Yesterday, February 10th, was National Cream Cheese Brownie Day, but you never need an excuse to bake up a batch.

Drops of cheesecake batter are layered with chocolate brownie batter, then swirled together with a knife. Instead of making the brownie even richer, the cream cheese swirl lightens it, with a smoother texture and a counterpoint to the heaviness of the chocolate.

Zebras are a variation in which a full cheesecake layer rests atop a brownie layer—no swirl.

As a family treat or a Valentine gift, cream cheese brownies will make fans of everyone who likes both brownies and cheesecake.

Brownies with a cream cheese swirl. Photo by S.F. Photo | IST.

The flavor of roses creates a special
lemonade. Photo courtesy Fentiman’s.

Not your conventional soft drinks, the products are infused with botanicals and go through a slow, natural fermentation and blending.

For a special soft drink for Valentine’s Day—for everyone from foodies to kids—we like Fentiman’s Rose Lemonade. It’s made with rose oil from the world-famous Rose Valley in Kazanlak, Bulgaria.

If you can’t find it, make your own rose lemonade by adding a bit of rose oil or rose water to a conventional fresh-squeezed lemonade recipe. (You can turn it into a cocktail with gin, tequila or vodka.)

Like Middle Eastern cuisine? Rose is a popular flavor in the Middle East, in beverages, desserts and confections. Make rose lemonade or rose-flavored club soda to serve with the cuisine.

If you purchase a bottle of rose oil (rose extract), a little goes a long way. The beautiful floral bouquet and flavor can also be used in cakes and icing. Artisan chocolatiers have been adding it to ganache; mixologists use it in cocktails. If you enjoy playing with ingredients, get a bottle.

One serving has just 160 calories (45 from fat). Serve with a vinaigrette-dressed salad. Use raspberry vinegar and garnish with a few fresh raspberries for a Valentine’s Day touch. Enjoy with a glass of rosé.

Then dig into that chocolate!

TILAPIA TOMATO BASIL FILLETS

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Start to Finish: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 tilapia fillets, about 1/2 inch thick (1 lb)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Low-calorie, healthy and festive. Photo
courtesy Muir Glen.

• 1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning (if you don’t have any, just use fresh-ground pepper)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained (use the liquid in another recipe)
• 3 tablespoons shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 11×7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a shallow dish, combine lemon juice, peel and oil. Dip fillets into lemon mixture, turning to coat. Place in baking dish.
3. Sprinkle basil, salt and lemon pepper over fillets. Spoon tomatoes over fillets. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Add as many basil leaves, bean sprouts, and scallions as you like (photo © Simon Gurney | Dreamstime).

Last night on “Top Chef,” contestant Dale Talde won the fondue Quickfire Challenge with his adaptation of the Vietnamese soup, phö (pronounced fuh).

Phö is a symphony of flavors—one of the world’s great soups. It is a complex and flavorful beef broth seasoned with cardamom, chile, cinnamon, clove, coriander, fennel, ginger, onions, and star anise.

The broth is piled high with stewed beef, rice noodles, basil, bean sprouts, cilantro, and scallions, and is topped off with fresh lime juice squeezed at the table. The ingredients create a heady aroma and flavor.

Hearty enough to be served as a main course for lunch or a light dinner, the Vietnamese enjoy phö for breakfast. It’s a winner any time of the day.

It’s been a long time since The Clovers bought a bottle of Love Potion No. 9 to solve their romantic problems.

If you listen to the ingredients in the 1959 song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, you’ll far prefer this 2011 recipe for Love Potion No. 299. (Also check out the 1963 cover by The Searchers.)

This 299th love potion was created for Valentine’s Day by Kenneth McClure, General Manager of Hospitality Holdings. It’s being served at Bookmarks, the rooftop lounge atop The Library Hotel in New York City. If you’re not in the area, whip up your own Love Potion No. 299.

The recipe includes rose sorbet (sherbet), which can be purchased at Middle Eastern markets, international markets and online. Those with organic roses—no chemical pesticides, please—can make their own with this recipe.
 
 
COCKTAIL RECIPE: LOVE POTION No. 299

Ingredients Per Cocktail

Will this love potion do the job? Photo
courtesy The Library Hotel | New York City.

1. STIR lightly together in mixing glass (heavy stirring will break the Champagne bubbles).

2. STRAIN into a chilled Champagne flute.

3. TOP with extra Champagne.
 
 
WHAT IS ROSE SORBET/SHERBET or FALUDEH?

The favorite Persian frozen dessert, rose sorbet is a rare and wonderful experience, made from cooked rose petals. You step into the very essence of the flower. In am authentic Middle Eastern faludeh, fine threads of starch noodles (like rice noodles, but made of wheat) are added for visual beauty and an appealing crunch.

Next time, don’t send a dozen roses: send a few quarts of rose sorbet from Los Angeles ice cream artisan Mashti Malone.

In addition to flavoring Love Potion No. 299, rose sorbet is a great palate cleanser between fish and meat courses, a dazzling dessert, and an invigorating refreshment. In Persian circles, faludeh (the Persian word for rose sorbet), is as ubiquitous as the ice cream is in the U.S. It is generally served in a bowl, garnished with sour cherries and/or a drizzle of sour cherry syrup, a squirt of lime juice, and pistachios.

It would make an absolutely great Valentine’s Day dessert, followed by a Love Potion No. 299.
 
 
FOOD HISTORY: THE WORD “SORBET”

Sorbet originated in China up to 4,000 years ago as snow and ice flavored with syrup. Through trade, the recipe arrived in Persia. Persians invented a dessert made of rosewater and vermicelli—faludeh—around 400 B.C.E. Alexander The Great brought the recipe back to Greece after he conquered Persia in 330 B.C.E. The recipe became a favorite with the Roman emperors.

According to TurkishCookbook.com, sherbet is served both as a liquid—the rose version of lemonade, served on hot summer days—and a frozen dessert. Ottoman Turks drank sherbet during meals as we drink water. As with lemonade, sherbet is made from fruit juices (or extracts of flowers or herbs) combined with sugar, water and ice.

See the History Of Ice Cream (and its predecessor, sherbet).