How To: Strawberry Roses

Add a little extra love to your Valentine's Day desserts with a pretty strawberry rose garnish. Follow the step-by-step photos below and after just a few minutes of careful cutting, TA-DA!, you'll be ready to wow your guests! Who doesn't love artfully carved fruit?!











Using a sharp paring knife, make four thin slices on the outermost part of a strawberry, folding the "petals" down as you go. Be careful not to slice all the way through your strawberry but deep enough that you're able to fold out the petals far enough to achieve the flower shape you want.





Your strawberry should look something like this.







In the middle of your petals from step one, make 4 more slices to complete layer two of petals. These petals should fill the gap between your first layer of petals when folded out.







Now it's starting to take shape!





Repeat step two to create your third layer of petals. This is the most difficult step as you're now working with the smallest bits of strawberry so it's crucial to be working with a very sharp knife and to be careful not to accidentally cut your petals off. Since this layer is so delicate, you really won't have to fold these petals out much.





Ta-da! You did it!!!

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Valentine's Day In

Ugh. Valentine's Day. Hallmark's handiwork at its finest. I am not and never have been a fan. I am the scrooge of Valentine's Day. My dislike for it started rather early on in my life (circa 1st grade) when I decided that red and pink was possibly the most heinous color combination known to man. Top that color clash off with lace and doilies and all things frilly and my first-grade-self was just cringing at the sight of the Valentine's aisle and jonesing for Easter to make its department store debut. I have since developed a more open-minded outlook on color combinations (I had to ... its my job), but my dislike for Valentine's Day has endured the test of time.

Not to brag, but I'm fairly certain I have the most wonderful person to celebrate Valentine's Day with on the planet. Luckily, he shares my dislike for the holiday so we really don't feel the need to get all dinner out-flowers-chocolates-and-store-bought-cards about it. Our ultimate Valentine's date night would be cooking a nice dinner together at home, sharing a homemade dessert and maybe having a movie night. My Valentine's Day hate aside, let's be honest, you can't just make ANY old dessert for this occasion, right? That's where these deliciously decadent lava cakes come into play. They look so much fancier than they should for their ease of preparation and they are TO DIE FOR. Come ON... the chocolate lava flows out of these things like money out of the pockets of those who go out to celebrate and you can have all this chocolatey goodness and enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. So much love in a personal-sized dessert. Don't share though. You'll want the whole. Darn. Thing. This recipe makes four servings so it's perfect for a double date Valentine's dinner OR, *tested* heating up your two leftover lava cakes the next day for round two.

I went extra special for these and cut out a simple paper heart and sprinkled powdered sugar on top and cut strawberry roses for a festive look (tutorial to follow). The scoop of vanilla ice cream in the picture? That part isn't optional in my book. The contrast of the creamy, cold vanilla melting into the warm, gooey chocolate cake is pure bliss.

Double Date Lava Cakes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. butter
• 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 (4-ounce) unsweetened baking chocolate bar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 tablespoons very strong brewed coffee or espresso
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar + additional for garnish

Directions:

Grease 4 (8-ounce) ramekins. Preheat oven to 425F. In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter, chocolate chips and baking chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add eggs and eggs yolks, vanilla and coffee to chocolate mixture, stirring until well combined. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour and powdered sugar. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Divide batter evenly among greased ramekins and place on a baking sheet. Bake 14 minutes (centers will still jiggle a bit when these are done). Run a knife around edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and garnish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a strawberry (optional). To reheat, simply microwave for 20-30 seconds.

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