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We are all familiar with the idiom, \u201cThe way to a man\u2019s heart is through his stomach.\u201d Arguably, it\u2019s true for any of the sexes, but no one tells you what to expect after the main course is finished. Perhaps a decadent dessert is in order to keep your love simmering long after the kitchen table and into the happily ever after.<\/p>\n
The association of Valentine\u2019s Day with romantic love, sweets and the exchange of love letters is a feast of legend and myth. Some argue that the tradition extends to the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, which concluded with male and female couples paired for the year through a lottery which often ended in marriage.<\/p>\n
St. Valentine was introduced by fifth century Pope Gelasius. One intriguing story claims that St. Valentine fell in love with a jailer\u2019s daughter while he was imprisoned and would sign each of his missives with \u201cYour Valentine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Popular French and English culture of the Middle Ages believed that Feb. 14 was the start of mating season for birds of the air, and of course, the perfect time for humans to follow suit. Chaucer captured this in his poem \u201cParliament of Fowls,\u201d penned in 1382: \u201cFor this was on Saint Valentine\u2019s day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
And finally, we must not forget that perfect pairing \u2013 love and chocolate. Richard Cadbury of, you guessed it, the Cadbury chocolate company, began packaging chocolates in heart-shaped boxes in 1861 for the holiday.<\/p>\n
With a slight nod to tradition, here are some recipes and wine pairings offered by Durango\u2019s top culinary minds for that amorous home cook looking to satisfy an empty stomach and any mountain bird looking to land a nest this Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n
Baked Pears in Cr\u00e9me Anglaise or Bread Pudding<\/em>Recipe provided by Chef Dennis Morrisroe of Seasons Rotisserie and Grill<\/a>.<\/em>\u201cPears are in season and this is a simple dish that\u2019s really luxurious,\u201d Morrisroe said. \u201cLet the pears ripen for 3-4 days at room temperature until the aroma develops into a floral, sweet almost fermented smell; that is a prime pear. The most difficult part of this recipe is the cr\u00e8me anglaise. It\u2019s tricky and involves what I call a \u201cfalling-down-the-stairs\u201d motion \u2013 once you start you don\u2019t stop until you\u2019re at the bottom.\u201d<\/em>Baked Pears:<\/em>Ingredients:<\/em>3 to 4 pears<\/em>Butter<\/em>Vanilla bean paste <\/em>Sugar<\/em>Method:<\/em>Halve pears and remove seeds.<\/p>\n Coat in melted butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste.<\/p>\n Roast at 275 F for 90-minutes turning every 20-minutes until pears are soft and yielding.<\/p>\n Cr\u00e9me Anglaise:<\/em>Ingredients:<\/em>4 egg yolks<\/em>\u00bd cup sugar<\/em>2 cups whipping cream or whole milk<\/em>Method:<\/em>Mix egg yolks and sugar<\/p>\n In a sauce pan, heat cream to boiling and remove from heat.<\/p>\n Slowly add heated cream to egg mixture (Go slow! You don\u2019t want to cook or emulsify the egg) and whisk.<\/p>\n Return mixture to sauce pan on low\/medium heat and stir continually until the sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon. About 10 minutes. Allow to cool.<\/p>\n Pour over the baked pears.<\/p>\n \u201cCr\u00e9me anglaise is a classic technique and becomes the base for a lot of our desserts. You can keep it simple and pour it over the pears or add a little sponge cake. I also use cr\u00e8me anglaise with sourdough bread from Bread Bakery to make a nice bread pudding and that would go well with the pears too,\u201d Morrisroe said.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cCr\u00e9me anglaise is a classic technique and becomes the base for a lot of our desserts. You can keep it simple and pour it over the pears or add a little sponge cake. I also use cr\u00e8me anglaise with sourdough bread from Bread Bakery to make a nice bread pudding and that would go well with the pears too,\u201d Morrisroe said.<\/em>Chocolate Ganache, Dipped Strawberries and Truffles<\/em>Recipe provided by Carley Snider, owner and chocolate maker at Animas Chocolate Company<\/a>.<\/em>\u201cThe key to ganache is its versatility; just remember chocolate is a messy ingredient. Don\u2019t wait to the last second to try and impress your date with a homemade truffle or ganache. Practice ahead of time, and of course, we are here as your backup or even your go-to and you can just say that you made the treats yourself,\u201d Snider said. <\/em><\/p>\n Dipped Strawberries:<\/em>Ingredients:<\/em>Bulk ACC milk or dark chocolate<\/em>Fresh strawberries<\/em>Method:<\/em>Heat chocolate in a double boiler to 108 degrees. (This process can also be done in the microwave. Heat chocolate at 20-second intervals and stir at each interval. Snider cautions that you can easily burn the chocolate this way.)<\/p>\n Remove chocolate from heat and use a dipping fork to evenly coat strawberries.<\/p>\n Top with shredded coconut or cacao nibs.<\/p>\n Ganache:<\/em>Ingredients:<\/em>Bulk milk or dark chocolate <\/em>Equal parts cream<\/em>Method:<\/em>Chocolate should be at room temperature. Heat cream to boiling and remove from heat. Pour heated cream over chocolate. Patience is essential. Stir slowly, allow the mixture to emulsify. If you stir too fast the fats will separate and you will have to start with a fresh batch. Once the mixture is silky smooth add any flavorings you might want. If you\u2019re adding alcohol, Snider recommends reducing the volume of cream. Use an immersion blender for any remaining lumps in the mixture.<\/p>\n Pour over fruit, cake, ice cream etc.<\/p>\n Truffles:<\/em>These are difficult and not for the faint at heart cautions Snider.<\/em>Method:<\/em>Prepare the ganache and if you\u2019re hand-rolling the truffles, reduce the amount of cream.<\/p>\n Temper milk or dark chocolate to coat the ganache. Heat chocolate to 108 degrees. Remove from heat and \u201cseed\u201d the melted chocolate with callets of already tempered chocolate. Continually stir until the chocolate reaches 88 degrees. Coat the rolled ganache in melted chocolate and top with roasted nuts or cacao powder.<\/p>\n