Nice Dining Section today - easy on eyes with a few sweet things for Valentine's Day, and a handlful of other inspirational bits.
Chocolate That Flashes Its Passport: Kim Severson gets serious about chocolate with a visit to a chocolate sommelier.
Reductio ad Perfectionem: What a Pigeon: Florence Fabricant profiles the chef David Kinch, whose culinary epiphany happened over pigeon. With recipes for Salmon With Hot Mustard Glaze and Braised Lettuce.
A Tender Celebration: The Minimalist suggests Steak Diane for Valentine's Day dinner, in honor of the goddess Diana, the hunter.
Why Settle for Gold in Turin? The Real Prize Is a Darker Delight: With a nod to the Winter Olympics, an introduction to the bicerin, Turin's native "cold-weather cocktail of espresso and melted chocolate, sipped through a cool blanket of cream."
Plus...
I spent a summer in Turin a few years ago, and so I was excited to see the piece on the bicerin! I have never tried to replicate it here - it seems so unique to the city. Every cafe's version is different. Some serve it very strong and deeply chocolate, in small quantities, like a liquid dessert. Others give you a comforting milky hot chocolate, laced with a locally produced hazelnut liqueur. All different, and all very, very good - one of the things I remember most vividly about Turin!!
The whole hazelnut-chocolate thing is prominent in the region; they are also famous for their gianduia chocolates and gelatos, with a quite rich, pronounced hazelnut flavor in the chocolate.