Ever since the beginning of time, one simple question has bedeviled men: what to do on Valentine's Day. Worry no more. I am introducing the Build a Meal feature, a simple map of an excellent repast. Most folks who visit blogs like this or who look at cookbooks know how to do many things in the kitchen. What might be lacking are ideas. How do you put together a memorable meal? If you are working or have kids to take care of (or for most parents, you are doing both) it can be very difficult to carve out the time to think about these things. And on Valentine's Day this is no trivial matter. For those who know how to cook, the above picture will do the trick. For anyone else, let me explain the steps.

1) Steal a salad. I was recently at The Odeon, where I had a most enticing baby kale salad topped with knobs of white goat cheese and sweet red pomegranate seeds. You can riff on this recipe here, which, by the way, I stole from Prune, years ago.

2) Make a mushroom risotto. Instruction are here.

3) Get a good steak. I suggest the 28-day aged steak from Union Market, if you are in Brooklyn.

4) Cook it like I showed you how here. You can't lose (though it will get smoky).

5) Finish with some store-bought ice cream. You've cooked enough already.

Now go get shopping (and don't forget the wine. If you need some help there, try my friend Jim's site, JVB Uncorked or if you are on a serious budget,  Cheap Wine Curious.)