Not everyone wants chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Here are three better-for-you options for that someone special.
 
 
1. LAUDEMIO FRESCOBALDI EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

There are enough excellent EVOOs out there to make decision-making difficult. So here’s an easy choice:

Marchesi de Frescobaldi Laudemio Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil (photo #1). Silky and elegant, this olive oil is so good we prefer it to butter on our bread, drizzle it over vanilla ice cream, anoint a great steak and yes, dress a salad. The oil is so good, you don’t need vinegar—just a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime.

The Frescobaldi family has been making wine in Tuscany since 1000 C.E., and olive oil since 1300.

In the Middle Ages, Laudemio was the term given to the best part of the harvest, the EVOO destined for the table of the lord of the manor. Today, the name Laudemio Frescobaldi is given to one of the finest expressions of extra virgin olive oil.

This 2018 harvest marks the 30th anniversary of the Laudemio brand. For this special occasion, the olive oil has been packaged in a beautiful gold bottle, reminiscent of a perfume bottle owned by the Marchesa Fiorentina Bona Frescobaldi. The bottle is a keeper: When you’ve finished the contents, refill it with the current vintage.

The 2018 vintage, just pressed in October, is fresh, delectable and waiting for anyone who appreciates fine olive oil.

You can purchase it on Amazon ($43.99) and at other retailers. Here’s more about Laudemio.
 
 
2. SNAKE RIVER FARMS WAGYU

Snake River Farms is one of the country’s best purveyors of fine meats. For a protein-packed gift, they’ve chosen three gift packages:

 
There are many other meaty gifts to consider. Their Kurobuta ham is perhaps the best ham in our memory.

See all of the choices at SnakeRiverFarms.com.
 
 
3. YONANAS FROZEN TREAT MAKER

Yonanas was created for ice cream and sorbet fans who want the experience without the refined sugar.

It turns fresh fruit into soft serve “sorbet,” by processing the fresh fruit in the machine (photo #3).

Yonanas almost instantly transforms your favorite fruits—bananas, berries, mango, pineapple, the whole fruit department—into a silky-smooth frozen confection. All you have to do is pre-freeze the fruit.

[1] Outstanding extra virgin olive oil in a 30th anniversary gold bottle (photo courtesy Laudemio Frescobaldi).

[2] Wagyu for an intimate dinner for two (photo courtesy Snake River Farms).

[3] No-sugar-added sorbet, ready in a minute with the Yonanas Frozen Treat Maker (photo courtesy Yonanas).

There’s no sugar added. If your fruit ends up lacking in natural sweetness, our hacks are to sprinkle the sorbet with a bit of agave, honey or Splenda.

Yonanas Classic is available at retailers nationwide starting at $39.99. Check it out at Yonanas.com.

[1] Share the love with heart-shape brownies.

[2] Dutched cocoa removes the bitterness by adjusting the pH with alkali.

[3] Use the best quality chocolate chips. We like Ghirardelli and Guittard (photos 1, 2 and 3 courtesy King Arthur Flour)

[4] Dutched cocoa at left, and natural cocoa at right (photo courtesy Silk Road Spice Merchant).

If you want to do something special for Valentine’s Day but are short on time, here’s a hack for this recipe:

All you need are a brownie mix and a heart-shape cookie cutter.

We prefer made-from-scratch, of course. The recipe below is from King Arthur Flour.

You can save time with the from-scratch recipe by omitting the chocolate ganache. Brownies are plenty sweet and chocolatey without topping them with more sweet chocolate.

If you do want the ganache, we suggest the drizzle rather than the full ganache coating (i.e., frosting).

Prep time is 20 minutes, bake time is 28 to 30 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE: VALENTINE BROWNIES

Ingredients For 3 Dozen 2″ Hearts

 
For A Ganache Drizzle

 
-or-

For A Full Ganache Coating

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan. Line with parchment and grease the parchment. While this step isn’t strictly necessary, it makes getting the brownies out of the pan a whole lot easier.

2. MAKE the brownies: In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Then add the sugar and stir to combine.

3. RETURN the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it’s hot (about 110°F to 120°F) but not bubbling. It will become shiny-looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

4. STIR in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth; then add the flour, chips and espresso powder, again stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

5. BAKE the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges and barely set in the center.

7. USE a 2″ heart cutter to cut 3 dozen hearts out of the brownies (or use a smaller or larger cutter to cut more or fewer hearts.) Place the hearts on a rack set over a piece of parchment or waxed paper.

8. DECIDE whether you want to drizzle the hearts with ganache, or coat them completely. You’ll make the lesser amount of ganache for drizzling, the greater amount for glazing.

9. MAKE the ganache: Combine the chips, cream and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat until the cream is very hot.

10. STIR the mixture until the chips melt. Then, drizzle over the brownie hearts or spread to cover completely.
 
 
NATURAL VS. DUTCHED (DUTCH PROCESS) COCOA

Cocoa powder in its untreated state is called natural cocoa. It is yellowish-brown in color.

Dutched chocolate, or Dutch process chocolate, is a deeper brown color, which leads most people to think that it is richer and has more chocolate flavor.

In fact, the alkali added to Dutched cocoa changes the pH of the cocoa to make it milder in flavor than natural cocoa, not deeper.

In 1828, Coenrad Johannes van Houten, the same engineer who developed the hydraulic press that created cocoa powder by crushing the nibs to separate the fat (cocoa butter), developed the process of treating the nibs with alkaline salts (alkali)* to neutralize the acidity and bitterness prior to crushing.

Van Houten was Dutch, so the process became known as Dutch process, or Dutching.

No Substitutions!

Because the pH is changed, you should not substitute these two types of cocoas in baking. While both will make a nice cup of cocoa, leavening will vary because of the differing acidities.

