We have a passion for red grapefruit, deep in flavor and always refreshing. We try every recipe that comes our way.

Most recent is this Red Grapefruit Collins, which we adapted from one by Elegant Affairs Caterers in the greater New York area.

The original Tom Collins recipe is a mixture of gin, lemon juice, sugar and soda water, in a tall (a.k.a. collins) glass filled with ice. The classic garnish is a maraschino cherry and a lemon wedge.

Here, grapefruit juice substitutes for some of the lemon juice, plus the garnish; and the glass is rimmed Margarita-style, with coarse salt and grapefruit zest.

(BONUS TIP: Try mixing lime zest with the salt for your next Margarita rim. It really elevates the experience.)

(FOOD 101: types Of red grapefruit and the history of grapefruit.)
 
 
RECIPE: GRAPEFRUIT COLLINS

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. RIM the glass with a grapefruit wedge and dip the moist edge into the grapefruit zest-salt mixture.

2. ADD the gin, lemon juice, grapefruit juice and simple syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into the glass.

3. Add the sparkling water and stir gently. Garnish with grapefruit wedge and mint leaves.

In the 19th century there were numerous drinks that, like the Tom Collins, were made with gin, lemon juice, sugar and soda.

There are numerous claims to the origination of the Tom Collins, one of the most popular of the classic cocktails.

The most reliable is that the recipe for the Tom Collins first appeared in the 1876 edition of Jerry Thomas Bar-Tender’s Guide. The drink was heavy on the gin (one large wine glass of it!).

Here’s the recipe from Thomas’ book:

(Use large bar-glass.)
Take 5 or 6 dashes of gum syrup*.
Juice of a small lemon.
1 large wine-glass of gin.
2 or 3 lumps of ice;
Shake up well and strain into a large bar-glass. Fill up the glass with plain soda water and drink while it is lively [source].

The drink got its name from The Great Tom Collins hoax of 1874. A practical joke was making the rounds, wherein one man told another that a man named Tom Collins was saying defamatory things about him. The “victim” didn’t know a Tom Collins, but went off in search of the rascal—who of course was fictitious.

This became known as “The Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874.” Eventually, a bartender caught on and named a drink “Tom Collins,” so that if anyone came into his bar looking for Tom Collins, he would [unknowingly] have ordered a tall gin drink.

According to Business Insider, the lame joke went viral in New York and Philadelphia. Newspapers printed stories of false sightings of Tom Collins, songs were written that memorialized the joke.

By 1878, the Tom Collins was being served in the bar of New York City and elsewhere, identified as among “the favorite drinks which are in demand everywhere” [source].

It still is!

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*Gum syrup (gomme syrup in the U.K.) was the pre-Prohibition sweetener in many classic cocktail recipes. It has been replaced by simple syrup. True gum syrup contains gum arabic, an emulsifier that it adds a silky texture and softens the alcohol’s flavor. You can buy it online or make it.
  

You don’t have to turn on the oven to make this no-bake cake from FAGE Total, but you do need to refrigerate it for 12 hours to set.

The fudgy chocolate is accented with coffee liqueur: Illy, Kahlúa, Tia Maria or whatever you have on hand.

If you don’t like coffee liqueur, substitute orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Gran Gala, Triple Sec), rum, whiskey or spirit of choice.

The recipe allows for even more personalization:

Your choice of ingredients is mixed into the chocolate: broken cookie pieces, dried fruits (including coconut), nuts, etc. It’s an opportunity to go through the cupboard and toss in whatever you like.

Prep time is 30 minutes, refrigerator time is 12 hours.

Given the sweetness of the cake, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or crème fraîche is a nice counterpoint.
 
 
RECIPE: NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE KAHLÚA CAKE

Ingredients For 10 Servings

 
Preparation

1. MELT the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. In another bowl…

2. LIGHTLY WHIP the heavy cream, then fold in the yogurt and set aside.

[2] Crème fraîche: the consistency of yogurt with the flavor of sour cream. You can buy it or make it.

