sunday to plan a romantic dinner.

Of course, you could eat out. Dining out on this holiday is certainly an option, though it ranks up there with Mother's Day as one of the most difficult reservations to score, and one of the most crowded, challenging days for restaurants.

Still, for economy and ambience, nothing beats putting on your own chef's cap.

And because this year Valentine's Day coincides with the start of the Chinese New Year (it's the Year of the Tiger), we asked Schulson to suggest some appropriate pan-Asian dishes for kitchen Casanovas.

A Long Island native who moved to Philadelphia 13 years ago, Schulson, 36, learned Asian fusion cooking from Susanna Foo: "In my eyes, she is just incredible."

He later impressed at Stephen Starr's Pod and Buddakan (here and in Manhattan), and polished his craft by cooking in Japan at the Tokyo Four Seasons.

He gave us three recipes. Do the prep in advance to make for a relaxed evening.

His Charred Snow Peas With Pickled Mushrooms and Water Chestnuts (see recipe) uses white beach or enoki mushrooms, which are white and grow on long stems. (Use all but the bottom half inch of the stem, which should be removed and discarded.)