Photo: CN Archives

Share and Share Alike: If you didn’t learn it in kindergarten, now’s the time. Choose dishes that involve the intimacy of sharing: fondue, or a porterhouse steak for two. If you’re a guy, just don’t pull a macho move like the date I had where the dude grabbed a large head of iceberg lettuce and split it in half with his bare hands.

Aromatherapy: Borrow that old real estate trick and simmer a cinnamon stick in your teakettle. Or bake cookies. Or toast some nuts. All are guaranteed to perfume your home with enticing scents.

To Breathe or Not to Breathe Garlic: Either you both indulge, or you both abstain. If you know up front that the two of you adore garlic, then go for it. Otherwise, hold off on that allium for the evening.

Finger Lickin’ Good (Not): Chicken wings are ideal for the Super Bowl, but not for Valentine’s Day. Ditto for ribs. You don’t want to look like the guy attacked by a chicken wing in the Tums ad, with sauce smears on your face.

Last Chance To Stop The Gas: Avoid any embarrassing moments by limiting, if not steering totally clear of the bubbly, from champagne to beer to seltzer. And for noise-free digestion, bypass the meat and starch combo in favor of meat with green and/or orange veggies. If you’re a vegetarian, go vegan, ditching any dairy for the evening. And if you’ve got chocolate covered strawberries, eat them before dinner.

Photo: CN Digital Studio

There are lots of foods that can just make your heart melt. A few of our favorites include: chocolates, oysters, wine, honey, caviar, cheese fondue, and strawberries with whipped cream. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner we want to know:

What do you think is the most romantic food?

This week we’re celebrating February 14 with romantic dinners, a look at the interplay between dating and food, and a chat with chef Marcus Samuelsson’s model wife in our Valentine’s Day Issue. Download the free Gourmet Live app for access to all of the issues and recipes, and visit Gourmet.com to read this week’s issue in full, including:

• The Dating Game by Matthew Kronsberg
• Meet Marcus Samuelsson’s Valentine by Kelly Senyei
• Road Trip: Top 15 Romantic Restaurants In Partnership with BlogHer
• Wine Tasting Along France’s Loire by Ted Loos
• A recipe for Tuscan Porterhouse Steak for Two 

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Photo: Chris Gentile

I’m skipping the crowds this Valentine’s Day and trading in a two-top at my favorite restaurant in favor of a memorable meal created in my very own kitchen. A DIY dinner may require a bit more time and planning than making an online reservation, but you can bet it will also be infinitely more romantic.

Make it a memorable February 14 with a few of my tips for the ultimate restaurant-free romance:

• Mood Before Food: As you brainstorm the perfect meal for two, also consider the fantastic four elements of ambiance: music, flowers, candles, and lighting. Soft candlelight will create the perfect mood, but remember to only use unscented candles so that there are no competing aromas with the enticing scent of your meal.

• All that Sparkles: Up the romance factor by opting for sparkling water in place of traditional flat. The bubbles add an element of elegance and allow you to dress up your cup with a wedge of fresh citrus or DIY citrus-infused ice cubes (made by placing small slices of lemon or lime in ice cube trays, covering with water, and freezing until solid).

• Disconnect to Connect: Make it a meal for two instead of 2,000 by unplugging from the world of social media for the evening and enjoying the company that’s in your own home. Snap photos of your sweetheart or your spread but save the online sharing for after the meal.

• Dress to Impress: The key to stress-free entertaining at home is organization, and I’ve always found the best way to stay organized while prepping multiple dishes is to make sure I get myself all ready (think hair, makeup, attire, etc.) before I start cooking. This timeline prevents any last-minute kinks in my cooking from forcing me to greet my guest(s) in my pajamas.

• A Sweet Sendoff: Dessert is an essential course of any Valentine’s Day spread. Cakes, cupcakes, and tarts are all a great way to end your feast, but you can also keep it super simple with a quick-fix fondue for two. Melt your favorite chocolate in a double-boiler (consider adding a splash of your favorite liquor) and serve the hot and creamy confection with your choice of dippers, such as fresh fruit, cubes of pound cake, coconut macaroons, and bite-sized cookies. 

Photo: Kemp Minifie

Remember that cake I was going to make with my homemade butter and buttermilk? It was a flop. And I know why.

I was so excited by the homemade buttermilk I made last week that I brought it in for my colleagues to sample. We all marveled at its sweet, buttery flavor. Tangy? Not a bit. I stupidly ignored that fact.

