Flavors in Love

On Valentine’s Day, restaurants are crowded and often noisy, negating the warmth and intimacy we would like to experience.  I think the most romantic thing you can do is stay home and cook together! I love setting a romantic table with candlelight, playing my favorite Brazilian CD, and drinking an outrageous bottle of wine or sexy cocktail. My suggestion for a fabulous Valentine’s Day meal is a Provencal rack of lamb, potato gratin, roasted asparagus with Parmigiano, and for dessert I love this Bittersweet Chocolate Pot de Creme…. If you want to learn the rest of these dishes, come to one of my Flirting with Flavors cooking classes.

They say chocolate contains the same pleasure producing chemicals that are released when we fall in love. We know that dark chocolate makes us feel good, but it’s also an antioxidant that’s good for our hearts.  And Valentine’s Day is all about opening our hearts, right? Plus,  this combination of chili and chocolate will make you tingle, and this is one of the easiest desserts you will ever make!  Feed this to your sweetheart and watch the glow!

Bittersweet Chocolate Pots de Creme

Serves 6

** Make the night before you plan to serve so it has time to set.

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 egg yolks

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cayenne chili powder (more or less, depending on your taste)

Pinch of salt

1 cup milk

½ cup heavy cream

Put the chocolate, egg yolks, sugar, liquor or vanilla extract, chili and salt in a blender. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and set over high heat. As soon as the milk and cream have come to scald*, pour the hot liquid into the blender and puree on high for 2 minutes. Pour the custard into 6 small ramekins and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.  I used heart shaped ramekins for this available at Sur La Table Top with whip cream just before serving.

*To scald means to bring the milk just up to under a boil so you get a skin on top.

Looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift?  How about a gift certificate to Flirting with Flavors  Cooking School? Your sweetheart will be thanking you by cooking delicious meals all year!

We’ve made it easy for you.  Just click on the link to purchase.

Being able to relax and cook your food outdoors over an open flame is such a treat. Its one of the best things about summer!

Corn and tomatoes are at their peak right now and we are picking tomatoes from our garden every weekend. I chose this menu to highlight both of those ingredients.

I became aware of Lava Lake lamb when I saw a woman in Citarella doing a demo of these lamb chops. I love it when a meal is delicious, eco-conscious, and easy to prepare, so these really caught my attention. I bought these Lava Lake lamb chops because I believe that eating grass-fed, all-natural meat is so much better for you. These lambs have never been given hormones or antibiotics and have never been placed in feed lots.

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS:

8 Grass-fed Lava Lake lamb chops

3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients above and marinate the lamb chops for at least 30 minutes. Grill them for about three minutes per side, to a perfect medium rare.

They were so juicy and flavorful….lots of mmms and ahhhhs at my table.

Along with the lamb, I served grilled sweet corn with a chipotle aioli and a tomato salad with watercress, basil, fresh mozzarella, and a balsamic vinaigrette. At this time of year I eat as much corn as possible..its just so sweet. And the adobo sauce from the chipotles is smoky and spicy…it marries perfectly with the crunchy sweetness of the corn.

When I’m out in the Hamptons, I buy my corn from my favorite vegetable stand, Pike Farms.

SWEET CORN WITH CHIPOTLE AIOLI:

8 ears of corn

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 minced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon Mexican spice mix

Peel the husk down on the corn and remove the silk underneath, but leave the husks attached. Soak the corn in water for 10 minutes.

Combine in a bowl the mayonnaise, adobo sauce, lime juice, garlic cloves, smoked paprika, and Mexican spice mix.

Grill the corn about 7 minutes, then roll over onto the other side and grill 7 minutes more.

Remove the husk and slather with the chipotle aioli….then listen to the sounds of lip smacking enjoyment…Serve with plenty of napkins!!