RECIPES: Impress your valentine with heartfelt treats
When Valentine’s Day arrives Monday, what will Atlanta chefs and recipe developers be gifting friends and loved ones (and themselves)?
A quick survey reveals plenty of hearts, chocolate and tarts.
For many restaurants, the weekend run-up to Valentine’s Day, and the day itself, will be some of the busiest days of the year. While pastry chef Jessica McKinney of Canoe is in the restaurant kitchen, her boyfriend will be enjoying his Valentine gift — a box of decorated cookies. “He’s a cookie monster. The man has never met a cookie he didn’t like.”
This year’s box will include Triple Chocolate Chip, Crunchy Peanut Butter, a Linzer Raspberry cookie and heart-shaped Orange Sugar Cookies, the recipe she shares with our readers. These are cookies that can be dressed up or down. “I like this cookie because of its simplicity. The orange flavor is understated and it bakes up as a nice crisp cookie.”
Delicious as they are without embellishments, these cookies can also be decorated with colored sugar or royal icing. At Canoe, McKinney’s guests will be enjoying a decorated version as a garnish for a Valentine dessert.
Registered dietitian-nutritionist and plant-based recipe developer Nichole Dandrea-Russert shared the recipe for a chocolate treat that is not only delicious but full of antioxidants.
“This pairing of dark chocolate with nutrient-rich pomegranates gets me particularly excited because the pomegranate arils burst in your mouth when you bite into these chocolates. It’s like an explosion in your mouth, so delicious. And the combination is so satisfying that one or two are enough.”
At Bastone on Howell Mill Road, slated to open in March, pastry chef Latonya “LT” Crawford’s Valentine desserts will tend toward something traditionally Italian, but the treat she will make for herself is a Brown Butter Frangipane-Cherry Tart. “I’ve been making this off and on for the last four or five years. It’s my gift to myself, and this year’s tart combines so many of my favorite flavors — cherries, chocolate, almonds and spice. I’ve done versions that are all vanilla, versions that include citrus like grapefruit, but for this year, it’s cherries.”
And lest you think we’ve forgotten about that traditional bouquet of red roses, we’ll mention what executive chef Drew Van Leuvan of Ecco Buckhead did when he found himself with hundreds of red roses.
Van Leuvan says he’s been making pasta “basically all my life.” When he and his sous chef at now-shuttered Seven Lamps discovered they’d both ordered flowers, he turned to his pasta-making roots. “We dried the roses in a dehydrator and then ground them into a powder. It doesn’t have the most amazing flavor profile, but the purple color is very cool.”
His Rose Petal-Scented Tagliatelle uses the petals of three dozen red roses to make 1/2 cup of rose petal powder to color 6 cups of double zero and semolina flour. His clients loved it and now rose petal-scented pasta is a Valentine tradition. Look for them on the Valentine’s Day menu at Ecco.
RECIPES
For Valentine’s Day this year, make them something with sugar, spice and everything nice.
Orange Sugar Cookies
This recipe from pastry chef Jessica McKinney of Canoe yields cookies that will make a perfect Valentine’s Day gift for someone who loves crisp, buttery cookies that aren’t overly sweet. This recipe is easily doubled if you need gifts for a crowd.
For the best vanilla flavor, use a vanilla bean instead of extract. To remove the seeds, split the bean open lengthwise and use the dull side of a paring knife to scrape the seeds from each half, then add to the dough. If you cannot find vanilla beans, substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
For a pretty display, do as McKinney does and color some of the dough, then cut out cookies using different size heart-shaped cutters.
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- Zest of 1/2 orange
- Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
- Pink food coloring, if desired
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar and beat over medium speed until well creamed, about 2 minutes. Stop mixer and scrape down the bowl to be sure butter and sugar are evenly mixed. Using medium speed, add 1 egg yolk at a time, beating 30 seconds between additions. Add orange zest, vanilla seeds and salt and beat 30 seconds.
- Turn mixer to low speed and add flour in 2 parts, beating until dough forms. Add food coloring if using and beat on low speed until dough is evenly colored. Remove dough from bowl, form into a square about 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature to soften for 10 minutes. Dust work surface with flour and roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with heart-shaped cookie cutter and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Reroll scraps and continue to cut out cookies until all dough is used. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges turn light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Package when cookies are thoroughly cooled. Makes 30 (2 1/2-inch) heart-shaped cookies.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per cookie: 93 calories (percent of calories from fat, 48), 1 gram protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 5 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 24 milligrams cholesterol, 21 milligrams sodium.— Adapted from a recipe provided by Jessica McKinney.
