It's All About Love

Today is both Valentine's Day and the second anniversary for Unleash Your Taste. In the Niagara Region we are experiencing a true taste of winter with temperatures only reaching -19° Celsius for a high, but the air warms beautifully with the joys of Valentine's Day and the love we share.

Unleash Your Taste has had absolutely wonderful support from readers in the past two years. Now embarking on a third, more articles are being planned, adding to the recipes and the joy of cooking.

For Valentine's Day I have two simple treats which take only minutes to prepare. The first has my favourite thing of all – wonton wrappers – cut into heart shapes and deep fried. These tasty treats will bring a smile on anybody's face especially when offered with a glass of champagne. Using a larger heart shaped cookie cutter I rolled out a sheet of puff pastry and baked the Puffed Hearts in my BBQ of all things, they took only 8 to 10 minutes. 

Anyone can buy a box of chocolates or some heart shaped cake, but nothing is more precious than making something yourself for the one you love. And I promise you it is very easy.

My Deep Fried Heart

1 pack of wonton wrappers

small heart shaped cookie cutter

1 cup chocolate pieces (I used Lindt)

icing sugar

oil for deep frying

Take wonton sheets in pairs, cut out heart shapes,

and run your finger with water all around the edge of one cut out heart.

Place a piece of chocolate cut to size in the middle.

Cover with second heart cut out and pinch firmly all around to seal.

Heat oil for deep frying, drop four hearts in at a time.

Turn over in ten seconds and remove as soon as a little browning appears, and drain.

Then dust with the icing sugar and serve.

(A twin pack of wonton wrappers makes 28 hearts)

Heart Puffs

2 sheets of puff pastry

1 large shaped cookie cutter

2 tbsp melted butter

1 cup chocolate pieces (I used Lindt)

Preheat oven to 375°

Roll out puff pastry sheet and cut out heart shapes.

Place on a cookie baking tray covered by parchment paper.

Place cut out puff hearts, brush with melted butter and bake

for approximately ten minutes or till light brown.

Now creativity can come in with Heart Puffs and your own garnishments can be used. I put chunks of chocolate simply on top. Another alternative is when the hearts come out of the oven you simply cut a small portion out of the centre and fill it with a jam or fruit, even top off with freshly whipped cream.