Here's something to make if you've got time to prepare for it and if you really want to strut your culinary stuff this Valentine's Day. It's got chocolate, it's got Valentine's Day colors (red, white, and, um, chocolate), and it's very, very, very yummy.
There are four recipes you will need to make in order to put this whole thing together. All of them can be made a day or two in advance. And, just to make it nice and easy, all of them are listed on this site.
You'll need to make:
Heart-shaped Florentines (see the pictures in my post).
(All these recipes are posted below, just keep scrolling.)
Once you've made all of those, here's what you do.
First, have your coulis and the creme anglaise nearby, with a small ladle or spoon ready for each.
Have one of your heart-shaped chocolate-filled Florentine "sandwiches" nearby as well.
And a few fresh raspberries are a nice addition as well. I used a few of the frozen ones that didn't fall apart once they thawed.
Get out your Boca Negra out of the fridge, and, using a heart-shaped cookie cutter or a knife, cut out a heart about 3 inches wide.
Now, on your dessert plate...
1. Ladle some of the raspberry coulis first. Swirl it gently to cover the center portion of the plate.
2. Place the boca negra heart on the plate so that the two curved parts are at about 10:00 and 12:00. (Symmetry is uninteresting on a plate.)
3. Ladle some of the creme anglaise so it is draped across the right side of the heart. Don't cover the whole thing. Think scarf, not shawl.
4. Lean your florentine heart cookie against the boca negra heart so the right curve of the cookie is at about 2:00.
5. Garnish with the raspberries.
6. Step back and marvel at your creation.
7. Now go and get the utensil of your choice and dig in. After all, you should make sure it tastes good before you serve it to anyone else, right?
