Meringue Hearts Floating in Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients for raspberry sauce:
1.5 pounds fresh raspberries or two 12-ounce bags frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup sugar

Ingredients for meringues:
8 room temperature egg whites
1 cup sugar
Garnish options - 1 pint fresh strawberries, washed, stemmed, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and some mint leaves, washed.

Preparation
1. Prepare raspberry sauce: Combine the raspberries and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. Push the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Refrigerate in an airtight container.
2. Whip the egg whites on high speed until white, fluffy, and just about to hold soft peaks. With mixer still on high, slowly pour in the sugar in a steady stream. Whip until the meringue holds stiff peaks.
3. Cut out a round piece of parchment just a little bit smaller in diameter than the large, wide sauté pan that you will use to cook the meringues. Grease the parchment with vegetable shortening.
4. Pour 3" to 4" of water into the saute pan and bring it to barely a simmer.
5. Fit a pastry bag with a #8 or #9 plain tip, and fill the bag about halfway with the meringue.
6. Form hearts by piping two teardrops, each about 3" long, side by side on the greased parchment.
7. Carefully slide the parchment onto the surface of the simmering water, and pull it out from under the hearts. The hearts should just slide off as soon as the paper comes in contact with the hot water.
8. Simmer, covered for 45 seconds. Lift the hearts from the water with a slotted spoon, and drain them on paper towels. Repeat until you have 16 to 20 hearts. (Meringue hearts can be refrigerated uncovered for up to one day.)
9. To assemble the dessert: Pour the raspberry sauce onto a shallow platter that is large enough to hold all of the meringue hearts. Using a slotted spatula, carefully float the meringues on top of the sauce.
10. Arrange strawberry slices around the rim of the platter and decorate with the mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Heart-Shaped Red Velvet Cake with Strawberry Filling

Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 TBSP cocoa
1.5 oz red food coloring
1 tsp salt
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp soda
1 TBSP vinegar

Cake Preparation:
Cream butter and sugar together gradually.
Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition.
Make paste of cocoa and food coloring, mix well; add to creamed mixture.
In separate bowl, add salt, flour and vanilla alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
Sprinkle baking soda over vinegar, then pour mixture over batter.
Stir until thoroughly mixed.
Bake in two 9-inch square greased & floured (or wax paper lined) pans for 30 minutes at 350°F.
Cool on wire rack completely.
Remove cakes from pans, wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least three hours(cold cakes will be easier to cut and ice).

Wilton's Strawberry Filling:
Filling Ingredients:
1 pkg (16 ounces) thawed frozen sliced strawberries (or frozen raspberries or crushed canned pineapple)
1/3 cup sugar
3 TBSP cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice
Makes: 2 cups of filling.

Filling Instructions:
Drain strawberries; reserving liquid.
Add enough water to liquid to equal 1 1/4 cups.
In large saucepan, combine strawberry liquid, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice; mix well.
Heat and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Turn heat off.
Cool completely.
Add in the strawberries to cooled liquid
Refrigerate until ready to use.



Assembly Instructions:
Take a piece of paper 9 inches square, fold down the middle on the diagonal. Sketch half a heart on the paper and then cut it out. Open it up and see if you like the proportions of your heart pattern. If not, try again with a new piece of paper.
Once cakes are cold, remove from refrigerator.
Using a long bladed, sharp knife slice off tops to make them flat
Next place the paper pattern on one cake, holding it in place with a few toothpicks, and slice the edges off your cake, following the edges of your pattern. Repeat with other cake.
Using a short and sharp knife and staying about inch away from the edges, hollow out a heart-shaped impression that goes only half an inch deep into each cake. This is where the filling will go.
Set one of the cakes on a platter and build up about half an inch of chocolate frosting along the edges.
Gently spread as much filling as you can into center.
Top with other cake, making sure its heart-shaped depression goes down facing the filling.
Frost outsides and top of cake with chocolate frosting.
Keep refrigerated at least over night before serving.

Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients-

1 bag 11.5 oz Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
6 TBSP (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 bag 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or other nut

Procedure-

1. Using double boiler, melt bittersweet chocolate chips and butter, stirring gently


2. In large bowl and using a mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick


3. Stir chocolate/butter mixture into the eggs/sugar mixture


4. In small bowl, stir flour and baking powder together, then add into chocolat mixture


5. Gently mix in the semisweet chocolate chips


6. Divide dough in half and form two logs, each about 2 inches in diameter and 8 inches long


7. Wrap logs tightly in plastic wrap to hold their shape and put into refrigerator at least one hour until firm


8. Preheat oven to 375F


9. Unwrap logs and cut into 3/4 inches slices


10. Place slices onto greased cookie sheet and bake about 12 minutes - shiny crust should form on top but centers should still be soft


11. Cool completely on baking sheet