February menus - recipes - Food and Entertaining

Sunset, Feb, 1993 by Christine B. Weber

Chocolate and Valentine's Day--a winning team, but for breakfast? The opulent touch of chocolate works if you want to pamper someone very special on this February Sunday with an easily prepared breakfast in bed. Although the menu is a lavish way to start the day, you can meet your nutritional goals with lighter meals for lunch and dinner. Well suited are both of the menus that follow--a low-fat soup supper based on turkey sausages, and a satisfying vegetable casserole suitable for guests.

VALENTINE BREAKFAST

Chocolate is the dominant flavor of this indulgent breakfast. Muffins, with almond paste and cocoa, are equally good baked the day before if you don't want their aroma to give away your morning surprise.

On individual breakfast trays, arrange 1 or 2 muffins, a big cup filled with hot strong coffee and frothed hot milk flavored with more chocolate. Accompany with a chocolate-coated spoon for stirring mocha au lait, or a little cup of chocolate curls to stir into the cup.

For less chocolate, serve coffee with hot frothed milk and offer unusual sweeteners like unrefined sugar cubes, crystalline lumps of brown sugar, or rock candy swizzle sticks (sold in candy and liquor stores).

Segmented grapefruit are luxurious. but if time is precious, simply serve the fruit in halves along with several fresh strawberries, if available, on individual plates.

Chocolate Macaroon Muffins

     About 1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter or margarine
1/2  cup sugar
1    teaspoon vanilla
2    large eggs
3/4  cup all-purpose flour
1/4  cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4  teaspoon baking powder
     Macaroon filling (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, beat to blend 1/4 cup butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended.

In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder; stir into butter mixture until well mixed.

Equally divide 1/2 the batter among 8 buttered or paper-lined muffin cups (2- to 2 1/2 -in. diameter). To each cup, add an equal portion of 1/2 of the macaroon filling. Next, add equal portions of remaining chocolate batter, then top equally with the remaining macaroon filling.

Bake in a 350|degrees~ oven until muffins spring back when gently pressed and macaroon filling is lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Let muffins cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool. Serve warm or cool. If making ahead, let cool, package airtight, and hold at room temperature up to 1 day, or freeze to store longer. Makes 8.

Per muffin: 345 cal. (39 percent from fat); 7.2 g protein; 15 g fat (5.7 g sat.); 48 g carbo.; 112 mg sodium; 69 mg chol.

Macaroon filling. In a food processor or bowl, whirl or beat 3/4 cup (7 oz.) almond paste and 1/2 cup sugar until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add 2 large egg whites. l at a time; whirl or beat until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup sweetened flaked dried coconut.

Mocha au Lait

1 1/2     cups nonfat, extra-light (1 percent), or light (2
percent) milk
2         tablespoons sweetened ground chocolate
1 1/2     cups hot espresso or hot strong coffee
          Chocolate spoons or curls (directions follow)

Pour milk and chocolate into a 1- to 1 1/2-quart pan; stir to mix well. Place on medium heat and stir until liquid is steaming. To froth, whip in pan on heat with a mixer at high speed, or pour into a blender and whirl.

Pour hot espresso equally into 2 large cups or mugs (each at least 1 1/2 cups), then add milk and foam. Offer with chocolate spoons to stir mocha, or spoon chocolate curls, to taste, into cups and mix with plain spoons. Serves 2.

Per serving without chocolate spoons or curls: 122 cal. (30 percent from fat); 6.8 g protein; 4 g fat (2.4 g sat.); 16 g carbo.; 101 mg sodium; 3.7 mg chol.

Chocolate spoons. In the top of a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, melt 3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) semi-sweet chocolate baking chips; stir often until smooth.

Dip bowls of 2 soup-spoons, 1 at a time, into chocolate, thickly coating cupped and back sides of spoon and about 1/2 inch of the handle. Lift spoon from chocolate; let it drip briefly, then set on a sheet of waxed paper or foil. Chill until firm, at least 15 minutes. Repeat to make a thicker coating, if desired. If making ahead, package spoons airtight and chill up to 1 week.

Chocolate curls. Use semis-weet, bittersweet, milk, and white chocolate, or just 1 kind of chocolate; you need the equivalent of 1 plain chocolate bar (3 to 4 oz.) at least 1/4 inch thick.

Working with 1 bar at a time, unwrap chocolate and place, smooth side up, on a square of cooking parchment or waxed paper.

Warm in a microwave oven at full power (100 percent) for 5-second intervals (or warm in a 150|degress~ oven for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes) until bar gives faintly when gently pressed. If chocolate gets too soft, let cool a few minutes.

Pull a vegetable peeler toward you over top of the softened chocolate, using firm and even pressure to cut curls. If chocolate splays out instead of curling, gently neaten and curl with fingers. Transfer curls to a flat surface to firm. Serve curls, or store in an airtight container up to 1 week. Save chocolate scraps for another use. A 3-ounce bar makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups curls (1 3/4 to 2 3/4 oz.), or 2 servings.