"Are you sweet on Valentines Day or does the whole thing make you feel salty? Let's play on those mixed emotions with a Salty-Sweet Valentines menu," instructed our Sunday Funday host for this week - Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures.
Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm coordinate this low-stress group; we only participate when we are inspired. This week Amy is hosting and picked a theme of a salty-sweet recipes ahead of Valentines' Day. Here's the #SundayFunday line-up for our virtual celebration...
Crispy Crunchy Vegan Cheat Fries by Sneha’s Recipe
Gluten-Free Sweet & Salty Baked Spicy Rice Chex by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Oven Roasted Honey Chilli Nuts by The Mad Scientist Kitchen
Peanut Butter and Pretzel Crispy Treats by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Potato Chip-Crusted Chocolate Tart by Culinary Cam (you're here)
Pretzel & Caramel Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies by Amy’s Cooking Adventures
Valentines' Musings
How do you feel about Valentines' Day? At almost fifty years old, it has grown on me. Again.
When I was a kid, Valentines' Day was exhilarating. One year, in elementary school, I remember making all of my Valentines' cards with my mom, taping bubblegum to the cards on which I had painstakingly written - in bubblegum scented pink ink no less - 'Stuck on You!'
Then, in college, I worked as a florist. And my disdain for the holiday was born. I worked at a flower shop because I loved flowers - all those the scents, all those the textures - and I loved creating something beautiful that a fellow flower lover would enjoy.
But on February 14th, directly proportional to the proximity of dinner time, men would line up for a dozen long-stemmed red roses. It wasn't thoughtful. It wasn't creative. And it certainly wasn't authentic. It was obligatory.
"How about something a little less common?" I suggested once, reaching for a bunch of fringed parrot tulips that were a sunny yellow bloom tipped in scarlet. The man nearly bit my head off in his impatience. "I just want the long-stem red roses and I'm already late for my damn dinner!" he bellowed.
How's that for romance? For years after college, I despised Valentines' Day.
I firmly believe that love and romance belong front and center all the time. Why is February 14th designated as a day for people to show their sweethearts that they are adored? What about the other 364 days?!?
I would rather get a bunch of handpicked wildflowers on a random day in August than a dozen red roses on a day when florists mark up their wares beyond the typical 300% markup. Thankfully all three of my boys know this and I find flowers from the garden in a mason jar on the table when their bushes are in bloom.
I know that I sound unapologetically unromantic. Is there a Valentines' equivalent of a Grinch? That would be me. Would have been me. But one of my boys loved Valentines' Day and spent weeks planning his cards for his classmates; so, we make the cards together. Kinda like my mom did with me. I love that and it definitely helped melt my iciness towards the holiday.
I look at it this way: I love my Valentines (my Love and our two boys) 365 days of the year. Why would I refuse to celebrate that affection just because everyone else is celebrating on that same day?!
And, truth be told, I'm not unromantic. I love romance. I just don't reserve romance for February 14th. Jake and I take our romance to the redwoods, on a lake, to the snow, and to the beach. All. Year. Long.
So, to answer Amy's question of being salty or sweet on the holiday: both! And I was thrilled to make a dessert in that vein.
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups crushed potato chips
2 cups ground almonds
1/4 cup flour
5 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure coffee extract
Tart Filling
1-1/2 cup organic heavy cream
12 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chipped
1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon pure coffee extract
Procedure
Crust Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. To prepare the crust, pulse the potato chips in a food processor. Combine 2 cup chips in a large mixing bowl with the flour, ground almonds, melted butter, and coffee extract. Press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable base. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes.
Tart Filling
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is completely submerged in the hot cream. Let sit for three minutes, then whisk till smooth. Stir in the butter and extract. Pour the filling into the pre-baked tart and let cool. Refrigerate. To serve, let the tart soften slightly at room temperature before slicing.
That's a wrap on my salty-sweet post. We'll be back next week with recipes from India and Pakistan. Stay tuned!
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