Valentine Recipes

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

• 1 pint strawberries with stems on -- (preferably a long-stemmed variety), washed and patted dry
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Spread strawberries on a working surface with wax-paper-covered tray nearby. You will also need one or two bamboo skewers or other picks.In the top of a double boiler over hot water, melt the chocolate with the cooking oil, stirring to mix thoroughly. (The cooking oil will add a beautiful shine to the completed sweet.) Place melted chocolate near working surface, but keep chocolate warm.One at a time, insert the skewer in the stem end of a strawberry and dip into the chocolate. Lift out and shake any excess chocolate back into the pot. Place the strawberry on the wax paper and continue with the remaining berries. The strawberries should set for about 10 minutes before being served.Chocolate-dipped strawberries can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours, during which time the chocolate will harden.

Servings: 6

Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples

Batter:

• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch ground cinnamon

Caramel Apples:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in 1/2-inch-thick wedges
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large croissants, halved lengthwise
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
• Ground cinnamon, for dusting

Make the batter for the French toast by whisking together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until evenly blended. Cover and refrigerate. Pay close attention while you make the caramel apples - put the sugar in a large dry skillet and place it over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts and begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Be careful; the sugar is really hot at this point. Still stirring, add the butter, which will foam a little. Once the sugar and butter become a caramel sauce, fold in the apple wedges. Now, because the apples are cooler than the sugar, the sugar may start to seize and harden, but don't freak out -- keep stirring, once the apples warm up the caramel will smooth out again. When the caramel sauce starts to form around the apples, pour in the maple syrup. Give it a stir and simmer for about 10 minutes until the apples are fork tender. Pull them off the heat and keep warm until you are ready to serve.

For the French toast itself, warm the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. You probably will only be able to fit a couple of croissants in the pan at once, so prepare these in batches. Take a croissant half and quickly dredge it in the batter. The key word here is quickly; the croissants are very soft and will disintegrate if soaked in the batter. Lay the croissants in the pan, cut-side down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip them over with a spatula and brown the other side.

The presentation is like a caramel apple sandwich - take the bottom half of the croissant and put it on a plate, spoon some of the caramel apples on top of that, and cover with the top 1/2 of the croissant. Dust with confectioners' sugar and cinnamon and serve.

Yield: 6 servings
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence