Looking for that memorable treat to make your man for Valentine’s Day?

Here’s some inspiration from Ronaldo Linares, executive chef at Martino’s Cuban Restaurant in Somerville, New Jersey.

Chef Linares, like many men, loves his bacon. So he’s reinvented the classic chocolate soufflé in a way that even guys who don’t crave dessert will love. The secret ingredient: bacon.

Adding sautéed, crispy bacon to the traditional soufflé batter lends smoked, savory notes to a dessert that just may become your guy’s (or your bacon-loving girlfrend’s) favorite.

This recipe makes two servings.

CHOCOLATE BACON SOUFFLÉ RECIPE

Ingredients

The secret ingredient in this recipe: bacon! Photo courtesy HeavenlySouffle.com.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Place a baking pan filled halfway with water on the bottom of the oven and set the rack just above it.

2. PREHEAT a skillet, than add the diced bacon and cook on high for 3 minutes than turn stove to medium heat, sauté till bacon is crispy. Remove bacon from pan when finished and set aside; discard the bacon fat.

3. COAT an 8-ounce soufflé dish or ramekin with butter; then sprinkle in the sugar. Making sure all sides are coated well. Set aside.

4. PLACE semi-sweet chocolate on the top of a double boiler over hot water. Be sure that the water is not boiling and does not touch the bottom of the top vessel where the chocolate is melting (it can burn the chocolate). This step takes a few minutes; stir gently as chocolate melts.

5. COMBINE flour, egg yolk, milk and rendered bacon in a medium bowl and whisk till mixture becomes smooth. Once the chocolate has melted add it to the mixture and whisk until it becomes one smooth delicious sauce.

6. ADD the egg whites to a clean bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula add half the egg whites to the chocolate sauce and fold in gently until there are no more white streaks. At this point add the rest of the beaten egg whites and fold once again until there are no more white streaks creating a smooth consistency.

7. POUR mixture into the soufflé dish or ramekin to about ½ inch from the top. Place in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes until firm to touch. Serve immediately.
 
HOW ABOUT SOME CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON CANDY?

For every price range, red items abound. From a burger/pancake flipper or “spoonula” set (spoon/spatula) to a CrockPot, hand mixer or stand mixer, the housewares department yields bright red gifts that will grace the kitchen every day of the year.

We received an early Valentine gift yesterday: a Bialetti Mini Express single-serve espresso machine. It uses capsules that produce a perfect taste of Italy every time.

The machine is $199.00, not expensive for a good espresso machine. If you enjoy just one espresso a day, you’ll break even in about two months, including the cost of the capsules.

And the Bialetti Mini Express has a modest footprint: 7.5″ wide x 10.5″ deep. It fit easily into the small available space on our kitchen counter.

Treat yourself or your Valentine to a bright red espresso machine. Photo courtesy Bialetti.

We love espresso, and previously had owned a conventional Italian espresso machine. It looked like a work of art, but we found that it was cumbersome and messy to grind, tamp and insert the group head (the device that holds the ground coffee). Too often, we found ourselves either out of fresh espresso beans or tossing out the ones we’d had for weeks (the flavor of the beans declines with each day after they’ve been roasted, and is even more noticeable in a strong-brewed drink that is drunk black).

Instead of the chore of making espresso, we started brewing French roast coffee in a regular coffee maker. We gave the espresso maker to the first person who said, “Wow, I’ve always wanted an espresso machine.”

But we are espresso-less no more! The Bialetti Mini Express is a great little espresso machine that produces a terrific cup. It delivers authentic espresso in no-mess capsules, in about 15 seconds—a bit more if you want a double. We couldn’t be happier.

Bialetti may not yet be a household name in the U.S., but the company is the world’s leading espresso maker.

It put its technical know-how into a small, single-serve espresso machine that has all the pressure needed to make a perfect espresso: a 20 bar high pressure system. Easy-to-use capsules load and expel with one motion. And it’s a great price for such a fine espresso machine.

The Mini Express has these other features that we really like:

5 DIFFERENT TYPES OF ESPRESSO

So you thought there was only one type of espresso? No: Espresso is not a type of bean but a roasting style (see our Espresso Glossary for more information). Each region of Italy has its preferred blend of beans. Bialetti offers four different styles plus a decaf—a boon for espresso lovers who are off caffeine.

All of the styles are rich and round with the most wonderful aftertaste that you can enjoy the cup long after the last drop is gone. The variations are in the body and intensity, with subtle flavor nuances.

 
The Bialetti Mini Express comes with a “starter kit” with two of each capsule, so you can quickly decide your favorite. It’s easy to buy capsules online (Amazon.com, BialettiShop.com) or at retailers such as Bed, Bath & Beyond, Crate & Barrel, Kitchen Kapers and Sur la Table.

