Wednesday, February 16, 2011

sweets for my sweetie

Enlightened Linzer Cookies 
F-stop has a wicked sweet tooth, so for Valentine's Day, I made him some Heart-Felt Linzer Cookies. [The recipe will, of course, appear in my new cookbook.] Traditional Linzer cookies tend to be so heavy that you need to take a nap after eating one. Mine are lighter and impart a subtle citrus flavor, thanks to the addition of some lemon zest. The brightness of the citrus contrasts nicely against the puckery-sweetness of the raspberry jam.


All packed up and ready to go
You can make Linzer cookies using special cookie cutters, like the one I used for the circle cookies. But you can also get creative and use two cookie cutters of the same shape, in two different sizes, as I did with the heart-shaped cookies. You simply cut out two cookies using the larger cutters. Then you cut a little "window" from one cookie, using the smaller cutter, to make the top.



Chocolate-Covered Strawberries: not just for Valentine's Day
I also made F-stop some chocolate dipped strawberries and pretzels. The recipe will appear in the cookbook, but it's so simple that a formal recipe is almost not warranted. Just melt some best-quality dark chocolate buttons (I recommend Valrhona, with a minimum 70% cacao content) along with a pat of non-hydrogenated shortening to thin out the chocolate. Then, dip away. You can dip anything you like: strawberries, pretzels, cookies, orange slices, crystalized ginger, frozen bananas, raisins, etc.


Mandarin Orange Upside-Down Cake
Inspired by a can of Mandarin oranges calling out to me from my pantry, I created this Mandarin Orange Upside-Down Cake. It's as gooey and comforting as it looks; I had to give most of it away to avoid eating it all in one day! It's best eaten warmed with a dollop of vanilla or dulce de leche soy ice cream.

17 comments:

foodfeud said...

Chocolate-covered ginger sounds amazing!

Nichole said...

those cookies look so good!

Carrie™ said...

I've got to make that cake!
You call him F-stop? Is he a photographer as well as an honourary Canuck and fellow hockey fan? I've never met him, but I like him ;o)

Fanny said...

ooh the cake! It looks fantastic.

T said...

Those linzer cookies look AMAZING! What a lucky guy!

Jen said...

I love linzer cookies and chocolate-covered strawberries! Those are perfect Valentine's day sweets.

MeloMeals said...

That cake...that cake!! It looks so great!

The cookies are beautiful and chocolate covered strawberries are so damn good.

mamapasta said...

taking a nap on valentine day, it is quite a good idea....with that recipe that avoid falling asleep right away

Sasha@ Blyssfulhealth said...

This looks great. Like your site. Will follow you. Yum.

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

Those cookies are gorgeous!

Melisser said...

Your cookies are GORGEOUS!

julie hasson said...

Your desserts are mouthwatering Dynise! And that cake looks so ooey gooey too. Yum!

Veggie-Kids said...

Wow! It all looks so good! I'd love to try the mandarin orange upside down cake as I always seem to have some random cans of those things in my cupboards (kids!). Nice photos too!!

Missy said...

YUMMMMMM that all looks good but those cookies look the best!
lOVE YOU BLOG.

Peace
Missy
check out my blog
http://throughanindielens.blogspot.com/

Vinda Dravid said...

Hey that looks superb. I was looking for a cookie recipe but honestly I am horrible at desserts. Though the only thing that worked amazingly well for me is chocolate mousse with pomogranate molasses! Heavenly. You should try using that in ganaches, cookies and mousses. Tastes so seductive.

Kia said...

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