Cooking up a Valentines Day dinner (part 2)

Part 2 of 2: Easy yet elegant desserts

HALFMOON (Jan. 27) — You’ve just finished a wonderful main course, but what’s a romantic dinner without a sweet dessert. You’re a good cook, but you can’t bake worth a lick. What are you going to do?

“You can buy a beautiful dessert,” said Judy Donovan, who works and teaches cooking classes at Spoon & Whisk. “They’re so labor intensive.”

But if that doesn’t seem romantic enough, there are a lot of simple yet tasty desserts you can make without being an ace of cakes.

A great dessert can be as simple as fresh raspberries and cream, Donovan said.

If you want to be a little more elaborate, grill a slice of store-bought pound cake in a frying pan dabbed with a little butter. When it’s done, put it on a plate, sprinkle it with some powered sugar, add some fresh blueberries and drizzle with a little cream.

Another option is to bake an apple with some walnut pieces and brown sugar.

“A simple table beautifully set with candlelight and love is in the air,” Donovan said.

Donovan recommended going to a local wine store and asking for recommendations about what to drink with your romantic dinner. She said most will be able to pair a good wine if you tell them what you’re planning to cook.

“Don’t be afraid to ask,” she said.

If you looking for a Valentines Day gift you can use during the dinner, Donovan suggests a Vinturi — a device that decants your wine.

“You pour red wine through this, and it instantly decants it,” she said. “The taste, the flavor is remarkable.”

Another good Valentines Day gift for cooks is an immersion blender.

“It will whip up cream in no time,” she said. And the whipped cream will go well on your desserts.

Part 1: Quick and tasty Valentines Day main courses

For more information:

  • Share/Bookmark