A “LIGHTER” TREAT FOR YOUR SWEETHEART

My wife, Gail and I do enjoy romantic occasions and we think any excuse is good one for a celebration. We have had some pretty wonderful times “doing up” Valentine’s Day. Plenty of beautiful tablescapes, antique lace, hearts, flowers, candles and nice crackling fire… you get the idea. Of course, some really delicious cooking (when we stay at home) is always part of the equation. Chocolate desserts or at least a gift of one of the beautiful chocolate treats from Avanti Savoia help make the evening special as well.

This year we’ve decided to take a little different approach with a low-fat dessert. Our motivation for slimming down a bit is an upcoming April cooking engagement in Hawaii.
A working vacation is a hard proposition to refuse. A trip to Texas last April allowed us to not only to enjoy a fabulous time in Texas, but was also the opportunity to work with my brother, Austin catering chef David Lowery. David is going to return the favor by joining us for the job in Hawaii. What a deal!

Our inspiration this time around is the classic French Coeur a la Crème or “a heart with cream” dessert. Usually this creation consists of a mixture of cream cheese and sour cream, crème Fraiche or whipping cream and sugar. It is usually made in a heart-shaped basket or mold with holes in it to allow the watery whey to drain away. After being refrigerated over night, it is unmolded and served with fruit and sometimes a sauce.

The “lighter” idea is to substitute strained non-fat yogurt for the usual mixture of dairy products. We think that our idea works quite well, looks good and taste delicious. It is still made with sugar and has plenty of carbs, but a ½ cup serving is only around 125 calories with no fat or cholesterol. I can assure you however, that I wouldn’t eat or serve it if it didn’t taste good.

“Coeur” a la Yogurt

One 32 oz. carton of plain non-fat yogurt
¼ cup blush wine
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 Tblsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon or orange zest, finely chopped
Fresh strawberries or raspberries for garnish

1. Line a large stainless steel strainer with a couple of layers of cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Empty the carton of yogurt into the strainer, cover and refrigerate for several hours.
2. When ready to assemble the “Coeur”, combine wine and gelatin in a small saucepan and let sit for a few minutes to soften. Heat and stir over a low heat until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt (discard the whey) and the dissolved gelatin with the rest of the ingredients. Blend well and evenly.
4. Line a 3-cup heart shaped mold with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. To serve, unmold onto a serving platter and garnish with fresh strawberries or raspberries. If desired, the “Coeur” can also be served with a fresh berry sauce or coulis.

Fresh Berry Sauce

1 pint fresh strawberries or raspberries
½ cup sugar
Dash of brandy or other liqueur

1. Combine all ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and chill.
3. Drizzle over servings of the “Coeur” or serve the sauce in a little pitcher on the side.


Still need a little chocolate? Do what we did and drizzle some of the Leaning Oaks Vineyard’s Cabernet & Chocolate Wine Sauce over the top of the “Coeur” & berries.

Celebrate Valentine's Day with one cool treat!

“Who, being loved, is poor?” ~Oscar Wilde


Celebrating St. Valentine’s Day is a familiar and widely recognized holiday in America, but one with rather vague origins. The holiday as we know it is primarily a western traditional, although many other global cultures have occasions in which romantic love is celebrated. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes at least three different Saints named Valentine, and stories and legends abound. Apparently, greetings, love messages and other gifts (especially chocolates, flowers and jewelry) have been exchanged in Great Britain and the US for some 300 hundred years. Our modern Valentine customs date from the 1840’s, when it was basically reinvented as a marketing ploy to sell greeting cards. With the introduction of mass produced cards around 1900, our card exchanging habits were permanently established. Permanently established to the tune of 188 million Valentine cards exchanged annually!

Whenever I begin to consider writing about a holiday, regardless of its broader cultural or social implications, I usually think back to my past and first conjure up whatever personal experiences stand out in my mind. With Valentine’s Day, I am instantly reminded of my Baby Boomer elementary school days. Middle class school children in those days tended to exchange small inexpensive cards with not only their teacher but with every classmate as well. The other standout memory has to be the Necco Sweetheart candies stamped with those little messages of endearment. We would also enjoy hearing from readers sharing memories of their traditions.

My candy choices have been upgraded these days with the superb European selections offered by Avanti Savoia. Luscious Pure Origin and Grand Crus from both Olivier and Castagna are revelations for real chocolate lovers. Samplers of Olivier with selections of 5, 7 or 8 different bars are the fast tract to understanding the great chocolates. Also, for a limited time an elegant assortment of French Chocolate Bonbons are available in the Olivier Signature Boxes in both 9 ounce and 13.2 ounce sizes.

For those that choose to express their love with a culinary creation, we offer a heart shaped Double Chocolate Baked Alaska which although dramatic in its presentation is really, really easy to prepare. There are much more complicated versions, but our recipe is a good starting place for anyone and can be made ahead, except for the final baking.

Double Chocolate Baked Alaska

Preparation time: 1 hour using pre-baked cake layer
Servings: 2 with leftovers (up to 6 persons)


Ingredients:


1 layer of Devil’s Food Cake mix baked in a 9 inch heart shape cake pan (the heart shape is great for Valentine’s Day but any shaped layer of cake will do just fine)
About 1 quart of Blue Bell Triple Chocolate or other rich, dark chocolate ice cream, slightly softened
6 egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Recipe:

1. Cover a piece of heavy cardboard (a couple of inches wider than the cake) with aluminum foil to use as a base.
2. Put cake layer on base and cover the top of the cake with a thick layer of softened ice cream. Place in freezer immediately and allow it to freeze solid.
3. Beat egg whites with the pinch of Cream of Tartar until they begin to stiffen; add sugar gradually while still beating. Add vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form.
4. Remove cake/ice cream from freezer and cover with ¾ of the meringue. (Optional) Place remaining meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and decorate top surface and sides of cake.
5. Place un-baked Alaska back in freezer uncovered until ready to bake. Leave in freezer at least 2 or 3 hours although it can stay over night if it is more convenient.
6. Bake on a baking sheet in a very hot oven (450 degrees) for about 5 minutes or until the meringue starts to brown. Remove Baked Alaska on its base from baking sheet and place on a nice serving platter; serve immediately.


WINE SUGESTION: Rinaldi “Bug Juice”, Moscato D’Asti 2006