February 03, 2009
By Bev Bennett, Tribune Media Services
This may not be the year you celebrate Valentine's Day in an elegant restaurant. Or, maybe you're skipping your intimate lobster dinner at home to trim your budget.
Thank goodness chocolate, the ambrosial route to romance, is still affordable.
Unlike some ingredients that are expensive, chocolate has a luxurious allure, while being within reach, according to Beth Kimmerle.
"You can get exotic flavors in a [chocolate] bar and you don't have to spend a lot of money, says Kimmerle, a candy and chocolate historian in New York City.
In fact, if you can't promise your sweetheart the world for Valentine's Day, you can do the next best thing and provide a taste of chocolates from different cocoa-growing regions.
"You can have a fun night tasting bars from all over the world," says Kimmerle, author of "Chocolate: The Sweet History" (Collectors Press, 2005).
You can also take your chocolate explorations further.
Kimmerle suggests preparing an unusual dessert of chocolate pudding with a fried bacon strip as an accompaniment. Dip the bacon in the chocolate for a taste that's simultaneously salty and sweet.
For another easy and fun dessert, melt semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water and drizzle it over sliced bananas alternating with salted pecan halves and crumbled macaroons in a tall glass.
Don't overlook hot chocolate as a source for seduction.
"The aroma of a chocolate drink wafting through the air is very sexy and romantic," Kimmerle says.
The following two nontraditional hot chocolate recipes are luscious enough to warm up your celebration.
Spiced Hot Chocolate
Makes 2 servings
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon sugar
1/16 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into small chunks
2 small red or green jalapeno or serrano chilies for garnish
Combine cocoa, sugar, red pepper flakes and cinnamon in a small, heavy-bottomed pot. Gradually add half-and-half, stirring constantly. Press out any lumps from cocoa. Stir in milk. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Stir in chocolate chunks. Simmer over very low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate melts and hot chocolate is sipping temperature.
Pour into 2 heatproof glasses or mugs. For chili garnish, make a slash in the tip of each chili. Balance the chili on the glass.
Note: If desired, strain out chili flakes before serving.
Each serving has: 280 calories; 15 grams total fat; 6.5 grams protein; 31.5 grams carbohydrates and 150 milligrams sodium.
Hot Mocha
Makes 2 servings
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon freeze-dried coffee granules
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of mace
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into small chunks
Combine cocoa, sugar, coffee, cinnamon and mace in a small, heavy-bottomed pot. Gradually add half-and-half, stirring constantly. Press out any lumps from cocoa. Stir in milk. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Stir in chocolate chunks. Simmer over very low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate melts and hot chocolate is sipping temperature.
Pour into 2 heatproof glasses or mugs.
Each serving has: 290 calories; 15 grams total fat; 6.5 grams protein; 33.5 grams carbohydrates and 150 milligrams sodium.
Bev Bennett is the author of "30 Minute Meals for Dummies," John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2003.
(c) 2009, Bev Bennett. Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.