5 Delectable Treats to Win Over Your Valentine
5 Delectable Treats to Win Over Your Valentine
What better way to your loved one’s heart than presenting a homemade dessert to close off your romantic Valentine’s Day dinner? We’ve handpicked five of our very best, sophisticated, and not-too-sweet dessert recipes that will still win over any sweet tooth.
Soufflé au Chocolat
A classic dessert for chocolate lovers of all ages, our luxurious soufflé is light and airy, yet delightfully rich and relatively simple to make. This dessert is best served and enjoyed immediately, and our 14cm Oven Pot makes the perfect oven-to-table ramekin.
Tailored for: Oven Pot 14cm
INGREDIENTS | Serves 1–2
Batter
3.5 oz (100 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
100 ml warm milk
3 large egg yolks
20 g granulated sugar
7 g all-purpose flour, sifted
Meringue
3 large egg whites
40 g granulated sugar
Unsalted butter and sugar, for coating
DIRECTIONS
- Brush the pot with softened butter. Sprinkle in sugar, then rotate to ensure every spot of the pot is coated. Discard excess sugar.
- Pour milk into a saucepan and heat over low heat until bubbles form around the edge.
- For Batter, whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and thick, add flour and mix more. Add chocolate into a separate bowl and set aside.
- Gradually pour the milk from Step 2 into Batter and mix. Transfer back to saucepan once thoroughly incorporated. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes light, then pour into the bowl of chocolate. Once melted, stir and set aside. Preheat oven to 390ºF.
- For Meringue, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites while gradually adding sugar (in three portions) until stiff peaks form.
- Add Meringue (in two portions) into the batter. With a silicone spatula, gently cut down through the center of the batter, lift the mixture up, and fold it back in until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the pot and smooth its surface. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
N O T E
Top with freshly whipped cream, berries, or a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, if desired.
Basque-Style Cheesecake
Delight in the creamy, airy texture of our take on the iconic “burnt” cheesecake from Spain’s Basque Country. The intentionally blackened top, achieved by a high-temp bake and its consequent caramelization of sugar, imparts dimension and richness to the sweet and slightly tangy, cream cheese interior. A decadent treat sure to be devoured fast.
Tailored for: Oven Pot 18cm
INGREDIENTS | Serves 8
1 ¾ cup (400 g) cream cheese, room temperature
100 g granulated sugar
3 large eggs
6 g corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200 ml heavy cream
DIRECTIONS
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Preheat oven to 480ºF.
- Add eggs and beat to combine, then add corn starch, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Beat until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
- Line the pot with a sheet of parchment paper large enough to cover the sides. Pour in batter and transfer to oven.
- Bake, uncovered, until top is a very deep black-brown, about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cheesecake rest in the pot’s residual heat until cooled.
- Take cheesecake out of the pot by holding the parchment paper and transfer to fridge. Once completely cooled, cut into wedges, and serve.
N O T E
You can pair the cheesecake with a dark cherry jam to balance the sweetness with a hint of acidity.
Dark Chocolate Brownies
Decadent and boldly-flavored, dark chocolate brownies made with heavy cream and topped with fragrant, roasted nuts for a satisfying crunch…need we say more? For a sweeter batch, swap out the dark chocolate for one with a lower cacao percentage.
Tailored for: Oven Pot 26cm
INGREDIENTS | Makes about 16 squares
250 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
5 tablespoons (75 g) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
100 g granulated sugar
150 ml heavy cream
50 g unsalted mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, etc.), roasted and chopped
Flour Mixture
100 g all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons (30 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
Topping
Chocolate sauce, optional
Caramel sauce, optional
DIRECTIONS
- Sift together ingredients for Flour Mixture in a medium bowl and set aside. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and granulated sugar. Set aside.
- Add chopped dark chocolate and butter to a double boiler and melt until smooth. Gradually stir in the egg mixture from Step 2 (in three portions) until thoroughly combined.
- Add Flour Mixture and gently mix until powder is fully dissolved, but do not overmix. Stir in heavy cream until mixture is smooth and thoroughly incorporated.
- Line the pot with parchment paper and pour in batter. Smooth the surface and top with mixed nuts.
- Bake, uncovered, for about 25–30 minutes or until toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached. Lift parchment paper to take out brownies and let cool. Serve with a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce, if desired.
N O T E
Mix in semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate to the batter before baking, if desired.
Milk Tea Custard
Treat your valentine to the silkiest of custards steamed to perfection in the Musui–Kamado. Redolent of tea leaves and meltingly smooth, you’ll be glad you the recipe makes four servings.
Tailored for: Musui–Kamado or Oven Pot
INGREDIENTS | Serves 4
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 ⅔ cups (400 ml) milk
⅓ cup (60 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (4 g) tea leaves
Equipment
Small heat-resistant containers/bowls
DIRECTIONS
- Add milk and tea leaves into a saucepan and warm over low heat until just simmering, then remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes, then strain through a sieve into another bowl. Add sugar while milk is still warm and stir well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and egg yolk. Gently pour egg mixture into milk from Step 1. Stir and strain mixture through a sieve into another bowl.
- Pour mixture into four small heat-resistant containers. Remove any surface bubbles with a paper towel, then cover each container with plastic wrap.
- Pour 100 ml water into the pot, lay a sheet of parchment paper, cover, and boil over [MED] heat for about 3 minutes. Once the water comes to a boil, place containers into the pot. Cover and steam over [MED] heat for 2 minutes, then reduce to [LOW] heat and steam for an additional 9 minutes.
- Turn off heat and let the custards steam over residual heat for 10 minutes.
- Remove containers from the pot, let cool, and refrigerate. Serve once chilled.
N O T E
Covering each container with plastic wrap prevents any water from dripping into the custard while steaming.
Apple Tart
Sweet almond cream tempers the tartness of apples in this delicately-flavored, visually striking tart. Rows of apple are assembled into rings and baked to a stunning golden-brown within the Oven Pot, which ensures a deliciously crumbly crust and perfect interior texture.
Tailored for: Oven Pot 18cm
INGREDIENTS | Serves 4
2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 2 mm wedges
1 tablespoon (10 g) unsalted butter, melted
Dough
¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar
1 pinch kosher salt
½ egg
2 tablespoons (15 g) almond flour
85 g cake flour
Crème d'amande
2 tablespoons (25 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons (25 g) powdered sugar
½ egg
4 tablespoons (25 g) almond flour
Topping
Brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
- For Dough, combine butter and sugar in a medium bowl until soft and creamy. Add salt and egg and stir until consistency is paste-like. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in both flours until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- For Crème d'amande, mix together butter, almond flour, sugar, and egg in a separate bowl until paste-like.
- Place Dough from Step 1 on a 10” square sheet of parchment paper. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll Dough into a 9” diameter circle. Lay a second piece of parchment paper with slits (see note) on dough and flip it over. Remove the first sheet of parchment paper and fold outer ⅓” edge of Dough inwards. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the pot, parchment paper-side down. Press Dough down to stick to the sides and bottom of the pot. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 355°F. Spread Crème d'amande onto Dough and arrange apple slices in a concentric shape, overlapping each slice.
- Brush with melted butter and sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, for about 60 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let cool and serve.