Save Room For Dessert

Posted on: February 13, 2024

Celebrating Valentine’s Day? Or how about Self-Love Day?  This Valentine’s Day, make that special someone—that includes YOU, feel extra loved by whipping up one (or a few) of these recipes and sip on some coordinating spirits, all from the LCBO.

Ever heard of cassis, also known as Crème de cassis?  It is a sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants, often used in a popular wine cocktail called, Kir.  Here is a playful and sweet version called Kir Royale Float, which turns the traditional French apéritif—cassis liqueur and bubbly— into a grown-up riff on a float.  In two parfait glasses, add a scoop of berry sorbet or vanilla ice cream to each glass.  Pour 1.5 ounces of bubbly along the side of each glass, then pour 1 ounce of cassis into each.  For the bubbly try Champagne Pommery Brut Rose, (it has strawberry and raspberry fruit aromas!) and for the cassis I recommend the Labbe Francois Cassis, a classic French liqueur with intense aromas of sweet blackcurrant and hints of fresh mint.  Skewer a few strawberries and raspberries on cocktail picks, and garnish the glasses with the fresh fruit skewers.

Want to show off this Valentine’s Day?  Then you should serve Icewine-Braised Pears with Marmalade Crème Patissière.  Yes, have your loved one ooo-ing and ahh-ing when they are presented with ice wine and butter soaked Bosc pears surrounded by Grand Marnier infused marmalade! Use Kittling Ridge Vidal Icewine, an infusion of pear, marmalade, honeydew melon, fig and honey. As you can tell by its ingredients, it is the perfect ice wine for this dessert.

A decadent and chocolate treat is LCBO’s Flourless Chocolate Cake for Two recipe.  This easy chocolate cake recipe, skips the flour which really amps up the rich, decadent factor.  Bake these cakes in small ramekins, so when they cool, just add dolloped whipped cream and raspberries on top.  Pair it with an Ontario red wine like Our Story Cabernet Merlot VQA, a sweeter wine that balances the bitterness of the 70 per cent dark chocolate.

There is nothing wrong with sticking with what you know is loved by the one you love.  Treat them to this classic and luxurious trifle, a Strawberry Almond Dessert.  This trifle is made of sliced strawberries that are soaked in a thyme syrup, layered with whipped cream and coarsely crushed almond-flavoured cookies.  Serve this heavenly treat with a light-bodied and low sugar white wine like Jacob’s Creek Lower Sugar Moscato.

Save room for any of these delish desserts on Valentine’s Day to make it a memorable one for you and the loves of your life.  Tag @cloverdalemall on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and dish your favourite Valentine’s desserts.

 

~Gillaine, Marketing Coordinator