Tuesday, February 12, 2013

My Cold Cold Heart - Frozen Caramel Cream for Valentine's Day




From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Valentine's Day is very low-key around here. Left to my own devices, I'd probably nod, blow a kiss to the wind and get on with my day. I'm not a Scrooge mind you. I dance at weddings and sing for birthdays, and the holidays, the big ones anyway, are celebrated in grand fashion around here. It's just that I have a problem with merchant holidays and this certainly is one of them. The thing that prevents me from uttering the famous "bah, humbug" is the memory of a 5 year old, still so small she's perched on a booster seat, cutting a ragged heart for her father as we sat around the table and talked about her day. She is special, this one. She's a talker and a thinker and she shares her words and thoughts in magpie fashion, confident that the world is always listening and needs to hear what she has to say. She's had a good day at school and as we work our way through who said what and the party and all the cards, she put the scissors down and stared at me with that unmistakable, the shoe is going to drop, look that all mothers come to recognize. Now, we've already covered babies and how they get here, so I'm fairly certain I'll be able to take what comes next in stride. I wasn't. My baby, who is five mind you, says to me, "You love me, but you are in love with daddy." World, have you met my daughter Erich Fromm? Now, I don't know where that came from, but it was a reminder that all we learn is not formally taught. Especially when it comes to relationships. At any rate, she quickly went back to her scissors, and I went on to make an ice cream heart that could never rival the one she was making for her father. The cake, by the way, is a wonderful way to give a nod to a special occasion without killing yourself in the process. It's made with three ingredients and involves no cooking, but it looks festive and can be modified to your family's taste. If you are a purist, you can make the ice cream and topping on your own, but it is really not necessary. The combination I've used for this post is one I found in Real Simple magazine and I chose it because it photographs better than my personal raspberry favorite. If you need a dessert for Valentine's Day, you might want to give this recipe a try. Here's how it is made.

Frozen Caramel Cream Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Real Simple

Ingredients:
3 quarts softened vanilla ice cream
1 cup caramel sauce
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

Directions:
1) Line a heart pan with with strips of plastic wrap long enough to extend over sides of pan and form handles for lifting.
2) Pack softened ice cream into pan and freeze over night.
3) Just before serving, lift ice cream from pan. Peel away plastic wrap and place on a serving dish. Top with caramel sauce and almonds. Serve immediately or return to freezer. Yield: 12 servings.







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12 comments :

Alicia Foodycat said...

What a lovely idea for a dessert! We don't really do Valentine's day (in the UK and Australia it is even more commercial and there is no tradition of giving Valentines to your parents or friends), although since it is very close to our wedding anniversary we sometimes end up celebrating our day on the 14th.

We Are Not Martha said...

I LOVE the title of this post! My cold, cold heart. And a delicious one at that!

Sues

Ola said...

I was looking for good idea for our Valentine's Day dessert, and I think I found one - looks delicious!

Unknown said...

LOL.. that is a great story about your daughter!! It's amazing to me, sometimes, the things kids say!
As for the dessert... YUM! Looks and sounds incredibly good... and with such ease to make!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Valentines Day does not need to be the commercial day designed by Hallmark as your easy and delicious homemade dessert and cut out paper hearts can attest to. It is what we make it. But wouldn't it be nice to be appreciated every day:D

Susan Lindquist said...

I always send my kids a valentine on Valentine's Day and make a sweet something for SB ... it's just the way I roll. I love the quiet sentimentality of the day.
I also love the memories of childhood Valentine pouches at school and making sure that everyone of my classmates got a little heart from me and that my teacher and my family received cut-out hearts and X's and O's ... neat idea for an ice cream cake!

June said...

Sweet story Mary - talk about out of the mouths of babes. Oh and I'll be borrowing your "hearty" dessert idea. It looks delicious.

Tricia @ saving room for dessert said...

What a lovely story! I'm with you on the low end of the celebration scale - I think Valentine's Day is perfect for kids, and Hallmark :) Great dessert too - yeah ice cream!

Ginny Hartzler said...

A wonderful little story for Valentines Day. And the way you have written it is rather heart piercing. It makes my day shine.

teresa said...

aaaw, what a sweet memory, and a sweet treat!

lindalou said...

That was a wonderful story. Children can say the most amazing things. She does sound very special.

The desert looks yummy.

Valérie said...

What a cute story! And a cute dessert! We celebrate Valentine's Day by making a more elaborate dinner than usual, but it's still fairly casual.

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