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Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Champagne
Purchase your favourite Champagne and chill.
Buy fresh strawberries that have their stems intact. Wash, dry and refrigerate the strawberries. (Cold strawberries will cause the chocolate to harden and there will be less dripping.)
Chocolate dip: Buy a jar or Nutella, European chocolate hazelnut spread. Place 1 cup of Nutella in a double boiler or fondue pot. Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream. Heat over low heat! Add more heavy cream as needed until the consistency of heavy cream.
Serve your Valentine. Men, you can do it!
Raspberry Spinach Salad
3 Tablespoons Raspberry Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Raspberry Jam
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
8 Cups Spinach, rinsed, stemmed and torn into pieces.
3/4 Cup coarsely chopped toasted almond slices
1 Cup Fresh Raspberries
3 Kiwis, peeled and sliced
Dressing: Combine vinegar and jam in blender or small bowl. Add oil in thin stream, blending well.
Toss spinach with 1/2 of the nuts, 1/2 of the raspberries, 1/2 of the kiwi's and the dressing. Top with the remaining ingredients (nuts, raspberries and kiwis.) Serve immediately.
Vanilla Ice Cream Crepes with Strawberry Sauce
Crepes are tissue-thin pancakes that can be used to make any number of delicious desserts. In this recipe, you will fill crepes with ice cream and smother with Strawberry Sauce and whipped cream.
I pint strawberries, washed
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 cups vanilla ice cream
4 cups whipped cream
Crepe Shells
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons milk
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pinch salt
as needed vegetable spray or oil
Combine flour, milk, egg, oil, and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend into a smooth batter, stopping motor a few times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover and refrigerate batter for 1 hour. Blend batter well before making crepes.
Over moderate heat, lightly oil a preheated, 6-inch, nonstick sauté pan. Add enough batter to make a thin coat, tilt pan so batter forms a thin, even covering over bottom of sauté pan. Cook each crepe until it sets, about 45 seconds, flip over and cook other side for 30 seconds.
Place cooked crepe on waxed paper or clean, dry surface. Do not stack crepes while hot. Cooled crepes may be stacked, wrapped in aluminums foil, and refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a few months. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator for 6 hours before use.
Pick stems off strawberries and slice; place in mixing bowl with sugar and water. Lay crepes out flat and place a scoop of ice cream in middle. Roll up crepes and place on plates. Smother with strawberries and sauce. Garnish with whipped cream and serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings
Amaretto Chicken
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup onions chopped
1/3 cup celery chopped
4 cup bread crumbs
1 can water chestnuts
2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tbsp beau monde seasoning
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup Amaretto liquor
4 boned and skinned chicken breasts
Glaze
1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2-cup honey
1/2-cup orange juice
1/3-cup Amaretto liquor
Mix all of stuffing ingredients together and pour into greased baking dish. Lay chicken breasts on top of mixture. Baste with glaze.
Glaze sauce: Combine and heat ingredients slowly in small heavy saucepan until sugar dissolves. Cool, and either baste chicken breasts during cooking, or serve as topping glaze at table.
Paradise Martini
1 fluid ounce coconut rum
3/4 fluid ounce vodka
1 fluid ounce pineapple juice
1 dash grenadine syrup
Combine rum, vodka and pineapple juice in a drink shaker. Shake firmly until frothy.
Pour in a martini glass; add a touch of grenadine in the middle. Garnish with an orange wheel.
Lover's Caviar
1 small cucumber, scrubbed and-trimmed
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp dried dill weed
Freshly ground black pepper-to taste
1 jar red salmon caviar
Fresh dill sprigs
8 thin slices whole-wheat-bread
Butter or margarine
Slice cucumber into 1/4-inch rounds. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, dried dill and pepper. Place one teaspoon of the sour cream mixture on each cucumber slice. Garnish each with about 1/2 tsp caviar and a dill sprig. Cut bread slices with heart-shaped cookie cutter. Toast and butter. Place cucumber slices in center of serving plate and surround with toast hearts.
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