Easy dinner recipes: Valentine's Day dessert ideas

1/24

“When you slow-cook fish, the flavor seems much fresher, the taste is much cleaner,” says chef David LeFevre. Recipe: White wine-steamed bass with horseradish creme

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

2/24

Try a sherry-based zabaglione, whisking in a moderately sweet oloroso with just a touch of hazelnut liqueur. The custard is full-bodied and lightly sweet from the aged sherry, the hints of hazelnut earthy and warm. Recipe: Hazelnut sherry zabaglione

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

3/24

Delicate, creamy and simple to make. Recipe: Meyer lemon posset

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

4/24

This rich and creamy dessert delivers chocolate accented with a hint of port. Recipe: Frozen chocolate zabaglione

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

5/24

A thick, 2-pound, bone-in rib steak, some coarse sea salt and pepper. It doesn’t take much more to make a perfect main course. Recipe: Cote de boeuf

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

6/24

Recipe: Shrimp and broccoli stir-fry

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

7/24

A cold chicken preparation adapted from Robert A. Delfs’ “The Good Food of Szechwan” combines the ground aromatic peppercorns with that everyday Asian quartet of ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil to make an enchantingly fragrant sauce that transmutes a simple poached chicken breast into a tantalizing and memorable delicacy. Recipe: Cold chicken slices with sesame and Sichuan pepper

(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

8/24

Chicken is flavored with a blend of soy sauce, lemon juice, coriander, cinnamon, pepper and fennel. Recipe: Soy-sauteed chicken

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

9/24

Wild mushroom soup is a rich purée. Recipe: Joe’s wild mushroom soup

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

10/24

This pasta sauce has an old-fashioned long-simmered taste, but takes less than 15 minutes to cook. Recipe: Rigatoni with mushrooms and pancetta

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

11/24

Recipe: Canele’s pan-seared snapper

(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

12/24

Madeleine Kamman, in her book “In Madeleine’s Kitchen”, suggests roasting the legs under a coating of Dijon mustard and breadcrumbs. The crust keeps in the juices while the meat turns succulent. Recipe: Duck legs roasted with mustard

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

13/24

Toss fat chunks of crab with a fruity dressing of orange and lime juices with fava beans and diced avocado, then with butter lettuce, and you get a decadent salad and an extravagant appetizer in one. Recipe: Crab salad

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

14/24

Beet greens can be stewed with golden raisins and pine nuts and then served at room temperature in a dish that is popular during the hot summer months. Recipe: Beet greens with golden raisins and pine nuts

(Anacleto Rapping / Los Angeles Times)

15/24

Chicken breasts are topped with a sauce of tomatoes, olives, herbs and rich pancetta. Recipe: Basque-style chicken

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

16/24

The honey chipotle shrimp salad at the Getty Center’s restaurant is blended with a cilantro lime cream. Recipe: Honey chipotle shrimp salad

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

17/24

Recipe: Tuscan kale salad

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

18/24

Dark green julienned strips of kale are tossed with nutty quinoa and sunflower seeds, colorful bell pepper and red grapes, then dressed with a bright Champagne vinaigrette. Recipe: La Grande Orange Cafe’s kale and quinoa salad

(Christina House/For the Times)

19/24

Grilled shrimp skewers with charmoula make for a quick yet flavorful dinner. Recipe: Grilled shrimp skewers with charmoula

(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

20/24

Dandelion greens and bacon are a natural combination. Recipe: Wilted dandelion grens with bacon

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

21/24

Recipe: Cleo’s Brussels sprouts

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

22/24

Steamed baby bok choy is delicious eaten as is, but you can spruce it up with an Asian sauce. You can serve this with fish or chicken or eat it by itself as a light entree. Recipe: Steamed bok choy with Thai sauce

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

23/24

You might never miss the meat with this hearty vegetarian dish. Recipe: Vegetarian Hunan-style tofu

(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

24/24

This savory take on the comfort food -- stuffed with bacon, Gruyere cheese and dandelion greens and pan-fried to ooey-gooey perfection -- works well served any time of the day. Recipe: Savory stuffed French toast

(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

By Noelle Carter

Feb. 14, 2014 9:15 AM PT

Looking for last-minute ideas for Valentine’s Day? Let’s start with dessert. Each of these treats comes together using only a handful of ingredients and no special equipment. I will warn you, two of them take a little time to set up: the lemon posset -- a pudding-like dessert -- needs chilling time, and the other, a frozen chocolate zabaglione, freezes like a creamy gelato.

