Be My Valentine Dessert

The magic of  Valentine's day is upon us.  

How will you celebrate?  Will it be a lavish dinner out, or something quite at home.  Or perhaps not a dinner at all but a special day planned for the two of you.  We usually do something memorable such as a museum, or day out.  This year we're talking about attending a Flamenco concert...how passionate is that?

So in honor of that passion I thought I would bring you a dessert to make for your loved one that will knock their socks off.  I saw this wonderfully easy dessert over on Stonegable.  I absolutely love Yvonne's blog, so if you get a chance make sure to pop over and check it out for yourself.  She called it "Be My Valentine Dessert".  What a perfect name!  I knew I had to recreate it for MGG, and I did, and he loved it!

(see the medium and tiny puff hearts!  adorable...)

So here' my adaptation of her wonderful recipe.  It's very easy to put together.  The hearts are made from puff pastry, which you can make several days ahead and keep them in a storage bag.  Assembly on the big day is quick and easy.

I hope you and your loved ones enjoy this special treat.  I can't wait to make another one!!!

Look for a wonderful valentine breakfast muffin later in the week.  They'll put love in the forefront of your day!

Be My Valentine Dessert
adapted from Stonegableblog.com

serves 2

2 4" square puff pastry sheets, or 1 large sheet puff pastry
8 strawberries
1 T sugar
chocolate syrup
strawberry ice cream
whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Thaw puff pastry for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, cut all but 2 strawberries and sprinkle with sugar. Gently mix and set aside.  Cut the 2 strawberries from the tip almost to the base in 5 slices and open like a fan.  Don't cut all the way through so the base stays together.

Place the puff pastry on wax paper on a work surface.  Using a large cookie cutter cut out 2 large hearts. You can also cut out several medium hearts, and several tiny heart for garnish.  

Put the pastry hearts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Leave a little room between each heart.  If the pastry is still cold you can now cook them.  If they are more like room temperature put them back in the refrigerator for 15 min, as cold puff pastry will puff better when cold.  

Bake at 400 degrees until they are puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.  The tiny hearts will only take about 10 minutes so if you are cooking those remove them after 10 minutes.  Cool the hearts completely. At this point they can be saved in an airtight container for several days.

To assemble: Gently cut the two largest puffed hearts in two.  I used a serrated knife so the pastry would not break.  Drizzle the chocolate syrup over the bottom of a small plate.   Put the bottom heart shell in the pool of chocolate and top with a scoop or two of the ice cream.  Place the sliced strawberries on top of the ice cream.  Add the top heart shell and drizzle a little syrup over the top.

Garnish with whipped cream, and a fan cut strawberry and medium and small heart puffs.