Here’s more about it.
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*Alkali is a chemical salt that neutralizes or effervesces with acids, such as lime or soda. If you remember back to high school chemistry, it turns litmus paper blue. The process darkens the cocoa powder, changes its taste by reducing bitterness, and increases the dispersability of cocoa powder for various applications such as flavoring beverages.

For Martini lovers, here’s a twist for Valentine’s Day:

A peppadew stands in for a red heart on the cocktail pick, along with anything else you like. (Or, you can stack two or three peppadews on a pick.)
 
 
ADDITIONAL MARTINI GARNISHES

 
 
RECIPE: PEPPADEW MARTINI

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the cocktail pick. Shake the gin and vermouth with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

2. ADD the cocktail pick and serve.
 
Variation

Although we love the visual of the clear Martini and the red peppadew, you can apply the Dirty Martini approach by mixing some of the juice from the peppadew bottle into the Martini.
 
 
WHAT ARE PEPPADEWS?

These bush fruits from South African add “pep” to food and drink. They are available in mild and hot versions.

Here’s the scoop.

More Ways To Use Peppadews

[1] Say “I love you” with a peppadew (photo courtesy DeLallo Foods).

[2] You can also use peppadews to garnish Bloody Marys, or as part of a relish tray or antipasto plate (photo courtesy Murray’s Cheese).

[3] Peppadew and brie crostini. Here’s the recipe from Castello Cheese.

[1] A favorite sweet treat: the Cosmopolitan. Here’s the recipe (photo courtesy Kitchen Swagger).

[2] For savory palates, the Bloody Mary is spot on. Here are recipes (photo courtesy Bonefish Grill).

[3] Pink sparkling: affordable and delicious (photo courtesy Martini & Rossi).

A couple of years ago, we proposed a Valentine’s Day dinner/buffet with all pink and red foods.

This year, we’re taking things easy: just cocktails and light appetizers. And we’re going one step easier:
 
 
THE DRINKS

 
You can also offer:

 
 
For the alcohol averse:

 
 
DRINK GARNISHES

We’ve omitted organic rose petals in favor of garnishes that everyone likes to eat.

 
 
Don’t forget the ice!
 
 
PINK APPETIZERS

If you’re inviting a cohort of friends who ask “What can I bring,” assign them a pink or red appetizer. Here are some ideas:

 
You can also assign a Valentine soundtrack to the group’s musicologist.

Next step: Send out a brief invite.

February 2nd is National Tater Tot Day. First, the legal stuff: Tater Tot® (photo #1) is the registered trademark of Ore-Ida. Everything else must be called, generically, a potato tot.

Here’s the history of Tater Tots: how the little nuggets came to be.

Now, how about an enhancement of the original: a yummy Potato Tot Casserole with braised beef—braised in stout?

 
This recipe (photo #2) comes to us from the Idaho Potato Commission.

It’s a time-consuming recipe, the kind you make on a Saturday afternoon to serve for Sunday dinner. If you make your own potato tots, you’ll need to prepare them a day in advance. Otherwise, you can purchase tots.
 
> The history of Tater Tots.

> The history of potatoes.
 
 
RECIPE: POTATO TOT CASSEROLE

Ingredients For The Braised Beef

 
For The Potato Tots

 
For The Casserole

 
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*If you cannot find truffle paste, substitute the gruyère for grateable truffle cheese (photo #6). Unfortunately, truffles are so unique that there isn’t a substitute, especially in a dish that already uses mushrooms.
________________

Preparation For The Braised Beef

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and sear the beef on both sides, working in batches. Then remove it from the pot.

2. KEEP the pot over medium heat, add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, and celery; brown slightly. Add the stout. Turn down the heat to low and reduce the liquid slightly. Place the beef back in the pot and add the beef stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise in the oven until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

3. REMOVE the meat from the braising liquid and reserve it. Strain the liquid into a saucepan, bring it to a boil and whisk in the cornstarch to thicken slightly.
 
 
For The Potato Tots

1. HEAT the oven to 350°F. Wash the potatoes well with water to remove all dirt. Lightly prick the potatoes with a fork and toss with 4 tablespoons vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons salt.

2. SPREAD the potatoes out on a large baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Discard the skins.

3. CUT the potatoes in half and press the flesh through a baking grate into a large mixing bowl. Season with 2 tablespoons salt and 1 tablespoon black pepper, then fold in 4 tablespoons olive oil.

4. LINE a half-sheet tray with parchment paper and lightly grease it with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Firmly and evenly, press the potato mix into the tray. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill overnight.

5. CUT the potato mixture into about 1-inch squares. Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in a shallow fry pan to about 325°F. Carefully place the potato squares into the oil and fry until golden and crispy, flipping as needed and working in small batches so as not to crowd the pan. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

[1] Tater Tots with ketchup (photo © Red Duck Foods).

[2] Potato tot casserole (photo and recipe © Idaho Potato Commission).

[3] Beef short ribs (photo © Omaha Steaks).

[4] Cremini (also spelled crimini) mushrooms (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] Black truffle paste (photo courtesy My Panier).

[6] Moliterno truffle cheese. If you can’t find truffle paste, use a grateable truffle cheese instead of gruyère (photo courtesy DiBruno Bros.).

1. PREHEAT the oven broiler to medium-high. Heat the braised beef in a large sauté pan with the thickened braising liquid, pearl onions, and mushrooms. Once hot, add the heavy cream and fold in the truffle paste.

2. DIVIDE the mixture between 6 metal dishes and top each with fried potato tots. Sprinkle gruyère cheese over the top. Broil until the cheese is melted. Garnish with chives and serve.
 
 
MORE TATER TOTS RECIPES