Trifecta

I kind of love it when I hear people (men) talk about how overrated Valentine's Day is.  How it's a holiday created by the Greeting Card Assoc. (or Chaucer) to rip us off or, worse yet, to encourage us to think we can express love through the spending of money.  I love to hear this because though all of that may be true, I suspect the real reason these people (men) are Valentine's Day haters just might be because they don't like to express romantic love, in a way outside their own comfort zone, at all!   Just maybe this holiday survives (despite the loss of hand made card days) to coax, rouse, inspire, cajole, basically help, those afflicted with lack of ...expressiveness (ya, that's it, "expressiveness") by reminding them to think of what someone else might desire.  For one damn day.  And be willing to honor it.    That's what Valentine's Day should be about.

I do agree it's never best to show affection through commercial means (the traditional Valentine's Day  card, flowers, candy trifecta being a perfect example of that)  so how about getting seriously thoughtful and being willing to try to find out what your lover's trifecta might be.  Better yet, find out what your own trifecta might be then let somebody know!  And don't forget to enjoy your trifecta seeking journey.  That might just be the best part.

My food trifecta is.. well... I'm still looking. But I do like thoughtfully prepared food, sensuality, and some heat (wait a minute, that might not be in the exact order...) so a food trifecta for me (today) would be Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter, served on a bed of sauted fresh spinach and crushed red pepper (or some greens dressed with a spicy fresh lemon vinigrette, as a side), and a sparkling wine ( I lied when I said I didn't like sparkly things) like Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blancs NV.  And since a trifecta doesn't quite satisfy this belly, a Lemon Tart drizzled with Sage Infused Honey would complete this...superfecta!

I really like Lidia Bastianich's recipe for this Gnocchi but I will admit it's time consuming, and you do want to conserve your energy for... later, so you could try frozen gnocchi tossed with melted butter and fresh sage atop some mashed roasted butternut squash or sweet potatoes.






 Here is my recipe for the Lemon Tart:

Lemon Tart with Sage Infused Honey

1 1/2 C flour plus 4 1/2 t          3/4 t baking powder
3/4 C butter                              1  1/4 C sugar
3 eggs                                       3/4 C powdered sugar         
1/3 C fresh lemon juice            2 t finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 C honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In bowl, stir together 1 1/2 C flour and powdered sugar.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Pat into an 11 inch tart pan and bake for 15 min.  Meanwhile whisk eggs, lemon juice, baking powder, sugar and 1 1/2 T remaining flour.  When crust is ready, pour egg mixture over the crust.  Bake until set and light brown, about 30 min.  Cool.  Meanwhile mix honey and sage and let sit.  When ready to serve, cut, and serve each piece with a drizzle of sage honey.

I love how the sweetness of the honey softens the acidity of the lemon and that soft herbal bite of fresh sage complements the rich sweetness.  Sweet!