A box of 16 capsules is $11.95. That’s less than 70 cents for a rich, delicious cup of espresso. And it will make you or your Valentine happy for years. Can you say that about a box of chocolate?
  

Here are two tasty Valentine tips from The Pampered Chef:

It’s easy to share the love with mini heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day. Whether for lunch, dinner or “breakfast pizza,” you’ll have a hit on your hands.

HEART SHAPED PIZZA RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to at 425°F.

2. DIVIDE refrigerated pizza dough into quarters and shape into hearts.

4. REMOVE from oven and add sauce, mozzarella and toppings.

5. BAKE for 2-3 more minutes or until cheese melts.
 

DIETING ON VALENTINE’S DAY?

Congratulations for passing by all the not-so-great-for-you simple carbs.

Instead, enjoy slices of apple, pear or other complex carbs (whole grain bread counts) and use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to make them festive.

The photo shows a “Valendine sandwich” with a filling of peanut butter and a few raisins.

You can also use the cookie cutter to make a cutout in bread, pancakes, whatever.

Go for it!

They’re one of the national breakfast foods of Turkey, baked fresh throughout the day in neighborhood bakeries and sold to the public by food cart vendors (or simply from a tray carried on the vendor’s head!).

Simit falls somewhere between a roll and a bagel: The crumb is less dense and less moist than a bagel crumb, and the exterior is more crusty.

It’s coated with lots of sesame seeds: It isn’t simit without the sesame seeds, which deliver texture, flavor, lots of fiber and heart-healthy linolenic acid and omega-3s.

Simit, which has been called the “Turkish bagel,” is popular in parts of the Middle East, Greece and the Balkans. And Simit + Smith, which launched last month in New York City, is hoping they’ll become as beloved in America…

Not just as breakfast food, served plain or with jam or cheese and a glass of tea, as in Turkey.

Simit is easily Americanized into a sandwich and an anytime snack. It’s the next imported food waiting to be discovered.

With fillings from classic Middle Eastern (black olive paste and kasseri cheese) to classic American (smoked salmon and cream cheese), they’re a hit. The Nutella and banana sandwich is a revelation.

You’ll notice in photos #2 and #3 that some shapes are not round. These were made to have more appeal for sandwiches.

And who knew that tea grows in Turkey (in the mountains in the north)? The tea at Simit + Smith is so delicious—floral and honeyed—we wanted to buy the foodservice-size bag (which isn’t for sale…yet).

[2] Have your turkey and Jarlsberg cheese on a simit. Photo courtesy Simit + Smith.

If you’ve traveled a bit, you may have encountered simit by other names: koulouri in Greece, gevrek in Bulgaria and Serbia, gjevrek in Macedonia and covrig in Romania, among other names.

Simit’s size, crunchiness and chewiness vary slightly by region, even within Turkey. If you like things sweeter, head to Devrek, where the simits are made with molasses.

If you’re passing through Manhattan, head to the Upper West Side or the Financial District and have a simit or two (here are the locations). All the sandwiches are delicious, and the Nutella and banana is a must-have.

If you’re full, get it to go.

Melt-in-your-mouth gourmet jerky. Photo by
Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

But unless you know your guy is one of them, smart money is on gourmet jerky as the most welcome Valentine guy food gift.

THE NIBBLE tastes a reasonable amount of jerky, sent for our consideration. Much of it is tough and chewy, leaving behind gristle that needs to be, well, disposed of.

When we receive a gourmet jerky—tender, moist jerky that disappears to the last bit—we take notice.

So we noticed the packages of Brandt Beef Jerky that arrived last week. Brandt Beef is a family owned, premium natural beef producer that serves the upscale restaurant and retail markets with filet mignon, ribeye, strip steak and other desirable cuts.

Five packages are $39.99, in single flavors or a variety pack. Buy it online at BrandtBeef.com.

WHAT IS JERKY?

The word jerky derives from Quechua, the language of the Incas. Ancient man preserved meat by drying it over hot fires. The Incas called this dried meat “charqui.”

While the prehistoric method of meat preservation was used by other ancient peoples, it was not known in Europe; the first European visitors to the New World found Native Americans making “charqui” from the meat of any animal they hunted (that which wasn’t consumed immediately). The word became Americanized to jerky.

Today’s jerky eaters enjoy it as a snack rather than a necessity, and have the luxury of eating jerky marinated in a variety of spices, salt and/or sugar—seasonings that were not available to many ancients.

Chewy, grisly jerky doesn’t have a place at our table. But gourmet jerky? Bring it on!