A Chocolate Candygram of a Meal for Valentine's Day

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

When I was in elementary school, I was--how do I put this?--awkward. An unfortunate pixie haircut (before it was cool), braces (before there was Invisiline) and the general dorkiness associated with the "Gifted and Talented" class I was enrolled in meant that, come Valentine's Day, I wasn't near the top of many people's Valentine card list.

When it came to Valentine's Day giving, after one outgrew the the grade school ritual of hand-delivering little cards bought in bulk to classmates' homemade Valentine's mail boxes, candygrams stepped in to make sure the Big Kids could keep on giving. Candygrams were those candy-and-card Valentines some entrepreneurial class sold to raise money for some field trip or another.

How it worked was, in the weeks before Valentine’s Day, you went to the seller's table during your lunch or after school and purchased a certain number of cards. As secretly as possible with one hand forming a shield for the other to write behind, you scrawled the names and room numbers of your chosen Valentines. On the big day those cards were delivered along with a candy of some sort to those lucky few who were blessed with the adoration of others.

This was a lovely idea in theory, but what was a noble fundraising effort for the sellers could quickly turn into a social scorecard for the buyers and recipients. Such was the case during one of my awkward years when I, no doubt as some less-than-kind joke, received 8 candygrams, by far the most in the class. Sadly, most of them were unsigned, proclaiming a secret crush or other and swearing undying love.

As I watched the giggles and stares from my more popular classmates (for this handing of candygrams was a very public affair), I was tempted to crawl beneath my desk from embarrassment. But then I realized that no matter what the reason, I still had more candy than them. In fact, I had received 8 full sized Snickers with my 8 candygrams.

That night I put most of my bounty away, reserving one as my own special treat. I savored that candy in the weeks to come just happy for my own company and the illusion of "secret admirers."

Now we have outgrown the giving of candygrams. And we celebrate the way grown-ups do: with flowers, cards, romantic dinners and lots of chocolate. But that pressure to impress our loved ones, or to find a new loved one, is stronger today than when it was all fun and games. I won't be alone this year, I rarely am. But I will probably be spending it as I usually do: with a girlfriend or two, the ones we know who give the sincerest gift that never ends: friendship.

There may not be flowers, but there most certainly will be chocolate. Chocolate is great for romance but is just as good enjoyed alone (It may be better alone, actually, because it means more for you!). So my Valentine's menu this year is a chocolate candygram of sorts in the form of a Chocolate Chili rubbed racked of Lamb and a floating Raspberry Whip in a Dark Chocolate Pool. May this candygram meet you with the most sincere intentions, delicious for two and simply divine if savored for one.

Serves/Makes: 2

• 1/2 pint raspberries
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 egg white
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Serves/Makes: 2

• 1 1/2 tablespoon ancho chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 rack of lamb (8 chop size)
• salt and pepper

***Spinach Mushroom Rice***

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 medium onion
• 4 mushrooms
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup long grain rice PLUS
• 2 tablespoons long grain rice
• salt and pepper