By Debbie van Tuyll and Vickie Terry
Valentine’s Day is for pampering your beloved, right? And for those of us who bear the burden of daily meal prep, nothing counts as better pampering than having someone cook for us.
Most Valentine’s Days, we go out to dinner somewhere around the Feb. 14 – never on Feb. 14. The crowds just aren’t worth it.
But this year, it’s not just crowds that will be keeping folks out of restaurants for Valentine’s Day; it’s COVID-19 as well.
So, my friend Vickie and I put our heads together to come up with a meal idea that would be easy for our husbands to put together on their own.
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We started strategizing back in January. We knew were weren’t going to be taken for a nice romantic dinner this year, but we weren’t willing to cook ourselves on Valentine’s Day.
As we thought about what our husbands might be able to handle – hers, Chris, cooks with some regularity; mine, Hubert, can warm soup (the canned kind). We knew the meal had to be simple.
Pretty quickly, we hit on the idea of steaks. The guys like to grill, so we decided on steaks. Hubert and I are fond of strip steak, and your entre could be fish or chicken – just something the guys can grill without too much trouble. Next, we decided on roasted potatoes and asparagus. All the guys would have to do is slice baby potatoes in half, cut the ends off the asparagus, and put both on a baking sheet with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, before slipping them into the oven for roasting while the steaks cooked outside on the grill.
The big question was, what could they do for dessert? Correction. What could they do for dessert that wouldn’t be store bought? That took a couple of weeks of talking about.
Finally, we decided they really couldn’t mess up a cake mix. The instructions are right there on the box, and both guys have Ph.D.s, so they shouldn’t have any trouble with a cake mix. We made some suggestions about add-ins to make the batter more special. We suggested chocolate chips, maybe some mint or almond flavoring, or something like that. Because Vickie still has a little person at home who likes to cook —Charlie — we decided that Chris and Charlie should be in charge of dessert.
They did a remarkable job! They put together a chocolate-strawberry cake that was moist, tender, and really quite good. They followed the directions on the package to a tee. Once the cake layers were done, the two placed them on racks to cool.
Once cool, Chris spread a layer of strawberry jam on the bottom layer and added the top layer. Then, he and Charlie started on the next step, which was preparing the ganache.
Ganache is an elegant icing for just about any cake. OK, so not lemon chiffon and maybe not red velvet, but think Devil’s food, yellow, or even a spice cake. It’s made from two simple ingredients: chocolate chips and heavy cream. We actually used vegan heavy cream that you can get at Publix. It worked just as well as regular.
You put two cups of chocolate chips in a double boiler, add a cup of heavy cream and stir until the chocolate is melted. No, you don’t have to use a double boiler, but if you don’t, you have to keep the stove burner at a medium-low heat. And you can use the microwave, but you have to set it at 50 percent power and heat the chocolate and cream for only about 30 seconds at a time.
If you choose one of the last two methods, just don’t get in a hurry. If you use too high a heat, you’ll end up with a gloopy mess. Just ask Chris.
Once the chocolate and cream are melted together, remove from the heat and stir until it gets thick enough to spread on the top of the cake. Spread to the edge and let the ganache drip down the sides. And voilá! You have a lovely, elegant dessert.
Only, we’ve always got to guild the lily, so we suggested that Chris and Charlie dip the strawberries in melted chocolate and add them to the cake for decorations, which they did. Vickie and I thought it made sense to use a decoration type that would enhance the filling flavor.
We ended up with a wonderful meal, and Chris and Charlie ended up feeling like accomplished chefs once they finished the cake.
Vickie and I gave their efforts a five-heart rating.
Debbie Reddin van Tuyll is Editor-in-chief of The Augusta Press. Reach her at debbie@theaugustapress.com
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