Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipes for Your Sweetie & You

Anna Zoitas definitely has a flair for fulfilling people’s palates with unusual culinary delights. Here she offers up a number of absolutely exquisite mouth-watering and soul satisfying recipes for Valentine’s Day all accented with one of more of her amazing creations in The Artisanal Kitchen.











Cinnamon Poached Pears with Apple Caramel, Pecans and Crystallized Ginger




Description:. An aromatic, flavorful and light dessert.

Ingredients: pears, apple juice, pecans, dried cranberries, crystallized ginger, salt

Recipe:
6 pears
1 qt. apple juice

garnish:
¼ c pecans
¼ c dried cranberries
¼ c The Artisanal Kitchen Crystallized ginger

DIRECTIONS
Pour the apple juice (poaching liquid) into a large pot and bring to a simmer.

Peal, halve and scoop out the core or the pears, try to leave the stems intact. Place the pear halves in the poaching liquid for 30 minutes, or until toothpick tender.

While the poached pears are cooling, take about 1 cup of the poaching liquid and pour into a sauté pan. Over medium-high flame, reduce for about 10 minutes, whisking sporadically. Liquid should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Once pears are cooled, plate two halves per container, one half cut side down and the other cut side up. Drizzle reduced poaching liquid into pear well and lightly over both halves. Sprinkle pecans, cranberries, and crystallized ginger, chopped if you’d like. Optional: garnish with a sprig of mint as well.



Olive oil and Lemon Curd Cake



Description: Rich and moist with fruitful hints of savory olive oil.

Ingredients: Flour, eggs, olive oil, sugar, heavy cream, lemon curd, greek yoghurt, fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice, butter, lemon zest, baking powder, salt.

Recipe:
1 ½ cups Flour
3 large Eggs
½ cup Three Olives Olive Oil
1 cup sugar
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup lemon curd
½ cup Greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ stick butter
2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tea spoons baking powder
Pinch of Artisanal Kitchen Pacific Ocean Salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter, set aside. Cream sugar, eggs and butter for about 3 minutes. Add dry ingredients in sections, do not over mix. Incorporate the rest of the ingredients.

Pour batter into parchment lined and olive oiled baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.



“Just Right” Banana Crisps-Chocolate-Fruit Jumbles



How do you Jum-Ble?

These deliciously-fun, crunchy, chunky bursting with fruit sweets combine classic favorites that are sure to delight children of all ages, up to 101. Serve in paper muffin pan cups or eat with your fingers and a big glass of milk.

Ingredients:
½ cup semisweet baking chocolate
1 cup Artisanal Banana Crisps (or you can use sweet-n-tart mango, pineapple or coconut flavors)
¼ cup mixed dried fruits, like raisins, cherries or cranberries
¼ cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS

Melt the chocolate in a covered double boiler over low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth, or microwave in a non-metallic bowl until melted. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and gently mix in Artisanal Banana Crisps, dried fruits and peanuts.

Drop by tablespoonful’s into mounds on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate until set. Makes about 10 clusters. Store in an airtight container.




“Addictively Delicious” Coconut-Ginger Crisps, Toffee-Like Cookies




The best cookies you may ever experience. These thin, crunchy, chewy Artisanal Coconut-Ginger Crisps cookies have a toffee-like flavor from the slightly-caramelized sugar and butter that are “addictively delicious.” Incredibly easy to make in only one saucepan.

Ingredients:
¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Coconut Crisps
¼ cup Artisanal Kitchen crystallized ginger, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter with sugar and maple syrup over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Stir in flour just until smooth; stir in Artisanal Coconut Crisps and crystallized ginger.

Drop batter by heaping teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 14 minutes, 1 cookie sheet at a time, until cookies are a light, golden brown.

Cool cookies on parchment on wire racks. Makes about 1 ½ dozen cookies. Store in an airtight container.


Disclosure: I did not receive any products nor was paid for this post. I was provided info from the PR firm to share. Any expressed opinions are my own and personal thoughts. No other compensation was given.