But commercial buttermilk sold in supermarkets has an unmistakable tang. That’s because it’s cultured, whether it’s the cultured skim milk product most of us buy, or Kate’s Real Buttermilk. The tang is the lactic acid that’s been formed by the breakdown of the milk sugar, lactose. It’s that acid that interacts with the baking soda to create the bubbles that make a cake rise.

My sweet homemade buttermilk was really more like regular milk. If I wanted to produce a decent cake, I needed to add some acid.

The classic substitution for buttermilk, when you don’t have any, is to add lemon juice or vinegar to milk and let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes. You’ll see that it coagulates and thickens up. I put 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a cup measure and added enough of my sweet fresh buttermilk to measure 1 cup. It thickened nicely, and behaved beautifully in my second cake. Check out the photo. My first cake on the left is heavy and dense. The second cake, on the right, is literally 1/2-inch higher with an exceptionally light, delicate crumb.

Location: Dubai

What is your favorite recipe from your blog?
Do I have to choose just one? I adore the simple Spaghetti al limone, the perfect Blueberry Crumble Muffins and most recently the amazing Stuffed Turkey I made. I combined the traditional American turkey with a date stuffing, which is an ingredient used in abundance in this part of the world.

If you had to blog about one ingredient every day, what would it be?
Butter, butter, and more butter. I guess that’s what happens when you grow up in Paris. The French use and abuse butter and it’s never been a problem for them. Somehow everywhere else in the world people have become overly conscious of eating and cooking with it, which is a shame. Everything tastes better with butter!

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you order there?
That is such a tough question! I have several restaurants splattered across the planet that I go nuts for. So let me list a few places which are amongst the ones I love most: L’ami Louis in Paris, Supper in New York (East Village), Yauatcha in London, Mayas In Beirut, and Peppercrab in Dubai.

Who would you love to have over for dinner?
Jamie Oliver, Hugh Grant or Sean Connery. I have a thing for the British it seems.

My idea of the classic American culinary experience is noshing on munchies while watching the Super Bowl. And if you’re in a bind and need a few creative ideas for gameday snacking, there’s no better place to turn than to homemade takes on a few of our stadium favorites.

Turn boxed crackers into a cheesy breading for Cheddar Chicken Tenders with Wilted Spinach, which features tenders tossed in tangy mustard and rolled in crushed crackers. It’s a hearty snack that both adults and children will appreciate. Or for a crunchy bite, try Chile Peanuts that are roasted with smoky paprika, cayenne, lime, and sea salt.

And for those who are avid fans of the salty-sweet combo, opt for Maple Pecan Popcorn, a mixture of buttery popcorn tossed with chopped pecans and maple syrup. Serve it in a large, communal bowl, or divide into individual bags for simple snacking.

What’s on your snack spread for Super Bowl Sunday?

Test your culinary skills with seven sweet and savory recipes in our Ambitious Foods collection, now available in the Gourmet Live Store.

Let the flour flinging begin by making puff pastry from scratch, and then move on to the more challenging molecular gastronomy techniques by making guacamole “pasta” using agar flakes and plastic straws. Chocolate truffles doused in cocoa powder are the ultimate sweet finale to this ambitious feast.

Download the free Gourmet Live app then head to the Library to access the Store for our Ambitious Foods collection.

Photo: Peter Field Peck

I tend to avoid any activity that’s catered to couples, including (but not limited to) spa services for two, sharing food, and anything in the skating, blading, or go-carting department. Keeping that in mind, when I agreed to go to a “Valentine’s Day Cooking Experience” sponsored by Godiva Spirits, I was a bit hesitant. However, given that it is the month of Amor, I figured at the very least, my fiancée would learn how to put a nice sear on a sirloin (he did), and best case scenario, I’d meet some couples with a good sense of irony.

I was delighted to find that no aspects of the evening were too cloying – we met a married duo who dressed their two-year-old tot as a vest-clad mixologist for Halloween. Irreverent couple: check. Even the chocolate infused vodka was refreshing. I would never think to pair anything sweet with beef and Brussels sprouts, but the signature Chocolate Manhattan served with dinner was worth sharing, especially in February when excessive chocolate consumption is practically required.

If you want to create this drink at home, in a cocktail shaker with ice, combine ¾ ounce of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, ¾ ounce of Bourbon (the recipe calls for Bulleit, but you can use whatever you have on hand), 1/3 ounce Godiva Chocolate Vodka, and 1/3 ounce ginger liqueur. Strain over ice into a chilled Martini glass and shave a chocolate bar over the drink to garnish.

What beverage will you be serving your Valentine?