There’s no denying the necessity and power of telling someone that you love them. Whether you’re celebrating your first year together or your 20th, celebrating Valentine’s Day can be made special with little spoonfuls of sweetness and lots of love. We all have our special memories with loved ones that make Valentine’s Day special – it could be with a spouse, a partner, your kids or friends.
For our Valentine’s Day special, we asked 3 food creators Natasha Minocha, Reethika Singh & Natasha Celmi what they would pick for V-Day this year and this is what our contributors shared with us.
Try them out and don’t forget to tag us @kidsstoppress when you do. e would love to know how they turned out!
Italian Tiramisu By Chef Natasha Celmi
Tiramisu is one of those no-fail classic desserts which everyone enjoys. Here is my version- very light and one that I have made several times over the years. You can make it in one large dish or in elegant shot glasses. If making individual glasses, just follow the same layering process. Hope your family and guests enjoy this as much as mine always do!!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Espresso
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 50g Castor Sugar
- 225g Mascarpone Cheese
- 115g Whipped Cream
- 2 Tbsp Coffee Liquor/Brandy/ Whiskey/Dark Rum (Or To Taste)
- 1 pack Savoiardi Cookies Or Vanilla Sponge Sheets, cut into fingers
- Cocoa Powder
- Chocolate Shavings for decor
Method
- Mix egg yolk and sugar with a whisk.
- Add mascarpone and combine, breaking any lumps.
- Add the whipped cream and combine gently.
- Mix the espresso with the coffee liquor. Add 1/4 cup water and 1 tbsp sugar to this.
- Add 2-3 tbsp of the espresso mix to the mascarpone mixture.
- You will need a square/rectangle dish with adequate height. Dip each savoiardi cookie on both sides in the espresso mix and align to form the bottom layer.
- Top with a layer of the mascarpone.
- Repeat the above process for another layer of cookies and mascarpone.
- Dust cocoa powder through a sieve and decorate with chocolate shavings
- Chill in the fridge for at least 5-6 hours or overnight.
French Hearts By Natasha Minocha of Tashasartisanfoods
French hearts are also called palmier, which is French for a palm tree. Why are they called palmier cookies or palm leaf cookies? Because they look like palm leaves.
Since the shape also resembles the heart, eyeglasses, and ears of an elephant, they’re known by many other names: glasses, French hearts, pastry hearts, and elephant ear cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet (500 gms) Puff Pastry, room temperature (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/3 cup Raw sugar You can use regular granulated sugar too
- 2 tsp Cinnamon powder
Method
- Preheat your oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with Silpat or parchment paper.
- Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle about 14″ * 12″.
- Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon powder on the dough. Lightly press the sugar and cinnamon into the dough, using a rolling pin.
- Starting with one long side, start rolling the dough tightly until the centre. Repeat on the other side.
- Chill the log for at least 20 minutes.
- Cut into 1/4″ thick slices and place on the baking tray. Sprinkle some more sugar if you like.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until the pastry is all puffed up and golden brown in colour.
- Transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container. Enjoy!
Tips
Sugar: Raw, granulated sugar will hold you in good stead for this recipe. But if you don’t have it, use regular plain sugar. Demerara sugar, with its beautiful crystals, will give the heart cookies a good crunch and texture.
Chilling the rolled log is necessary because it sets the butter and helps the cookie puff up. If the butter in the pastry is melted, you won’t get those gorgeous layers.
Strawberry Posset By Reethika Singh of Cupcakeree
Ingredients (Serves 6)
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream
- 1/2 Cup Sugar Or Powdered Erythritol
- 1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2-3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 Cup Fresh Strawberry Purée (from about 300 grams of fresh/frozen strawberries)
- 3 Strawberries sliced in half, for garnish
Method
- Combine the cream, sweetener and vanilla in a heavy-based saucepan. Whisk over low heat until the sweetener dissolves.
- Turn up the heat to medium and let the mixture boil vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent the mixture from boiling over.
- Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and strawberry purée. Whisk well to incorporate.
- Cool the posset mixture for 10 minutes, then divide it between 6 dessert bowls. Top with the sliced strawberries, cover loosely with foil/cling film and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until the possets set. Serve chilled.
Mansi Zaveri
Janani S Koushik
