This is a spin on the classic Napoleon; ours is “In Love”. The “Love” comes from the pistachio, mastic (Mastiha), and rose flavors, which are some of our favorite Love ingredients. This recipe may seem advanced, but even the novice cook will be able to take it on. You can make some of the recipe ahead of time, so as to distribute the workload in preparation of the big day. However, although there are 3 parts to its preparation, it does not take an excessive amount of time. Read through the recipe ahead of time so as to plan your cooking strategy.

For the Mastiha Pastry Cream:

2 cups half and half

½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon flour

1 teaspoon Mastiha, ground with a pinch of sugar

1 teaspoon rose water (optional)

For the Pistachio Praline:

1 cup raw shelled pistachios

½ cup sugar + 2 tablespoons water

To Assemble:

1 package store-bought puff pastry

Flour for dusting

¼ cup rose petal jam

1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk, whisked together

A pastry brush

Make the Mastiha pastry cream by heating up the half and half in a small saucepan along with one of the tablespoons of sugar. Just heat until steam rises from the top. Meanwhile, beat the yolks with the sugar until the yolks turn a pale yellow and the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the cornstarch and flour. Slowly pour a few spoonfuls of the milk over the yolk/sugar mixture and whisk to temper. Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan with milk, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and get it all out. Bring the liquid to a simmer and whisk constantly, so that the mixture doesn’t form clumps, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the powdered Mastiha and rose water.  Strain the pastry cream into a bowl set over an ice bath and stir to cool. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and store in the fridge until cold and set. The pastry cream will thicken slightly once it is cold, so keep that in mind when you are cooking it down.

While the pastry cream is cooling, make the Pistachio Praline. Lightly toast the pistachios and allow to cool. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Keep the pistachios close together and evenly distributed, as you will pour caramel over them. Place the sugar in a small saucepan with the 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a simmer and allow the sugar to caramelize. Lightly brush down any sugar that gets stuck on the sides of the pot with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallization. Once the sugar is a deep, rich brown (you can test this by spooning a small amount on a white plate) pour over the toasted pistachios. It might seem like it takes a long time for the sugar to caramelize, but once it gets dark, it changes very quickly, so you must pay close attention. Once the pistachio/caramel becomes hard, you can either chop it with a sharp knife or grind in a food processor until it is a coarse crumble.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Roll out the store bought pastry dough according to the instructions on the package. You will want it to be about ¼” thick when you bake it.
Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out 8 heart shaped pieces of dough. Set on a slightly greased baking sheet and lightly brush with the egg wash (1 whole egg beat with 1 tablespoon of milk). This is not necessary, but it makes the final result much more attractive. Cover the hearts with a piece of parchment or wax paper and set a baking rack or cooling rack with a ledge over the tray, so that the pastry will only rise to a certain height.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the rack and top layer of paper and return to the oven at 350°F for an additional 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the pastries, because everyone’s oven is different.

Heat the rose petal jam slightly with a tablespoon of water, and strain to remove the petals. Now you have your rose petal glaze. While the glaze is still warm, brush the top of each puff heart with it and sprinkle the pistachio praline over top. Dollop a spoonful or so of mastic pastry cream in the center of four of the hearts, and top with the remaining 4 puff hearts. Lightly press down to distribute the pastry cream, but do not break your hearts (pun intended!). Keep cool until ready to serve.

Makes 4 Napoleons “In Love”.

Note: You can make the mastic pastry cream 1 day ahead and the pistachio praline up to 2 days ahead. Bake the puff pastry the day of, so as to keep it as fresh as possible.
Assemble and serve the day of.

This recipe comes to us courtesy of Chef Angela Garcia of Lovely Daze Desserts.

These macarons are very delicate and take a lot of time to make. They are, however, the best macarons you will ever have, and are well worth the effort. Make sure to read the recipe before hand and give yourself a few days to prepare everything. For example, start by separating the egg whites from the yolks, and let them age overnight. Both the macaron shell and ganache should rest overnight, which adds another day. These will make a lovely presentation for a wedding, baby shower, or other formal romantic engagement.

