Valentine Week Begins: ‘My Heart Beets for You’ Roasted Beet Salad Recipe

February 7, 2010 in Appetizers, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Entrees

It’s one week until Valentine’s Day and we here at FFF have lots of sweet ideas for serving up Love on a Plate. Surprise your Valentine with romantic – and healthy – delicious-ness!

This is a very ‘Martha’ salad – it looks so festive and like you have slaved for hours, but (confession time) this takes only a few minutes of prep time to throw together.

Beets are an ultra-healthy root vegetable. That deep crimson color means they are full of anti-cancer heart-healthy goodness, and – bonus! – it is the perfect deep redness for a Valentine themed salad!

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Another French Dessert Made Easy: Shortcut Individual Tart Tatin Recipe

January 21, 2010 in Desserts

Individual Shortcut Tart Tatins

Individual Shortcut Tart Tatins

Julia Child was not the only master of French Desserts – before Julia were the Tatin sisters. They created the now famous apple dessert recipe “Tart Tatin”  that has stumped many accomplished home cooks and even chefs for several generations now – including me!

I love this dessert so much, I decided to come up with a fool-proof version – perfect for your superbowl buffet or a special sweetheart dessert – this is your stress-free Valentine’s Day recipe!

I used three basic steps (I remember it by “CAP”): C) caramel in the bottom, A) apple slices next, then P) pastry on top. I used purchased frozen puff pastry here for convenience, or you can make this dish even more frugally by making up a batch of my Five Minute Puff Pastry!

If you are not an actual French pastry chef yourself, these little yummies will fool you – the taste is that close to the Real Deal!  And, instead of hours of frustration, usually involving tears and cursing, you will be singing and smiling because they are a snap to throw together! The apples have that same slow-braised taste and the crust stays crispy and delicious!

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