For Valentine’s Day, Nicole and I decided to lay low and save some money by not going out, and instead, staying in for some good old-fashioned, sensual eating.
To surprise Nicole after work, I had some flowers waiting for her on the table and chocolate souffle in the oven.
As we had a birthday party to get to in the evening, making dinner wasn’t a feasible option, so a small but sensual snack was our best bet.
Flowers from Stemz and my Chocolate Souffle
I got the flowers from my good friends Fiona and Katie at Stemz in Toronto. They did such a gorgeous job, I owe it to them that the flowers have a spot in this article. Having a florist whom personally knows the person you are buying flowers for, is an amazing bonus. Katie knew exactly what Nicole would like, right down to the shape of the vase the flowers are sitting in and the colours she would like best.
Stemz has nothing but the most amazing stock, it’s all incredibly well organized, there is no clutter in the shop and everyone that works there has an amazing eye, and an amazing heart. Stemz gets my vote any day for the best flower shop in the city.
If you are in Toronto, and you need thoughtfully arranged flowers, Stemz is absolutely where you should go.
Dark Chocolate Souffle and Chocolate-drizzled Pretzels, Almonds and Filberts
This was the first souffle I have ever made, so I really can’t speak to souffle as an expert; I’m still learning about the dish myself.
Though it was incredibly soft and delicious, I had a very hard time whipping the egg whites to a firm mass, and as a result, I think the souffle could have been better. The souffle didn’t rise from the ramekins like I expected, and I am nearly positive it’s those damn egg white’s fault.
Long story short, I really need a stand mixer. Whipping egg whites by hand is certainly not a task for the wimpy.
Beside the ramekin is a pile of dark chocolate drizzled pretzels, almonds and filberts- an amazing combination. The chocolate I used for both the souffle and pretzels is Lindt’s 85% Cocoa dark chocolate.
To spruce up the chocolate for the pretzels, and to give it a very cool Caribbean taste, I used cloves, allspice, pink peppercorns and crushed black pepper.
The basic taste of pink peppercorns- floral, spicy and tart- is something I will never forget, and something I refer to often to take a dish from “good” to “I’m going to pass out, this is so fucking unbelievable!” Last June, I competed in the Central Canadian Barista Championships, and used the pink peppercorns in my signature drink with a combination of an Italian Zabaglione and Dutch Advocaat. They are pretty expensive to buy, but a few of these goes a long way in food. The signature drink was called the “Dutch Italian,” and I placed fifth overall in the competition.
Table Setting for our Sensual Valentine's Snack
The fact that your budget is small and you have a limited amount of time, should never be a reason to eat like shit. It doesn’t matter if its high-brow, low-brow, tough or easy, use your senses to cook- not your wallet or your watch.
For more photos of today’s sensual snack, or any of the other posts here on Sensual Eating, check out the Flickr Sensual Eating Photostream.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love,
Adam
Well, not much to say here, but I thought it would be good to post a picture of the bird we ate last night for dinner. Though, it may look fairly basic, it wasn’t. Before going to the oven, my father soaked the entire 22lb turkey in a brine of sea salt, water and brown sugar for about 6 hours.
