NEW YORK — Are you a ‘‘Casablanca’’ couple or more inclined to an ‘‘Out of Africa’’ affair?

Your answer might suggest which path is the most direct line to your lover’s heart, a fast and fun Valentine’s Day meal as envisioned by culinary speed queen Rachael Ray or a more elegant (and involved) endeavor crafted by domestic authority Martha Stewart.

Hoping to ease some of the Hallmark moment anxiety couples new and old face on this day defined by hearts and cards, Stewart and Ray recently sat down with The Associated Press to chart out their ideas for the perfect at-home dinner.

Both agreed that the perfect ending to the perfect meal is a snuggle on the couch accompanied by a good movie. And both suggested classics to help carry the romance from the table to, well, wherever it takes you.

‘‘I find ‘The Godfather’ a romantic movie,’’ said Ray, though she acknowledged it’s probably best to make sure you really know your date before hitting the play button on that one.

‘‘ ‘Casablanca,’ now that’s a gold standard. Or ‘When Harry Met Sally.’’’

Stewart’s top choice was ‘‘Out of Africa,’’ followed closely by the 1940 version of ‘‘Pride and Prejudice.’’

But don’t dwell too long on the encore, at least not before sorting out the opening act. For Stewart, that means a card.

‘‘Cards have to be sent. I love cards and I send them to every man I care about, whether they’re boyfriends, former boyfriends or business colleagues,’’ Stewart said. ‘‘And I make up silly cards because I think Valentine’s Day is a silly holiday.’’

For the meal, Stewart calls for easing into something casual and delicious with a cocktail or rose Champagne. And she likes the idea of a duet, a meal the couple plans and prepares together. And she doesn’t fret that one partner might not be a whiz in the kitchen.

‘‘Some men don’t like to cook at all, so you just let them get drunk,’’ Stewart said, laughing.

Start the dinner with a salad of gently roasted vegetables, perhaps wild mushrooms and baby asparagus tossed with fresh herbs, mache (a salad green) and sliced endive. Then move on to pasta, such as fettuccini Alfredo with shaved white truffles.

If white truffles aren’t your thing, or are out of your budget, Stewart suggests a Parmesan souffle, a delicate and impressive offering. Then continue the theme into dessert with a pistachio souffle with a molten chocolate center.

For a special touch, Stewart enjoys making a heart-shaped box, which she fills with chocolates, candies or pastries. The directions for making such boxes appear in the current issue of Stewart’s magazine.

And don’t forget to set the mood with an attractively set table, flowers and — of course — music. Stewart opts for Leonard Cohen.

Ray prefers a more come-as-you-are approach, saying a romantic evening with her husband generally involves a low-stress meal while lounging in ripped jeans and T-shirts.

For this dinner, Ray suggests starting with a salad of caramelized onions and toasted hazelnuts over baby spinach and plum tomatoes.

Pair that with a skillet steak with a cognac sauce, a good opportunity to impress your date by getting fancy with flames in the kitchen. It’s also a good chance to end the evening in the ER, so don’t get too cocky.

And for dessert, chocolate cups topped with fresh whipped cream.

Most importantly, don’t stress. If the meal tanks, get takeout.

‘‘Even if you burn everything, even if it looks like charcoal briquettes or there’s too much salt or if you brought a cassava melon home instead of a spaghetti squash, it doesn’t matter because the effort was made,’’ Ray said.

Martha’s dinner

A selection of elegant souffles — Parmesan cheese for the main course, pistachio and chocolate for dessert — are Martha Stewart’s suggestion for the perfect romantic at-home dinner on Valentine’s Day.

The Parmesan souffle is seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne, which some people might find too potent. Adjust to your taste. Much of the dessert can be prepped a day or more ahead, then completed during the final 30 minutes of baking the Parmesan souffle.

Parmesan Cheese Souffle

(Start to finish: 2 hours, 15 minutes active)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups low-fat sour cream

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

5 large egg yolks

7 large egg whites

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 350.

Butter a 2-quart souffle dish. Add 1 cup cheese, tilting dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Shake out any excess. Refrigerate.

Place the sour cream in a large mixing bowl. Sift the flour into sour cream, then whisk until well combined.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time, whisking after each addition. Stir in salt, cayenne, chives, and remaining 2 cups cheese.

In a clean, large bowl (copper is ideal), vigorously whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into the sour cream mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared souffle dish and bake until souffle has risen 2 to 3 inches above the rim and top is golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Pistachio Souffles

with Soft Chocolate

Centers

(Start to finish: 2 hours, 45 minutes active)

For the chocolate ganache:

1 3/4 ounces heavy cream

4 ounces roughly chopped dark chocolate

For the souffle molds:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 ounce finely grated dark chocolate

For the creme patissiere:

1 3/4 cups milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped

1/4 cup pistachio paste

1/4 cup sugar

4 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the meringue:

4 large egg whites

¼ cup superfine sugar

To prepare the ganache, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil.

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted. Transfer to freezer until frozen, about 1 1/2 hours. Using an ice cream scoop, evenly divide the chocolate into 6 portions, placing each portions on a plate or small baking sheet, and returning to the freezer.

To prepare the molds, butter six 1-cup aluminum dariole molds (small cups, similar to ramekins). Dust the molds with grated chocolate. Refrigerate.

To prepare creme patissiere, in a medium saucepan combine the milk, vanilla bean and seeds and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Whisk in pistachio paste and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, flour and cornstarch. Whisking constantly, slowly add a quarter of the milk mixture. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan.

Place the saucepan over medium heat, and cook, whisking until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. Place 1/4 cup of the creme patissiere in a medium bowl, whisk until completely cooled, and set aside. Reserve the remaining creme patissiere for another use.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

To prepare the meringue, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Continue beating while slowly adding the sugar. Beat until peaks form.

Fold one quarter of the meringue into the 1/4 cup of creme patissiere. Continue folding in meringue in 3 batches. Spoon the mixture into prepared molds, filling about three-quarters full.

Place one cube of frozen ganache in the center of each cup and continue filling molds with batter until completely full. Bake until souffles rise, 6 to 8 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.