TIP OF THE DAY: Recipes With Heart
A couple of posts down we recommended Valentine’s Day gifts for the kitchen.
But at home, you don’t have to spring for a kitchen gift. With something as inexpensive as a large, heart-shaped cookie cutter, you can make Valentine’s Day special for your family. You can buy cookie cutters in any housewares store. But you might want to go out of your way for the fetching versions from Wilton, in pink and red colors. Wilton also has a nesting set in six different sizes. Use the cookie cutter to cut out heart-shaped toast for breakfast (how about poached eggs on hearts?). For lunch, use a smaller heart-shaped cutter to cut garlic toast croutons for a salad. For dinner, cut out veggies after you’ve cooked them (heart-shaped beets would be perfect, and boiled potatoes are easy).
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What a cute cookie cutter! One of several pink and red heart cutters from Wilton. |
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And use a big cookie cutter to make a heart-ening dessert. Bake or buy your favorite loaf cake, slice and cut out hearts (this can be easier if you toast the slices), then top with ice cream and a luscious topping for a Valentine Sundae.
Here’s a recipe for individual heart-shaped devil’s food cakes from chocolatier Michael Recchiuti. If you want to bake heart-shaped shortbread cookies while you’re at it, you’ll have lots of takers. Use this shortbread recipe from pastry chef Larissa Raphael. |