4. POUR the melted chocolate has into the coffee mix, then fold in the mixed nuts/dried fruit/broken biscuits.

5. START to fold the cream and yogurt into the chocolate mixture. When they are fully mixed into the chocolate, pour the mixture into a 10-inch-round cake tin. Refrigerate for 12 hours.

6. TO SERVE: Turn the cake out onto a board, cut into 10 portions, and serve each on a dessert plate garnished with a sprig of mint and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

[2] Chop or break up chocolate bars to create a “broken heart” (photo courtesy Hebert Candies).

If your Valentine’s Day will be more doleful than joyful—or if you simply have a twisted sense of humor—express your feelings in broken-heart chocolate.
 
HOW TO MAKE BROKEN-HEART CHOCOLATE

 
PLUS

 
HOW TO CREATE THE HEARTS

Use an existing form:

 
…Or create the shape freestyle (photo #2).

…Or do all of the above!

If you want to lay it on thickly:

We recently published an article on pairing cheese and chocolate, but it was limited to certain types of cheese.

To put together a Valentine cheese plate, pick your favorite cheeses and build the accompaniments around them from the lists below. Use red and/or pink accents.

1. CHEESES
We love the goat cheese family and soft-ripened goat’s, sheep’s and cow’s milk cheeses in general.

 
If these are not your cheese tastes, here are some suggestions that pair with chocolate—since of course, the ideal Valentine’s Day cheese plate includes some chocolate.

 
Feel free to customize the cheese plate with spices, fresh in-season herbs or dried fruits to taste. It’s a fun and easy way to experiment with your favorite flavors.

Don’t be afraid to ask your local cheesemongers for recommendations; they’re a wealth of knowledge!

Take cheeses out of the fridge one hour prior to serving, allowing them to come to room temperature.

2. BREADS & BISCUITS

This special occasion demands ore than the usual baguette. Look for:

 
3. FRUITS

Go for red fruits for Valentine’s Day:

 
4. CHARCUTERIE

Charcuterie is often red or pink in color, or has a pink tinge.

 
CHOCOLATES & CONFECTIONS

Artisan chocolatiers sometimes make special treats, like chocolate-covered goat cheese truffles. They’re heavenly, but these are more readily available.

[3] The works: cheeses, crackers, berries, chocolate truffles and caramels. You can press pink peppercorns or dehydrated raspberries into a fresh cheese, or add a sprinkle of red chile flakes (photo courtesy Vermont Creamery).

[4] Party time! (photo courtesy Cheeses Of France)

[5] Heart-shaped cheeses for Valentine’s Day are popular in the U.K. and France, but harder to find in the U.S. (photo courtesy Cheeses Of France).

And to guild the lily, might we suggest a chaser of…chocolate cheesecake, milk chocolate cheesecake or white chocolate cheesecake?
 
CONDIMENTS & GARNISHES

 
 
The History Of Cheese

The History Of Chocolate

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*You can’t tell from the outside if the flesh of the guava is pink or white. Ask the produce manager.

[2] Papa John’s testament to loving pizza.

[3] It’s easy to cut pepperoni slices into hearts. Here’s how from Ciao Florentina.

February 9th is National Pizza Day, and it’s five days before Valentine’s Day. How about combining the two?

While some local pizzerias may offer heart shapes for the occasion, it’s no more difficult to make your own than it is to roll the dough for any homemade pizza.

MAKING A HEART-SHAPED PIZZA

Roll out the dough, first into an oval. Then taper the bottom to the point of a heart, and scrunch the top into the curve. Roll up the edges to keep the sauce from dripping off.
 
VALENTINE PIZZA TOPPINGS

For Valentine’s Day, use red toppings.

Red Vegetable Toppings

 
Red Protein Toppings

 
Garnishes

Place the garnishes on the table and let everyone customize their own slices.

 
Plus, for more flavor:

HOW TO MAKE PEPPERONI HEARTS

Thanks to Ciao Florentina for this easy technique to make pepperoni hearts: