Top Five Friday – 5 Easy & Delicious Treats for Valentines

I’m on a bit of a K.I.S.S. kick at the moment.  Two blogs will do that to a girl.  I’ve been spending a lot of time in front of the computer, which means less time in the kitchen…and dinners that are less than elaborate.

With that in mind, I’ve already planned our Valentine’s dinner — I’m way better off when I have a plan, aren’t you?

My plan consisted of phoning Howard at work and asking him to take me to Pender Sushi next Tuesday.  He made the reservation that very afternoon, and now my plans are complete!

Like I said, I’m way better with a plan.  The simpler, the better.

The one thing I have to come up with on Tuesday is dessert.  But I’ve been roaming some of my favourite food sites for the past few days, and I’ve found a ton of easy & very tempting options.  At this point, the hardest thing is going to be making a choice.

1.  Easy & Eggless Chocolate Gelato

This one’s from right here on IV.  A wonderfully creamy, traditional-style Sicilian gelato that is thickened with cornstarch rather than eggs.  Start this the night before (or early in the morning) to make sure it has enough time to freeze firm.

2.  Espresso Hazelnut Lace Cookies

Delicate, sweet-treats from Laura over at The Spiced Life that would make a beautiful garnish to a bowl of the chocolate gelato above.  They would also make you very popular at the office if you were to bring them in next week.

If you happen to have some Homemade Coffee Extract hanging around, you could use that to replace both the corn syrup and espresso powder in the recipe.

3.  Red Velvet Crepes with Raspberry & Sweet Cream Cheese Filling

These could pull double duty at breakfast as well — especially with the kiddie crowd!  Although crepes are a tad fiddly, all of the components of this dish can be made ahead of time…in fact, you can assemble these a couple of hours ahead of time.  Drizzle with melted chocolate/nutella just before serving.

4.  Fleur de Sel Caramels

This recipe from the Barefoot Contessa always works for me.  It has become my fail safe.  Use GOOD salt as the garnish, wrap them in waxed paper and stash them in briefcases and backpacks as a special Val-Day treat.

Although I’m not overly fond of corn syrup, it really helps to prevent the sugar syrup from re-crystallizing, which is probably the number one reason candy recipes fail.  Once you get a little more confident around molten sugar, you can start to eliminate the corn syrup from recipes.

 

5.  Flourless Chocolate Cakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

As we started with chocolate, it’s fitting that we end with it as well.  This droolilicious gluten-free creation is from Carolyn over at All Day I Dream About Food.  If you are living gluten free and/or low carb, I highly recommend Carolyn’s blog.  She works hard and experiments to no end to bring you reliable, delicious and inspiring recipe alternatives.

After all, everyone deserves a bit of sweet love on February 14…Happy Valentines Day.