So, it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, and everyone’s going to be happy and filled with love for their significant other, right?Well, from what I’ve heard from friends and even strangers around campus, no one is really looking forward to the love-forced holiday. Those people without boyfriends and girlfriends abhor the holiday because it reminds them, yet again, that they are still single, and depression sets in. Many of those people have begun getting together with other single friends and celebrating Single’s Day, a holiday I have more experience with, as well.
But what’s sad is even the people who do have a girl or guy to shower with love and affection and a reason to celebrate Valentine’s Day have become tired of the routine. After the expensive gifts are given, and after the expensive meals are eaten at the expensive restaurants, most people, guys especially, are forced to spend the rest of the month at home eating tuna sandwiches to make up for the damage.
Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t spend your money on the person you love, but when do we say enough is enough? Isn’t the reason for the holiday to spend time with your loved one, not just your next month’s rent? And just to please the girls who probably feel like slapping me right now, I do agree that Valentine’s Day does warrant gifts of the sparkling nature, as long as they’re heartfelt and not just an “I’m sorry” gesture.
But to my point, to bring Valentine’s Day back to what it should be about, I’m a big advocate of staying in and cooking dinner for your sweetheart. Not only would it be cheaper, but it would give each person time to spend with their girl or guy experimenting in the kitchen and making your own meal together. Cook the first meal you ever shared in a restaurant, or do some recipe homework and try to make a show-off meal that will impress your taste buds as well as each other.
But for those who insist on going to a restaurant for Valentine’s Day, here’s my suggestion: make dessert yourself at home. As “Barefoot Contessa” host Ina Garten always says, “People may not always remember what they had for supper, but they never forget dessert.” And what better time to make a dessert to remember than on the day when more couples will be feeding each other over a sinful confection they’d never touch any other time of the year?
If you have the resources, pans and skills to make a three-tiered chocolate torte or a bananas foster crme brulee, then by all means, go for it. But for the people reading this who may not have the time or money, i.e., most college students, try this new take on chocolate-covered strawberries that’s intensely rich and gourmet and will not fail any chocoholic, i.e., girl, that tries it.
It’s called zabaglione (zahb-uhl-`yo-nay), and it’s a traditional Italian dessert cream that’s served with berries. The original version is just egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine, an Italian dessert wine that can be found in most liquor stores in Starkville for under $10. But I’ve added chocolate to the traditional recipe to make it extra-special and coffee and vanilla to give it depth of flavor. I also add a little whipped cream, which makes it more like a thin mousse but adds the richness that this to-die-for dessert needs. And a little cream never hurt anything; it is after all, a holiday. Also, according to history, it was fed to battle-weary warriors the morning of their return home to give them the, er, energy to be with their lovers that night.
Plus, this whole dessert can be made with a pot, a bowl and a whisk, so you don’t need to have a professional kitchen at your disposal to whip up this restaurant-quality indulgence.
But be sure not to eat too much tomorrow night. It’s a very rich dessert, and this recipe makes more than enough for two people. You want to spend the rest of the night in your sweetheart’s arms, not in a porcelain embrace. Serve the zabaglione with some good champagne (anything but Andre and you’ll be OK) and you’ve got a Valentine’s Day dessert that will do more than just leave a great taste in your mouth.