Happy Valentine's Day!
Why not serve a "Magical" meal this Valentine's Day. Start with a colorful Sweetheart Salad followed by a light and delicious Pennette with Smoked Salmon and Caviar. For dessert, a sinful Devil's Food Cake.
Want more ideas ... check out the links on the bottom of the page.
Sweetheart Salad
Serving Size : 2
1/2 c Mayonnaise
1/4 c Sour cream
1 c Red Delicious apple, chopped
1 t Lemon juice
3/4 c Cooked or canned beets, chop
6 Iceberg lettuce slices
6 Red pepper rings, cut in half
Combine mayonnaise and sour cream; mix well. Toss apple with lemon juice. Add mayonnaise mixture and beets; mix lightly. Chill. For each serving, place 1/2 cup salad on lettuce slice. Surround with half-slices of red pepper, molding the salad to form a heart shape.
Source: Chef Keith Keogh, Executive Chef, Epcot Center, Walt Disney World
Pennette with Smoked Salmon-Saffron Sauce and Caviar
Chef Jimmy Gherardi, J's Fresh Seafood - Cincinnati
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 C chopped onion
pinch of saffron
1 lb pennette pasta
2 t. fresh lemon juice
1/2 C chopped chives
1/4 C. chopped Italian parsley
8 oz smoked salmon, cut into strips
salt and pepper to taste
salmon caviar (about 3 oz)
Heat the oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the garlic, onion and saffron. Cook until the garlic and onion are soft. Set aside.
Cook the pennette and drain well. Put the pennette back into the pot it was cooked in. Add the saffron sauce and mix well. Add the lemon juice, chives, parsley and salmon and mix well again. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with salmon caviar.
Source: Food &Wine Festival 2000 Demo
Devil's Food Cake
WDW Dolphin Hotel
FOR THE CAKE:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks)
unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
1 pound semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups heavy cream
TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly butter two 10-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium-size bowl, mix the sifted ingredients with an electric hand-held mixer for 30 seconds. With the mixer still running, alternately add half the butter and 2 of the eggs, and then the remaining butter and the remaining eggs. Mix until the ingredients are evenly combined, about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to combine the ingredients. Continue to mix on low speed and add the buttermilk and vanilla. Increase the speed and beat the batter for 3 to 5 minutes, until fluffy.
Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Cool the cakes for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold them onto a cake circle or plate and cool on a rack.
TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE: Place the chocolate in a bowl. In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk until completely smooth. Let the mixture come to room temperature and then refrigerate for 2 hours. For icing the cake, the ganache should be set but still spreadable.
Slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Set one layer on a cake circle and spread the top with about a 1/4-inch of chocolate ganache. Repeat with the other layers and ganache to build the cake. Spread the top and sides of the cake with a thin smooth layer of ganache. Chill the cake for 20 minutes.
Gently heat the remaining chocolate ganache in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until it is pourable but not warm. To glaze the cake, set it on a rack over a pan and pour the ganache over the cake. Let the glaze drip down the sides of the cake. Chill the cake for 20 minutes. If there is extra ganache, melt it again, cool, then pour it over the cake as before.
Want more ideas ... check out the links on the bottom of the page.
Sweetheart Salad
Serving Size : 2
1/2 c Mayonnaise
1/4 c Sour cream
1 c Red Delicious apple, chopped
1 t Lemon juice
3/4 c Cooked or canned beets, chop
6 Iceberg lettuce slices
6 Red pepper rings, cut in half
Combine mayonnaise and sour cream; mix well. Toss apple with lemon juice. Add mayonnaise mixture and beets; mix lightly. Chill. For each serving, place 1/2 cup salad on lettuce slice. Surround with half-slices of red pepper, molding the salad to form a heart shape.
Source: Chef Keith Keogh, Executive Chef, Epcot Center, Walt Disney World
Pennette with Smoked Salmon-Saffron Sauce and Caviar
Chef Jimmy Gherardi, J's Fresh Seafood - Cincinnati
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 C chopped onion
pinch of saffron
1 lb pennette pasta
2 t. fresh lemon juice
1/2 C chopped chives
1/4 C. chopped Italian parsley
8 oz smoked salmon, cut into strips
salt and pepper to taste
salmon caviar (about 3 oz)
Heat the oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the garlic, onion and saffron. Cook until the garlic and onion are soft. Set aside.
Cook the pennette and drain well. Put the pennette back into the pot it was cooked in. Add the saffron sauce and mix well. Add the lemon juice, chives, parsley and salmon and mix well again. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with salmon caviar.
Source: Food &Wine Festival 2000 Demo
Devil's Food Cake
WDW Dolphin Hotel
FOR THE CAKE:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks)
unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
1 pound semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups heavy cream
TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly butter two 10-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium-size bowl, mix the sifted ingredients with an electric hand-held mixer for 30 seconds. With the mixer still running, alternately add half the butter and 2 of the eggs, and then the remaining butter and the remaining eggs. Mix until the ingredients are evenly combined, about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to combine the ingredients. Continue to mix on low speed and add the buttermilk and vanilla. Increase the speed and beat the batter for 3 to 5 minutes, until fluffy.
Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Cool the cakes for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold them onto a cake circle or plate and cool on a rack.
TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE: Place the chocolate in a bowl. In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk until completely smooth. Let the mixture come to room temperature and then refrigerate for 2 hours. For icing the cake, the ganache should be set but still spreadable.
Slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Set one layer on a cake circle and spread the top with about a 1/4-inch of chocolate ganache. Repeat with the other layers and ganache to build the cake. Spread the top and sides of the cake with a thin smooth layer of ganache. Chill the cake for 20 minutes.
Gently heat the remaining chocolate ganache in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until it is pourable but not warm. To glaze the cake, set it on a rack over a pan and pour the ganache over the cake. Let the glaze drip down the sides of the cake. Chill the cake for 20 minutes. If there is extra ganache, melt it again, cool, then pour it over the cake as before.