180 grams almond flour
240 grams powdered sugar
140 grams egg whites, aged overnight
80 grams sugar
3 drops rose oil*
Optional garnishes: candied rose petals and gold dust**

In a large bowl, sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar and sea salt. Set aside.
Whip the egg whites with a handheld mixture, adding the sugar very slowly.
Add a few drops of rose oil (from Big Magic Ocean) and continue whipping until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
Add the almond flour and powdered sugar to the meringue and fold with a spatula until a shiny mass forms.
Transfer the batter to the pastry bag with a medium sized tip and pip small mounds onto sheetpans lined with parchment paper or silpat.
Let them dry at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Have the oven preheated to 350º F. Place the sheetpans in the oven and reduce the temperature to 300ºF.
Bake for 10 minutes and rotate the sheetpan and bake for another 5 minutes.

Rose Petal White Chocolate Ganache
250g white chocolate
200g cream
2 drops rose oil

Put the white chocolate into a bowl. Boil the cream in a saucepan and pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
Set aside. Add a few drops of rose oil into the ganache.
Let this ganache sit in the refrigerator overnight (to achieve the right consistency).
Arrange the macaron shells in pairs, with a more attractive one for each top half.
Pipe a dollop of ganache onto the bottom macaron shell and sandwich with the top. Repeat for all of the macarons.
Let rest for a day (if you can) in the fridge, and store for up to 7 days.

* You can purchase rose oil from Big Magic Ocean or a health food store with essential oils.
** You can purchase candied rose petals from gourmet markets or online, and gold dust at gourmet markets or Michael's.

This delicious heart-shaped dessert is creamy, but not heavy, because we use yogurt and Neufchatel cheeses instead of the traditional cream cheese. It is easy to make, but allow yourself 2 days in order to strain the yogurt and then set the dessert. It is absolutely romantic!

1 cup strained Greek yogurt*
½ cup Neufchatel cheese
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 T rose water
½ tsp vanilla extract

Line a heart-shaped cake mold with 2 layers of cheese cloth.
Whisk together the yogurt, cheese, and sugar.
Whisk the heavy whipping cream in a separate bowl until thick and holds stiff peaks, but do not overbeat.
In three parts add the whipping cream to the yogurt mixture, whisking to thicken as you go. Add the rose water and vanilla and continue to whisk until it is quite thick.
Transfer the mixture to the mold, spread evenly, and cover with wrap. Refrigerate overnight (at least 12 hours) and serve the next day.
Place a platter over the mold and flip over. Peel off the cheese cloth and serve with the sauce on the side.

* To strain yogurt: line a sieve with a coffee filter or cheesecloth, set the sieve over a bowl, add the yogurt, and leave to strain overnight.

For the Blood Orange Sauce:
3 blood oranges
½ cup fresh orange juice (about 2 juicing oranges)
¼ cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cut off the ends of the blood oranges, and slice off the skin using a sharp knife. Working over a bowl, cut out the orange segments using a small knife. Squeeze out any excess juice and reserve. Bring the orange juice plus any reserved juices from the blood oranges to a boil in a small saucepan. Simmer down until syrupy. Add the orange segments to the pan as well as the vanilla extract. Turn off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Flip the Coeur a la Crème onto a plate and serve with the juices around it.

Serves 4, but is romantic to serve for 2.

Basra is a city famous for its expansive date palm groves. It inspired me to make this dessert, in which the dates become the tart shell, cradling freshly strained yogurt swirled with honey and walnuts. If you do not have a need for this type of presentation, just mash all of the ingredients together for a snack. This is for two people but you can adjust it for more.

1 1/2 cups of dates for 2 shells
1 handful of oats
1 1/2 cups yogurt
1 T of honey
1 tsp of rosewater
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Garnish: a few whole walnuts

Put the yogurt in a coffee filter or a double layer of cheese cloth to strain overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.
Pit the dates, and then mash them up.
I use my hands, and add a tablespoon of hot water to moisten them.
Add the oatmeal and walnuts and stir until the dates hold together.
Butter and flour the tart shells for easier removal.
Fit the date mixture into the shell.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes until they puff up a little and form a crust.
Cool completely.
Mix the drained yogurt, honey, and rosewater.
Fill the date shells with the yogurt mixture.
Form a little oasis in the middle, and fill it with honey.
Toast the walnuts, and fill the little oasis of honey with the crunchy nuts.