Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Are you looking for the recipes to make the day extra special?
Here are 4 Valentine’s Day recipes shared by our members that will surely ensure that Love is in the air ….& the plate !!
Strawberry Tartlets
Ingredients
- 250g Pie Crust, can be made from scratch at home but for this, I used the readymade crust from Deeps Studio Kitchen
- 1 packet of fresh strawberries
- 250ml full cream milk
- 3 Egg yolk
- 70g sugar (granulated)
- 20g cornflour
- 1tsp Vanilla Extract
- 10g Butter, cold
Pastry Cream:
- Heat the milk in a saucepan. Switch off the gas just before it comes to a boil.
- In a heat-proof bowl whisk the egg yolk and sugar well. Add the cornflour and mix.
- Once everything is well incorporated, slowly add the milk, whisking simultaneously.
- Make sure that there are no lumps. Now pour this mixture back into the saucepan, through a strainer. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking continuously. It should be thick and smooth. Remove from heat and whisk the vanilla extract and butter. Cover it with a cling film, making sure that the film is touching the surface of the cream. Leave it aside for an hour and then keep it in the fridge to cool.
Strawberries:
- Wash and dry the strawberries.
- Remove the core and thinly slice them.
- Spread them on a plate and sprinkle about 1tbsp coarsely grinded sugar.
- Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice, cover and keep aside.
Pie Crust:
- Take 6-8 3” tart pans and lightly butter them. The pie crust should be defrosted, but cold.
- Cut the pie crust in about 4×4 inch pieces.
- Place each piece in the tart pan, lightly press the crust so that it takes the shape of the pan.
- With the help of a blunt knife remove the extra crust from the rim and with a fork prick the base in multiple places.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 175 C, for about 20-25 minutes.
- Keep them aside to cool.
Assembly:
- Take out the pastry cream from the fridge and whip it till it’s smooth and airy.
- Transfer it into pastry bags and pipe into the cooled-down pastry shells. (If pastry bags aren’t available just spoon the cream in the shell).
- Take the sliced strawberries and place them over the pastry cream. Refrigerate the tarts until chilled.
This recipe is by Manisha Mukherjee
A homemaker with a passion for cooking and baking is what best describes her. She loves to experiment and try out new recipes. Having avid foodies as family members has helped her in improving her cooking skills. From cakes to cookies, she has baked innumerable times over the years and baking bread was the final frontier, which she achieved in the last 2 years.
2020 has been a defining year for all of us and she decided to take her passion a step further and started her journey as a Home Baker with my maiden venture “Pure Bread”
Yogurt Granola Parfait
Ingredients
- 200gms greek yogurt mixed with 100gms vanilla yogurt (epigamia is great)
- 2 fist fulls of granola
- 4 tbsp berry compote ( I used a homemade strawberry compote)
- Mixed fruits of your choice. Take a mix of some berries and some crisp fruits like green apples,dragon fruit for the extra crunch.
- Mint leaves for garnish
Method
- Chill your glasses in the freezer, fill half the glass with the yogurt mix.
- Top with some fruits, berries, compote and granola and some mint leaves.
- Repeat the same process- top with some more yogurt, berries,fruits, compote
- Finish with lots of granola and a few mint leaves.
- You may or may not add honey depending on your preference. I usually skip it because the fruits, compote and vanilla yogurt provide just the right amount of sweetness.
- Serve chilled.
This recipe is by Priyanka Talreja
Priyanka is a mother to a 4-year-old foodie and also a self-taught food photographer by profession. While she always loved to cook food, it was during the last lockdown she discovered her passion for food styling and food photography and started her insta page by the name of priyankatalreja_photography Soon opportunities started knocking and there has been no looking back for her since then.
Gluten-Free Pinata Cake
Pinata Cake
Ingredients
- 3-D Pinata Mould ( Any shape)
- 200 grams Gluten-free white / dark / milk chocolate / compound chocolate.
- Filling for pinata cake
Method
- Start melting the chocolate on a double boiler until it attains a smooth or lump-free consistency.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the 3-D Pinata mould ( I used heart-shaped) and spread the mixture evenly so that it covers up all the edges and sides of the mould.
- Pour excess chocolate back into the mould and refrigerate the mould for about 10mins or so till the chocolate sets in.
