Celebrate your Valentine with exquisite dessert recipes for a romantic evening

After a hectic week of work, need a cosy and romantic evening at home, this Valentine’s Day? Cooking the most exotic dishes is your answer. Recreate James Wierzelewski’s exclusive, wholesome and flavorful desserts from the Norwegian Cruise Line, as a romantic date night is always incomplete without the perfect dessert.

Sinful Chocolate Obsession

Cake ingredients:

• semi-sweet chocolate

• butter

• egg yolks

• sugar (separated) 

• egg whites

• 1 teaspoon rum

• Heavy cream 

• Almonds toasted

• Pistachios chopped

 Ganache Ingredients:

• Dark chocolate couvertures finely chopped

• Heavy cream 

Method:

• Melt chocolate and butter together.

• Whip yolks and half the quantity of sugar together. Combine into the chocolate butter mix.

• Whip whites together with the remaining sugar and rum to volume. Combine into chocolate butter yolk mix.

• Whip the heavy cream and fold into the mixture; fold in nuts.

• Pipe or spoon into individual cake dishes or ramekins, and top with a cardboard disk to act as a base once flipped out. Freeze.

• Make ganache: Bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate; allow one minute before stirring to blend. Strain and cool.

• Remove cakes from ramekins and plate with desired garnishes like raspberry sauce, vanilla sauce, mint sprigs, whipped cream and chocolate shavings. 

• Top cake with ganache.

Butterscotch Budino

Ingredients:

• Melted butter

• Light brown sugar

• Scotch whiskey

• Heavy cream

• Whole milk

• Egg yolks

• Whole eggs

Method:

• In a large saucepan, bring the sugar to a very light caramel colour and take off the heat

• Add the butter until well combined; add the scotch whiskey and mix properly.

• Mix the cream and milk together and bring to boil; remove from heat.

• Allow to steep, covered, for 30 minutes.

• Whisk the eggs and yolks together and temper in cream mixture.

• Strain and pour the mixture into glasses.

• Bake in a water bath at 300F for 20 minutes.

• Rotate and bake for 20 minutes more until custard jiggles uniformly.

• Serve with chocolate gelato

(Compiled by Addrita Sinha)