Hazelnut zabaglione: Try a sherry-based zabaglione, whisking in a moderately sweet oloroso with just a touch of hazelnut liqueur. The custard is full-bodied and lightly sweet from the aged sherry, the hints of hazelnut earthy and warm.

Meyer lemon posset: Just three ingredients make one great dessert. It sets up like a light pudding with rich, bright flavor.

VALENTINE’S DAY RECIPES: 43 perfect ideas when you’re cooking for two

Frozen chocolate zabaglione: This rich and creamy dessert delivers plenty of rich chocolate flavor accented with a hint of port.

You can find the recipes below.

And for more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at [email protected].

RECIPES: 99 easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less.

HAZELNUT SHERRY ZABAGLIONE

Total time: About 15 minutes

Servings: 2

4 egg yolks

6 tablespoons sugar, more or less as desired

1/4 cup dry sherry, preferably oloroso

1/4 cup hazelnut liqueur

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until combined and frothy. Whisk in the sherry and the hazelnut liqueur.

2. Set the bowl over a large pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Continue to whisk until the mixture increases in volume and thickens to a thick, foamy cream, easily coating the back of a spoon. The final consistency should be similar to that of a very thick hollandaise.

3. Remove from heat and serve immediately. This makes a generous cup of zabaglione.

Each serving: 374 calories; 5 grams protein; 52 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 9 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 420 mg. cholesterol; 49 grams sugar; 21 mg. sodium.

MEYER LEMON POSSET

Total time: 25 minutes, plus at least 4 hours chilling time
Servings: 2 ( 1/2 -cup) portions

Note: It’s nothing less than a Meyer lemon miracle -- just three ingredients that set up like a mousse, but with more lively flavor and a lovelier consistency. This recipe is from Regina Schrambling’s Feb. 14 story on dinner for two.

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup superfine sugar

Juice of 1 Meyer lemon (about 1/4 cup)

1. Combine the cream and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring just to a simmer over medium-low heat and remove from the heat. Let stand until just cool, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

2. Stir in the lemon juice. Blend well. Divide between 2 goblets or small serving dishes and chill until firm, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. Garnish with a sprig of mint, if desired, before serving.

Each serving: 546 calories; 3 grams protein; 39 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 44 grams fat; 27 grams saturated fat; 163 mg. cholesterol; 45 mg. sodium.

FROZEN CHOCOLATE ZABAGLIONE

Total time: About 25 minutes, plus freezing time

Servings: 8

1 pint heavy cream

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, broken into small pieces

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup Port

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until it begins to bubble around the edges, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in the chocolate, and continue whisking until the chocolate is melted and incorporated with the cream to form a ganache (gently heat the cream a little more, if necessary, until the chocolate melts and mixes completely).

2. Remove the ganache to a large bowl set over a bowl of ice and continue to whisk until the ganache chills and begins to thicken. Keep whisking until the ganache has a light, whipped cream-like consistency. Remove the bowl from the ice bath and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until combined and frothy. Whisk in the Port.

4. Set the bowl over a large pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Continue to whisk until the mixture increases in volume and thickens to a thick, foamy cream, easily coating the back of a spoon. The consistency should be similar to a very thick hollandaise.

5. Remove from heat and gently fold the zabaglione into the whipped ganache. Place the mixture in a baking dish or bowl and cover the surface with a sheet of plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, about 1½ to 2 hours. This makes a generous quart of frozen zabaglione.

Each serving: 479 calories; 5 grams protein; 33 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 36 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 240 mg. cholesterol; 25 grams sugar; 30 mg. sodium.

ALSO:

99 easy dinner recipe ideas

Even more: 99 additional easy dinner recipes

Easy dinner recipes: Chicken and more chicken