Red Hearts Recipes

CLASSIC RED VELVET HEART CAKES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine milk and food coloring; set aside. Combine flour, cocoa and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture. Mix well. Stir in baking soda and vinegar. Pour into a greased and floured 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. , Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until cake test done. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares or mark top of cake with a 3-in. heart-shaped cardboard template or cookie cutter and cut with a knife. Frost with vanilla frosting. Sprinkle with chocolate chips if desired.

BEEF HEART BRAISED IN WINE

Steps:

• Wash the heart and remove any fat and arteries. Slice the heart in half, then slice it into 1/2 inch thick slices.
• Dredge heart in flour and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the butter in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the heart slices and cook for 30 to 45 seconds per side.
• Stir in the onion, carrots, potatoes, thyme, beef broth and wine. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Serve.

RED PEPPER-FILLED APPETIZER HEARTS

Steps:

• In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, oregano and water until mixture comes together. On work surface sprinkled with additional Bisquick mix, knead dough 5 times. Roll dough into 13x10-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick.
• In small bowl, mix cheese and bell pepper. Spread mixture evenly over dough. Carefully roll long edges of dough to meet in center. Place on cookie sheet lined with cooking parchment paper. Freeze 10 to 15 minutes or until firm.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 400°F. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray.
• Transfer dough to cutting board. With sharp knife, cut dough into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on sprayed cookie sheet. Slightly pinch base of heart into point. Brush butter over hearts.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until tops are lightly golden. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

RED HEARTS

Steps:

• Mix ingredients in the order given. Divide dough and add enough red food coloring for desired shades of pink or red.
• Refrigerate dough for 40 to 60 minutes.
• Roll and cut out with heart cutters. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 11 minutes. Do not overbake.

BRICK RED RASPBERRY HEARTS

Steps:

• Make the filling: Place the fresh raspberry puree in a pan and bring it to a boil. Pour the hot fruit puree over the chopped milk chocolate. The hot puree will melt the milk chocolate. Use a whisk to mix the chocolate and fruit puree. Add the butter and continue to whisk. Continually whisk while adding the alcohol and the corn syrup. Mix until well combined with no remaining lumps. Let this cool. Must be less than 88 degrees or it will melt the chocolate molded inside each cavity. Paint the molds: Place a few drops of color in the receptacle of the airbrush and apply color to the empty molds. This is what will give the finished chocolates their color. Repeat to paint as many molds as you have. Mold the chocolates: Use a ladle to fill the mold with white chocolate. When it is full, empty it into the bowl of chocolate. The inside of each cavity should be evenly coated with chocolate. Wipe the edge of the mold clean with an offset spatula and place it upside down on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Once the chocolate starts to harden, about 5 minutes, scrape the mold again with an offset spatula. When the chocolate sets, it shrinks or retracts from the sides of the mold. A clean edge will keep it from sticking and cracking as it shrinks. You can place the mold in the refrigerator for several minutes to help the chocolate to harden. Repeat to fill as many molds as you have. Place the raspberry ganache in a piping bag and pipe it into the chocolate filled molds. Leave just enough room for the layer of chocolate that closes the mold. Let set in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight. To close the bottoms of each cavity, use tempered white chocolate and apply with an offset spatula. Scrape clean and allow to them to set. You can place them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. When the chocolate has set, invert the mold over a clean dry surface. It may be necessary to rap the mold against the counter to encourage the chocolates to release from the mold.
• Source: Heart molds: Beryls

RED VELVET VALENTINE HEARTS (MINI-CUPCAKES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare mini cupcake tins or heart-shaped tins with paper liners or spritz with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients (excluding sugar!).
• In another large bowl mix together buttermilk or soured milk with vinegar and 1 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
• With an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add egg yolks, one at a time until well incorporated.
• Slowly add half of dry mixture, followed by half of buttermilk mixture to creamed sugar mixture.
• Beat until just combined.
• Repeat until all of flour and buttermilk mixtures have been incorporated.
• Add 1/2 oz. of red food coloring, or more to your liking and mix well with mixer.
• Do not overbeat.
• In a small bowl, whisk or beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Fold into cake batter.
• Fill each muffin tin 2/3 full with batter.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. WATCH CAREFULLY! You do not want these little cuties to burn!
• For Icing:.
• Combine powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, and 1 teaspoons vanilla extract and mix until creamy. Spread on cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

CREAM COOKIE SANDWICH HEARTS

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix flour, butter, cream, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Flatten dough into 2 equal discs, and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• Arrange rack in middle of oven. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
• On a well-sugared surface, roll out dough, one half at a time, to a 1/8-inch thickness, continuously sprinkling sugar over the dough while rolling. Using a 2-inch heart-shaped cutter, cut out 72 heart shapes. Place 24 cookies on each baking sheet. Chill all cookies until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
• In a small bowl, stir jelly until smooth. Place jelly in a small pastry bag fitted with a No. 11 plain round tip, and pipe 1/2 teaspoon per cookie on half of the cookies. Place remaining cookies on top to form sandwiches.