Plan a romantic night in
What's more romantic than a fancy night out at a restaurant when it's freezing outside? A warm, snug night in with your sweetheart! Dim the lights, turn up the fire (or put one up on your screen), tune in to a jazz piano playlist, pour a glass of something bubbly, and cozy up with the very tempting menu I have for you!
This is food for all the senses. Start off with classic French Gougères (a fancy name for cheese puffs!) and then follow up with one of my favorites, Arancini (Sicilian fried rice balls)—two dishes you can eat with your fingers if you want to. Pair them up with a crunchy Pecan, Kale, and Beet Salad. These luxurious dishes are full of flavors and textures, but they won't leave you feeling heavy and, well... unromantic :) All these dishes can be prepared in advance and only need to be reheated or assembled right before serving, which means you'll get to relax and fully enjoy your night in.
No romantic night in would be complete without a chocolate finale and my easy Brownie Bites with Salted Fudge Frosting are the perfect little "something sweet" to end your meal with. Serve them with Affogato, an Italian iced coffee and gelato dessert that looks impressive but is extremely easy to make!
How to make arancini
Arancini are Italian fried rice balls that are stuffed with cheese and meat sauce. This irresistible Sicilian finger food is one of my absolute favorites. Arancini are gooey, cheesy, and crispy—the trifecta of a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Arancini are made from leftover, cooled risotto and you can find them everywhere in Sicily at any time of day. They make a delicious snack or fabulous cocktail appetizer.
If you'd like to try your hand at making Arancini at home, then this step-by-step Arancini tutorial is perfect for you. I guide you every step of the way with photos and lots of tips so you can make the perfect treat for your loved ones! | | Share your creations with me!
If we can't get together in person, let's do it virtually. If you make any of my recipes, I'd love to hear about your experience! Simply reply to this email, or snap a picture and tag me (@foodnouveau) on Instagram.
| | | Classic Gougères (French Cheese Puffs) | | | Elegant gougères (aka cheese puffs) are just one of the delicious treats you can make with choux pastry. Once you've got the basics down pat, the flavor variations are endless and gougères can become one of your most versatile appetizer recipes. My gougères tutorial will help you along the way and I even include 15 flavor variations so you can make them differently every time.
P.S. Never made choux pastry before? Scroll down for the link to my Choux Pastry Video Class! | | | Pecan, Kale, and Beet Salad | | | | This Pecan, Kale and Beet Salad is a crunchy, earthy, salty, and sweet dish that's the perfect sidekick for a small plates dinner like this one. Served with the Arancini and Gougères, it makes for a complete meal but you can also turn this salad into a meal all on its own by serving it with your favorite crusty bread! | | | Brownie Bites with Salted Fudge Frosting | | | A cozy night in wouldn't be complete if chocolate was not involved and I think these Brownie Bites are the perfect small bite dessert. But the best thing about these brownie bites could very well be that you can bake, frost, and freeze them in advance—then thaw only the number of bites you need, when you need a chocolatey pick-me-up.
| | Affogato may be the easiest recipe I have ever posted and shared. And yet, it's guaranteed to impress! Affogato is a delicious Italian coffee and gelato dessert. Making affogato couldn't be easier: simply drop one or two scoops of vanilla gelato in a glass and top with a shot of espresso. You can add in a shot of Amaretto or coffee liqueur to spike it up if you want to!
For a really decadent version, swap out the vanilla gelato for dark chocolate gelato or even a coffee gelato. And if you really want to get fancy, you could even churn your own gelato from scratch! Affogato is a dessert you can easily dress up or down. But one thing's for sure: you can't mess it up! | | | Surprise: Here's a brand-new eBook for you! | | |  I just created a new eBook for new newsletter subscribers, but I couldn't let my existing subscribers hanging! If you haven't downloaded it yet, now's your chance.
My latest eBook features 12 easy and irresistible dessert recipes you'll want to make again and again.
Consider this a welcome tour of my home, because if you were to come and knock at my door right now, you'd be likely to find one of these treats in my kitchen!
These family favorites are wrapped up in a gorgeous, colorful eBook you can save on all your devices, or print and keep in the kitchen for easy-to-access baking inspiration.
As a thank you for following my kitchen adventures, here's your link to download the eBook for free:
| | | Become a choux pastry pro! | | | If you're thinking you'd really like to try making the French Gougères this week but you're not feeling super confident about it, watch my Choux Pastry video class on Skillshare before you get started!
In my choux pastry class, I teach you all the basics of making choux pastry, step-by-step, on video. You can playback the parts you're unsure of as many times as you need. With this class and my detailed recipes, you'll be a choux pastry pro in no time at all—and soon you'll be making éclairs, cream puffs, and cheese puffs that people will rave about! | | That's it for today but I'd love to hear from you! If there's something you'd like to see me tackle or you'd simply like to connect, all you have to do is hit "reply" to this email and say hello!
Until next time—take care and stay safe!
Marie ❤️🌈 | | | | | | | | |
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