- Now after the first layer of chocolate has set in, pour some more and smear it evenly all over the cake mould. If you feel that any place the layering is thinner, take a pastry brush and even out by applying some more chocolate.
- Then again refrigerate the cake mould for 10 minutes or so.
- After this is done, carefully peel out the chocolate shell from the cake mould.
- Now decorate the shell, just the way you want. Drizzle it with some chocolate sauce and sprinkle some colourful sprinkles.
- Fill up the pinata cake with some sweet treats of your choice such as candies or a cake.
Serve chilled.
Nude fresh berries layered cake
Ingredients for Cake( 1/2Kg cake)
- Gluten-Free all-purpose flour : 150 grams
- Castor Sugar: 150 grams
- Eggs : 3 ( Should be at room Temp)
- Gluten-free Baking powder: 1 tsp
- Baking soda: 1/2 tsp.
- Milk: 4-5 tsp.
- Vegetable oil : 3 Tsp.
- Gluten-free Vanilla / Strawberry extract: 1.5 tsp
- Gluten-free Red food color ( I have used Americolor): 2-3 drops ( optional)
Ingredients for Icing
- Cream cheese: 100 gram
- Non-Dairy whipped cream: 100 gram
- Vanilla extract: 1 Tsp.
- Powdered sugar: 1 cup
- Mixed fresh berries for decoration.
Method for Cake
- Preheat the oven at 180 C/ 375F or 160C / 320 F ( for fan oven) for 15 mins.
- Prepare the cake pans. Butter and line the cake tin base with parchment paper. I have used heart-shaped tin, but any shape of your choice will do.
- Sieve the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a deep bowl and keep aside. – Dry Ingredients
- Whisk eggs in a separate bowl.
- Add vegetable oil to the egg mixture, and mix until combined – Wet Ingredients.
- Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well combined.
- Lastly, add the milk and mix till well incorporated into the batter.
- Pour the batter in the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 30-40 mins or until the skewer tester comes out clean.
- Once done, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on the cooling rack.
- Once cooled down, cut it into even layers using a bread knife and decorate it with icing of your choice.
Method for Icing
- Combine whipped cream and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer ( or you may use an electric mixer) and beat until creamy, well combined and lump-free.
- Add vanilla extract and stir well to combine
- With the mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Pipe this icing on the layers stacked on the cake.
- Top it with some mixed berries/sprinkles of your choice.
This recipe is by Guneet Kaur
Guneet Kaur is a Technical program manager in an IT firm by profession and a Gluten-free blogger by passion. She started sharing her gluten-free recipes since 2020 on her personal blog ‘Halwai Mom‘. Her 11-year-old son was diagnosed with celiac( allergic to Gluten) in 2015, and since then the world has been her gluten-free oyster. She loves sharing what she has learned in order to help others to adapt to a gluten-free diet.
Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients for Cheesecake
- Parle G biscuits- 3 packs
- Butter -1/2 cup (I use Amul)
- Maida(All purpose flour)- 1tbsp
- Milkmaid – 1 tin
- Fresh Cream -2 packs (I use Amul)
- Lemon Juice of 4-5 lemons
Method
- Take 3 small packets of Parle G biscuits and blitz in the mixie to a powder.
- Take out one tablespoon for the decoration
- Mix about ½ cup melted Amul butter in the biscuit.
- Add a tablespoon of maida
- Pat down and make a small wall in a pie dish
- Bake in a hot oven at approx 175 degrees for 3-5 minutes( It all depends on your oven)
- In a separate bowl mix one tin of milkmaid and two packets of Amul fresh cream
- Add the juice of 4-5 lemons.( If not tangy enough add more lemon juice)
- Once the crust cools, add mixture and set in the fridge. Ideally overnight
Strawberry sauce
- Slice and clean strawberries
- In a cup of water add two tablespoons of mixed fruit jam ( I use Kissan )
- Add the in strawberries and let them cool for 2 minutes
- Add 1 TSP cornflour mix with 3 TSP water to thicken
- Let it Cool
- Serve with Cheesecake
This recipe is by Upasana Mahtani Luthra
Upasana Mahtani Luthra, Director- PR, GurgaonMoms Director GurgaonMoms Book Club.Mom of two teenagers and an avid book reader. She loves to cook and create and innovate recipes that are simple and easy to make. None of her ingredients are fancy –schmancy and they are all probably already at home!
