[Chad Aaland]

I was going to cook for her parents but they aren't able anymore...so now I need some ideas. Going out to eat especially on the busiest night of the year has no appeal...and I live in Southern California so I could do something at the beach...but it rained today so who knows what the weather will be like tomorrow.

[chrose]

Get a hammer, a kilo block of chocolate and have at it!

[Mezzaluna]

Chrose, that's what I did! Okay, it was 8 ounces of pretty good bittersweet and some cream, but I made some truffles for my DH. No knowing how to temper chocolate to make a shell around the truffle, I rolled some in cocoa powder, some in toasted coconut and some in toasted pecan bits. They're giftwrapped in one of my fridge's
vegetable bins where I KNOW he wouldn't think to look. They'll go nicely with the gift cards from Best Buy and Home Depot.

There are two nice strip steaks drying out a bit (that's what aging is, isn't it?) in the fridge too, and tomorrow I'll look for a decent veg to go with it. The champagne will go in the fridge tomorrow.

Good think my husband never comes here!

[Jayme]

Chad- fondue??? can be romantic!

A friend brought by some duck today (he owed me), so I think I will do something with duck.... tonite made a chocolate cake (heart shaped, of course) and sugar cookies (heart shaped) with sprinkles for daughter's party tomorrow.

[Ishbel]

We're having asparagus spears for starter, boeuf Bourguignonne, served with salad potatoes and green beans and raspberry mousse, served in some pretty Le Creuset heart-shaped ramekins that I've had for years.

[Chad Aaland]

That all sounds great...but aside from the food...what else do you think?

[Ishbel]

My husband bought me some beautiful silver and moonstone earrings.

What about some nice champagne - pink champagne is always night for Valentine's Day.

[Chad Aaland]

The problem with jewelry is my girlfriend never really wears any. She cooks in a french restaurant and makes and teaches cake decorating. She does wear earrings but I don't like to pick out stuff like that and clothes for her because she has similar but slightly different taste than I do.

[Ishbel]

What about a cook book? Or flowers? Or chocolates?

[Chad Aaland]

Well I got her The Well Decorated Cake by Toba Garrett and she liked that even though she already teaches classes...and I'm not allowed to get her flowers because we had a fight last week about how I've never gotten her flowers. I just want to do something and get out of the house. I used to have two jobs and go to school so I never had any time to myself or for her, and now I just have one job and I'm done with school so I have two days off a week, but I have no clue what to do with them because I'm not used to the free time.

[Dirk Skene]

I know this may be kinda late, but I like to peel & core pears, cook them in a mulled wine till tender, drain well, make a Chocolate Grenache & fill the core allowing the chocolate to spill over the sides. An idea I got from work.

[aguynamedrobert]

Um...are you making that for Valentines day? Is that pretty much like a poached pear? It sounds delicious!

Robert
www.chocolateguild.com

[Dirk Skene]

[quote=aguynamedrobert;156173]Um...are you making that for Valentines day? Is that pretty much like a poached pear? It sounds delicious! /quote]

That is exactly what it is When we teach it at Viking we reduce the mulled wine to a syrup. But I like the chocolate idea better

I did not fix it for Valentines day Romantic meals are totally lost on my wife.

[KYHeirloomer]

I do something similar, Dick, only with a chocolate/raspberry sauce.