Chocolate-Covered Pomegranate Nibbles
Nichole Dandrea-Russert’s recipe combines pomegranate arils with dark chocolate. We found that a 1-pound pomegranate yields 1 1/2 cups arils, enough for 3 batches of these nibbles. Save the extras to sprinkle on a salad, top a bowl of yogurt or just nibble out of hand.
You can also make these nibbles with frozen pomegranate arils. Fresh or frozen, be sure the arils come to room temperature before adding them to the dark chocolate, and that there’s no juice added with the arils. Adding cold temperature ingredients to melted chocolate will cause the chocolate to seize or harden before everything can be mixed, and juice can keep the chocolate from firming up.
- 1 cup (6 ounces) dark chocolate chips or shaved chocolate
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils, room temperature
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a 2-cup heatproof measuring cup or bowl, melt chocolate in microwave, heating in 30-second increments and stirring between each heating. When chocolate is melted, stir in arils. Drop heaping teaspoons onto parchment paper. Refrigerate to firm up the chocolate, and keep nibbles refrigerated until ready to enjoy. Makes 18.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 59 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 1 gram protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 3 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 1 milligram cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.— Adapted from a recipe provided by Nichole Dandrea-Russert.
Brown Butter Frangipane-Cherry Tarts
This tart is one that Bastone pastry chef Latonya “LT” Crawford has been making for years as her Valentine gift to herself, varying the flavors of the dough and maybe the fruit, but always with the brown butter frangipane. Frangipane is an almond-flavored custard used as a filling for many pastries. Using brown butter adds a nutty richness to the dish that pairs nicely with the spiced tart dough.
- Chocolate Linzer Dough (see recipe)
- Brown Butter Frangipane (see recipe)
- Cherry Compote (see recipe)
- Whipped cream and shaved chocolate, for garnish
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 3 (8-inch) tart pans.
- Remove Chocolate Linzer Dough from refrigerator a few minutes before ready to roll.
- Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece 1/4-inch thick. Line prepared tart pan, add a square of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Repeat with remaining 2 pieces of dough.
- Bake tarts 12 to 15 minutes, then remove from oven and remove pie weights and parchment paper. Cool slightly, then add Brown Butter Frangipane, dividing between the 3 tart shells. Dot the frangipane with Cherry Compote and swirl decoratively. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until frangipane has turned golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove tarts from oven and cool on a wire rack. When ready to serve, dot with whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Makes 12 servings (3 tarts, with 4 servings each).
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 682 calories (percent of calories from fat, 58), 13 grams protein, 62 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 44 grams total fat (16 grams saturated), 102 milligrams cholesterol, 170 milligrams sodium.— Adapted from a recipe provided by Latonya Crawford.
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 orange, as needed
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 egg yolk
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, almond flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, cardamom and cloves.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar using medium speed until light colored and sugar is dissolved. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl, then add about half the orange juice, the zest and yolk. Turn mixer to low and beat ingredients 30 seconds. Slowly add flour mixture and beat until all ingredients are incorporated, about 1 minute. Add more orange juice if needed to make a dough that is crumbly but holds together. Remove dough from bowl, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. Makes enough dough for 3 (8-inch) tarts.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving (1/4 of a tart shell): 410 calories (percent of calories from fat, 58), 8 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 27 grams total fat (11 grams saturated), 56 milligrams cholesterol, 100 milligrams sodium.— Adapted from a recipe provided by Latonya Crawford.
Brown Butter Frangipane
Brown your butter by melting it in a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. In about 5 minutes, the butter will turn golden brown. The foam will subside and the milk solids on the bottom of the pan will turn brown. Allow to cool before using.
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 18 tablespoons browned butter, room temperature
- 6 eggs
- 4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups almond flour
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter over medium speed until light colored and sugar is dissolved. Add eggs and vanilla and beat 30 seconds. Add almond flour and all-purpose flour and stir to combine. If not using right away, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 4 1/2 cups, enough for 3 tarts.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving (1/12 of recipe, about 3/8 cup): 228 calories (percent of calories from fat, 68), 5 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 17 grams total fat (5 grams saturated), 46 milligrams cholesterol, 57 milligrams sodium.— Adapted from a recipe provided by Latonya Crawford.
- 2 cups pitted fresh cherries
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- Splash of amaretto
- Pinch salt
- In a medium saucepan, combine cherries, granulated sugar, brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir to combine until all cherries are coated. Add cinnamon, ginger, amaretto and salt. Bring to boil over medium heat and cook until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool until ready to use. Makes 2 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving (1/12 of recipe, about 2 1/2 tablespoons): 54 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 13 milligrams sodium.— Adapted from a recipe provided by Latonya Crawford.
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