Sweets For Your Sweetie

Love is in the air, and so is the smell of chocolate. Valentine’s Day must be just around the corner!

We all know it’s better to give than to receive, right? But let's hope this Valentine’s you’ll be on the giving and the receiving end of some decadent chocolate treats. Below are three candy meccas in Los Gatos where you’re sure to find something your sweetie will love.

If you’re whipping up a romantic dinner at home, I have a chocolate mousse recipe that’s the perfect chocolate ending to your meal. I’m into easy these days, and this recipe fits the bill.

My husband and I will be going out with friends on Valentine’s, but the following weekend, we’ll have our own private party. I plan to make a full-blown four-course meal, but still with “easy” in mind. Le menu? A somewhat traditional meal: Steamed clams in a wine, butter and garlic sauce with a few chopped tomatoes and green onions tossed in, and some good bread for dipping; an arugula salad with vinaigrette, oranges, blue cheese and pomegranate seeds; filet mignon with mushroom-brandy-cream sauce, roasted small red potatoes and steamed sugar snap peas; and the chocolate mousse for dessert.

Decadence. But that’s what Valentine’s is all about. That. And love. And chocolate ...

Open the door to the Chocolate Dream Box, and you’re practically knocked over with the smell of chocolate. Owner Holly Westbrook has filled her store with chocolate dreams boxed up in pretty Valentine’s Day wrapping.

These chocolates are not only delicious, but each one is a work of art with decorative details such as stylized hearts, flowers and other patterns. Westbrook handcrafts the candy with the finest chocolate and freshest ingredients available. When I was in the store recently, she announced in an excited voice, “Our cherries arrived!”

Transport your loved one (and yourself!) to chocolate dreamland at the Chocolate Dream Box.

You’ll find just about any candy your mouth is watering for at Powell’s Sweet Shoppe. Here is the candy you remember from your childhood—Jelly Belly’s, Moon Pies, giant spiral suckers—as well as new vegan, gluten-free and high-fructose-free selections.

And there’s plenty of chocolate, too, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Powell’s is all decked out in pink and red, cupids and hearts, ready for the big day. Buy one of their pre-packaged hearts filled with goodies, or make your own from the selection of sweets, including cherry cheesecake, amaretto and cappuccino truffles.

Powell’s is a definite Candy Land of sweets!

What a wonderful place! You can get food and sweets all in one small delicious café.

Master French Pastry Chef and Chocolatier, Pascal Janvier, crafts some amazing chocolates as well as other incredible, delectable sweets.

When I was in recently, Pascal’s wife, Nicola, handed me a piece of freshly made strawberry-jellied candy, with amazing flavor and wonderful soft-chewy texture—almost enough to turn me away from the chocolates, but not quite.

Pascal and Nicola have filled Fleur de Cocoa’s cases and topped them off with beautifully packaged Valentine’s Day hearts and edible boxes with the delicious chocolates nestled inside, sure to make your sweetie-pie happy.

Chocolates, pastries, tarts and savory dishes—a perfect stop for your Valentine’s Day shopping.

Easy Chocolate Mousse

Note: You can put the mousse in individual ramekins or into a pie dish with a graham cracker or chocolate wafer crust. Decorate with sweetened sour cream and fresh berries.

Ingredients

    * 13 ounces bitter or semisweet chocolate (chocolate morsels will work and melt quickly)

    * 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

    * 2 large egg yolks

    * 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

    * 2 tablespoons sugar

    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a double boiler, combine the chopped chocolate and the butter and cook until melted, stirring as it melts.

Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time and set aside to cool.

Pour the cream into a chilled bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until cream starts to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until the cream starts to form stiff peaks, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Carefully fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture. Spoon into ramekins or pie plate, cover and chill until ready to serve. Decorate before serving.

Have a happy and romantic Valentine’s Day, and savor each morsel of chocolate!

Buon appetito, amici!