Romance From The Kitchen

Love is in the air, and there’s no need to rely on Cupid when you’re ready to spice things up in the kitchen.

Here are a few suggestions for whipping up something romantic this Valentine’s Day:

• Put a passionate twist on basic breakfast by whipping up a batch of heart-shaped buttermilk biscuits. If you want to really impress, you can even shape cheese slices, sausage and eggs with heart-shaped cutters. If biscuits aren’t your thing, try your hand at cookies, scones or heart-shaped pancakes.
• Red is the color of love. Make Red Velvet Cupcakes.
• There are few things more romantic than sharing a bubbling pot of gooey cheese or chocolate with someone special. Fondue is incredibly easy to whip up for a crowd or just two.

Excerpted from the Daily Bite – Bake-Space.com

Red Velvet Cupcakes
3-3/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup Watkins Baking Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder or 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
3/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
3 teaspoons vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons Watkins Vanilla Extract
1/2 ounce red food coloring paste
2-1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder (or cream of tarter), and salt into medium bowl.

Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring in small bowl to blend.

Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition, about 30 seconds.

Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions.

Line cupcake tins with paper liners and spoon batter into tins.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Cool completely on racks.  Makes 36 cupcakes. Frost with Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting or Cream Cheese Pecan Frosting.

Cream Cheese Pecan Frosting
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp Watkins Vanilla Extract 
2-3 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup chopped pecans

Beat cream cheese and butter until combined. Add vanilla and sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Stir in pecans. Frost cooled cupcakes.

White coconut next to dark brown chocolate – Crisp, chewy exteriors with moist, soft interiors – Sweet, citrus-scented coconut next to the bold, bittersweet chocolate

Bittersweet Chocolate-Dipped Orange & Coconut Macaroons
60g or 2 egg whites
200g or 1 cup sweetened shredded moist coconut
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1tsp Watkins Pure Orange Extract (or finely grated zest of 1 orange) for cookies
150g bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp Watkins Pure Orange Extract (or use 1 tsp orange zest) for chocolate

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F and line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the coconut, sugar, flour, salt and orange extract/orange zest till evenly combined (you don’t want any dry coconut or random blobs of flour);  then use a teaspoon to form heaped teaspoons of the mixture into a shape like a quenelle (smooth, oval shaped domes). Carefully slide each macaroon off the teaspoon onto the lined baking trays. You may want to occasionally wash your hands during this process as the stickier your hands become, the harder it is to form shapes. Or use a cookie scoop.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until they are lightly colored and edges become golden brown. Carefully remove them from the tray and allow them to cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, place the chocolate into a ceramic bowl and place this over a smaller bowl half filled with boiling water (the bowl with the chocolate should sit on top, not inside the smaller bowl). Allow the chocolate to sit for 5 minutes, then carefully stir to aid the melting process, then stir in the orange extract/zest.

Once the chocolate is smooth, dip half of a coconut macaroon into the chocolate, then carefully tap against the bowl to allow any excess to drip off. Place onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper, then repeat with the rest until they’re all dipped, then leave for the chocolate to harden before serving.

These can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 5 days, but do not store in the fridge as bringing them back to room temperature will make the chocolate ’sweat’!

Eleisia
http://www.watkinsonline.com/eleisiawhitney

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