Thirty years ago, local food advocate, editor and author Alice Tanghe and her husband missed a flight home from their honeymoon in Quebec. They lingered a bit too long over a delicious crème brûlée in a French-style bistro. “OK, I may not have looked at the correct departure time,” Tanghe admits, “but it’s a good excuse, and it’s still one of our favorite desserts.” What could be more romantic?
Her love affair with food has lasted for more than 30 years of wedded bliss. She took on cooking family meals in her early elementary school years, while her mother worked the night shift as a nurse. That early exposure nurtured a true foodie who devours her collection of over 500 cookbooks as if they were novels.
When Tanghe is not reading, you might catch her cooking and promoting local food at the Maple Grove Farmers Market. She tested recipes for, edited, and wrote the Twin Cities restaurant profiles for the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook. She also published the food magazine Minnesota Palate for a couple of years.
Tanghe’s present writing is focused on another cookbook, with the working title: I’ll Put The Coffee On, an ode to the first invite from dearly departed neighbor Lela Hamlin over 20 years ago. They both loved to cook. “It will be part memoir and part cookbook,” she explains.
Tanghe believes in putting love into all her meals. “The best way to spend a weekend is cooking and sharing it with friends,” she assures. “Making a meal for someone says love. Don’t wait for Valentine’s Day!”
For more info or to purchase a copy of the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook, visit amazon.com.
Sweet Valentine's Day Recipes
Wild Blueberry Maple Crème Brûlée
2 cups heavy cream
½ of a whole vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla)
1 whole egg
3 large egg yolks
7 tablespoons real maple syrup
6 tablespoons small wild blueberries (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
4-8 oz. ramekins
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Scald heavy cream with halved and scraped vanilla bean (or liquid vanilla). In mixer bowl, combine whole egg, yolks, and maple syrup, mix well. Temper egg mixture in three parts—adding 1/3 of the hot cream mixture into the egg, whisking constantly after each addition, until all is well combined. Strain mixture, remove vanilla bead pod. Place a shy tablespoon of blueberries into the bottom of each ramekin. Fill halfway with custard. Add about a teaspoon of blueberries and finish filling the ramekin with custard.
Set ramekins in baking pan, fill with boiling water, halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until set, approximately 40 minutes. Remove from water bath and let cool before storing. Refrigerate 8 hours prior to serving. Can be stored up to three days. Blot moisture from top, sprinkle with turbinado raw sugar or maple sugar, caramelize sugar with a chef’s torch.
Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache Fondue
1/2-cup heavy cream
1/2-cup bittersweet dark chocolate chips (about 70% cocoa)
1/2-cup strawberries
3 kiwi
1 banana
1/2-cup whipped cream
3 oz. Camembert cheese
Bring the cream to a slow boil. Place the chocolate chips in a large dry bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chips. Stir until smooth and keep warm until ready to use.
In mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add 1 tablespoon sugar, if sweetened cream is desired. Cut the fruit and cheese into 1-inch chunks. Pour the chocolate ganache into a fondue bowl. Place the fondue bowl on a serving plate and surround with the fruit and cheese. Place dollops of whipped cream on fruit. Serve with skewers or fondue forks for dipping.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with kid friendly animal crackers, marshmallows and Rice Krispie bites as dippers.
