We love this idea from Sugar Bowl Bakery: strawberry skewers with marshmallows and brownie bites.

They’re quick and easy to put together. Let the kids do it as their contribution to Valentine’s Day.

WHAT YOU NEED

 
Preparation

1. REMOVE the stems and leaves from the strawberries; wash and pat dry. Slice off the tapered bottoms so there will be a flat edge against the brownie bites and marshmallows.

2. CUT the brownies in a size that matches the marshmallows. Squares are O.K., but circles cut with a small cookie cutter are better.

3. ASSEMBLE: Place strawberries on each end of the skewer, with a marshmallow and brownie bite in-between.

[2] Savory chocolate gazpacho with strawberries from Good To Know. Here’s the recipe (photo © Good To Know).

Chef Mat Schuster of San Francisco’s Canela Bistro & Wine Bar offered us this Chocolate Gazpacho recipe, which we like for Valentine’s Day. It’s a savory chocolate counterpoint to all the sweet stuff.

When most people think of savory chocolate dishes, Mexican mole comes to mind. You may have made a chili recipe with cocoa powder. It’s a popular ingredient in Mexican dishes.

(And why not? Cacao cultivation was begun by the Olmecs, the first major civilization in Mexico, located in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco; and furthered by the Mayas of the Yucatán Peninsula. When the Aztecs learned about cacao from the Mayas, they made it a drink for noble or wealthy Aztecs and their warrior heroes).

If you’ve ever had an all-chocolate dinner (chocolate used in every dish), you know that it can be included in every course, from cacao nibs in the salad to cacao chèvre for the cheese course. Here are more examples, with the recipes available at Saveur.com.

 
 
RECIPE: SAVORY CHOCOLATE GAZPACHO

Ingredients

and/or croutons†

Preparation

1. PLACE all ingredients into a blender; blend until smooth.

2. ADD enough water to make the consistency you prefer, but be sure not to dilute the flavor.

3. TASTE, season with salt and pepper and chill the soup. Before serving, garnish as desired.
 
 
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CHOCOLATE?

Take a look at our Chocolate Glossary and other articles in THE NIBBLE’S Chocolate Section.

 
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*Picada is a Catalan-style pesto made with almonds, parsley and chocolate.

†These can be American-style croutons—small squares—or French croutons/Italian crostini, slices of baguette or similar bread, grilled or toasted with olive oil, seasonings (herbs, spices, salt and pepper) and/or optional toppings (for this gazpacho recipe, try fresh goat cheese and chives). You can float it on top of the soup or serve it on the plate under the bowl.
 
 

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It’s very rich, a kind of “French cheesecake.”

Others serve a cheese course with their favorite cheeses.

Still others assemble a plate of delicious heart-shaped cheeses. If you’d like to do the same, head to the best cheese stores in town. They’re certain to offer a few limited edition, heart-shaped delights for the big day.

You can find both domestic heart-shape cheeses like Amour from Coach Farm, a semisoft, bloomy-rinded goat cheese made in New York State; and imports like Godminster Cheddar from the U.K.

Others you may find include:

 
Plus these three bloomy-rinded goat cheeses from Oregon’s River Edge Chèvre:

 
THE HISTORY OF HEART-SHAPED CHEESE

Heart-shaped cheeses are not a recent invention for Valentine’s Day (the history of Valentine’s Day). They originated more than 500 years ago in the little town of Neufchâtel-en-Bray, in the Haute Normandy region of France.

Most of the maidens in town worked as milkmaids and cheese makers. When some fell in love with the occupying British soldiers during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), they started to produce heart shapes from the local soft cheese (Neufchâtel), to give as gifts to their sweethearts.

Note that American Neufchatel is very different from its French namesake. In the U.S. it is a name given to a lower-fat type of cream cheese.
 
THE VALENTINE CHEESE PLATE

Decorate the plate with fresh raspberries and strawberries or a scattering of pomegranate arils.

Top: This gorgeous cheese and charcuterie plate from Flora Artisanal Cheese in Charlottseville, Virginia has pink, purple and red color accents that are spot-on for Valentine’s Day. Center: An aged Coeur De Bray Neufchâtel Cheese from Cheeses Of Europe. Bottom: Amour, a soft goat’s milk cheese from Coach Farm, available at Dean & DeLuca.

Flora has created the Valentine’s Day platter with:

Top: Godminster makes a heart-shaped
British Cheddar for Valentine’s Day. Bottom:
Pickled baby beets from Sainsbury.

To decorate your cheese plate for Valentine’s Day, here are more pink, purple and red garnishes:

 
RECIPE: PICKLED BABY BEETS

This recipe saves time by using jarred or canned baby beets.

Ingredients

 
Variations

For a spiced beets profile, substitute for the pickling spices:

1. COMBINE all ingredients, except the beets, in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool.

2. ADD the beets to an airtight container and cover with the pickling liquid, which should cover the beets.
beets. It will easily peel off with your fingers. Cut the beets in half or leave whole if they are very small.

3. REFRIGERATE for one day to two weeks.
 
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHEESE?

Check out the different types of cheese in our picture-packed Cheese Glossary.