Although chocolate desserts get most of the attention on Valentine’s Day, I always like to make a batch or two of these Valentine’s Sugar Cookies. It may be surprising but I find that adults enjoy them every bit as much as children. There is something so appealing about a heart shaped cookie covered with red frosting and colored sprinkles. And these sugar cookies taste good too, with their sweet and buttery flavor and their smooth coating of royal icing.
Royal icing is not the same as the confectioners’ frosting commonly used by home bakers to cover cakes and cookies. Royal icing is different in that it dries to a wonderfully smooth and hard matte finish that has long been a favorite of professional bakers to cover wedding and Christmas cakes. It is made with powdered sugar, along with either egg whites and lemon juice, or meringue powder and water. I prefer the taste of royal icing made with egg whites, but if you are concerned about the risk of salmonella, I have also included a recipe for royal icing using meringue powder. If you are unfamiliar with meringue powder, it is a fine, white powder that contains dried egg whites, sugar, salt, vanillin and gum. It can be found at most cake decorating and party stores or else on-line.
Now, let’s talk about which type of food coloring
to use. Personally, I like the concentrated gel paste dyes that are sold in small 1/2 or one ounce (14 - 28 grams) containers. Only a very small amount is needed to color the icing, and I measure it out using the end of a toothpick. Make sure to thoroughly mix the paste into the icing as you do not want streaks. You can buy gel pastes at cake decorating stores or stores like Michael’s.
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Pomegranate Jelly is a beautiful two layered dessert that pairs a translucent, gold colored apple jelly with a shimmering, garnet colored pomegranate jelly. One spoonful will tell you this is not the wobbly children’s dessert made by stirring a fruit flavored powder into water. This jelly uses real pomegranate juice and real apple juice so it captures the true essence of these fruits. It is especially nice when you scatter the tops with fresh pomegranate seeds.
I did not realize how delicious jelly could taste until I made this recipe from Tessa Kiros’ lovely book Apples for Jam. I was also surprised at how quick and easy it is to make. All you do is stir unflavored gelatin into real fruit juice. But before we begin the recipe I will tell you that I have used POM’s Pomegranate Juice (sometimes I use Pom’s Pomegranate Blueberry Juice) and Martinelli’s Apple Juice as I like how both contain 100% real juice. These juices are unsweetened so you can adjust the amount of sugar added. If you are using sweetened fruit juices, then leave out the sugar that is called for in the recipe. Also, I like to use the unflavored gelatin that comes in powdered form, which is sold in the baking section of most grocery stores. It comes in small boxes which hold four - 1/4 ounce (7 grams) (scant tablespoon
) paper envelopes of tiny granules of powdered gelatin. These granules are tasteless, colorless, and odorless and in order for them to become a thickening agent, the pomegranate juice and the apple juice need to be hot. So we start the recipe by sprinkling three teaspoons of the unflavored gelatin over one third cup (80 ml) of cold water and then leave it, untouched, for about five to ten minutes so the gelatin has time to soften and become all swelled and spongy. Meanwhile we heat the lightly sweetened pomegranate juice until very hot, but not boiling. The softened gelatin is then stirred into the hot pomegranate juice and placed back over low heat until the gelatin has completely dissolved (stir constantly). (To check to see if the gelatin has completely dissolved, dip a spoon into the gelatin and check to see that all the crystals have melted.) The jelly is then removed from the heat, left to cool slightly, poured into six serving glasses, and refrigerated for two to four hours or until set. The process is repeated for the apple jelly. You can make this jelly up to a day before serving. It is especially good with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Note: While this recipe uses powdered unflavored gelatin, you can also use the clear, paper-thin leaves (or sheets) of unflavored gelatin. It is widely used in Europe and can oftentimes be found in gourmet and specialty baking stores, or through mail order. To use this type of gelatin, you have to first soak the sheets in cold water until they look like wet plastic wrap. The sheets are then heated until liquefied. One sheet of gelatin will usually gel about 1 cup (240 ml) of liquid.
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A Chocolate Torte is a European-style cake that has become very popular in North America. This cake has a rich chocolate flavor with an almost pudding-like texture. I love how rustic it looks with its broken and cracked surface and sunken top. It can be served simply with softly whipped cream or, for a more formal presentation, it can be covered with a smooth and shiny coating of Ganache, made with chocolate and cream.
Chocolate tortes have just a few ingredients; unsalted butter, chocolate, eggs, and sugar. There is a large proportion of eggs in this cake and they provide the leavening. This cake does rise during baking but sinks after it is removed from the oven (as it does not contain flour). You will notice the center of the cake sinks more than the outside rim and that is how it should be. The outside surface of the cake will be broken, cracked, and crusty. If pieces do fall off, just press them back into place. Eating this cake the day it is made gives you an intense chocolate flavor with a smooth and soft texture. It will be quite fragile when sliced. My personal preference is to make this torte the day before serving. Once it has been refrigerated overnight it becomes dense and fudgy (like a brownie) with a mellow chocolate flavor. Either way is delicious. For everyday I like to serve this cake plain, maybe with a dollop of whipped cream. Other times I like to cover it with a layer of Ganache with raspberry or strawberry sauce served on the side.
Note: Americans apply the word “Torte” to any type of European-style cake that contains little or no flour, although sometimes containing ground nuts or breadcrumbs. In Europe, “Torte” or “Torta” is the name used for any single or multi-layered decorated cake containing rich ingredients.
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