STRAWBERRY FONDANT VALENTINE Yield: 8-10 Hearts

Tasty and pretty, this heart-shaped dessert is ideal for St. Valentine's Day, and the strawberries announce the coming of spring. The same hatter could he made into a large cake (a 9-in. pan in a round or heart shape) and the inside filled with strawberry jam and cream. In winter, fill it with orange marmalade and orange sections and serve it with an orange sauce. Any kind of fruit can he used, according to the season.

It takes only a couple of minutes to make the pink fondant, but it should be used within an hour or so of preparation. Otherwise, covert with plastic wrap so it doesn't get hard on top. Strawberries can also be dipped in the fondant and used as a garnish. However, I have chosen to glaze the strawberries with cooked sugar.

For glazing, use ripe strawberries, preferably with stems so you can hold them easily as you dip them into the extremely hot sugar (between 3 10 and 320 degrees), Be sure the berries are dry so they do not splatter, and proceed with caution.

If the berries are ripe and the sugar is used right away while it is very hot and thin, the shell of sugar crusted around the berries will be thin. The hot sugar will partially cook the ripe berries. Within 15 to 20 minutes, the berries will release some juice, which will begin to melt the shell of sugar, so the glazing cannot be done more than 1 hour before serving. The riper the berries the faster the moisture is released.
The right time to serve the berries is when the sugar shell is partially melted, so that it is very thin and close to breaking open and the berries will be lukewarm, juicy, and a bit soft inside as you bite into them. If hard, unripe berries are used, the sugar remains thick and the berries dry and hard. Glazed berries can be served with after dinner drinks as well as used to decorate cakes or cold soufflés.

Yield: 8 -10 hearts

CAKE BATTER
3 eggs, separated
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. cake flour
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk

FAST PINK FONDANT
2 Tb. warm water from the tap
1Tb. corn syrup
3 to 4 drops red food coloring
2 c. confectioners' sugar

STRAWBERRY FILLER
1/2 c. strawberry jam or preserves
2 c. sliced strawberries
1 c. heavy cream
2 Tb. sugar

CARAMEL-GLAZED STRAWBERRIES
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cool water
6 to 8 drops lemon juice (optional)
12 very large, ripe strawberries with stems

STRAWBERRY SAUCE
2 c. hulled and cleaned strawberries
1/2 c. strawberry jam
1 Tb. cognac

GARNISH
Small pansies or other edible flowers for decoration

1. For the cake batter: Mix the 3 egg yolks, 3/4 c. sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla together with a whisk in a mixing bowl. Add the 1/4 c. oil, whisking to incorporate. Mix together the 1/2 c. each cake and all-purpose flour and 1 tsp. baking powder, and add to the bowl, mixing well with the whisk. Add the 1/2 c. milk and mix with the whisk for 20 to 30 seconds so that the mixture is smooth and light.

2. Beat the 3 egg whites with a whisk or an electric beater until stiff but not dry. Mix one-third of the whites into the batter with a whisk to lighten it and then, using a spatula, fold in the remainder of the whites until well -incorporated.

3. Butter and flour the little heart-shaped molds (each with a capacity of approximately 1/2 to 1/4 c.). Place approximately 1/3 c. of the batter in each mold, filling them three-fourths full.

4. Bake the molds in a preheated 325degree oven for approximately 35 minutes and cool for 10 to 15 minutes before unmolding. Unmold and let cool completely on a rack. (At this point, the cakes can be placed in airtight containers and kept for a few days or frozen.)

5. If the heart batter has run over slightly and the cakes are irregular in shape, trim them to make them neat and split each one in half horizontally to make two layers.

For the fondant: Mix together the 2 Tb. warm water, 1 Tb. corn syrup, and 3 to 4 drops food coloring. Put the 2 c. confectioners' sugar in a bowl and add the water-corn syrup mixture to it. Stir with a whisk until well-mixed and then beat with the whisk for approximately 20 to 30 seconds, until very smooth. Depending on the moisture in the sugar, you may need slightly more water (approximately 1/2 tsp.). Or, if the fondant is too thin, add a little sugar. Arrange half the hearts on a wire rack and spread a good tablespoon of the fondant on each cake so a little of it runs down the sides. This can be done ahead so the fondant dries slightly and
remains shiny.

6. For the strawberry filler: On the cut halves of each heart, spread 1 Tb. of the jam and arrange 3 to 4 Tb. of the sliced berries on top, pressing them into the jam. Whip the 1 c. cream with the 2 Tb. sugar until stiff. Place in a pastry bag with a plain 1/2-in. tip and pipe some cream on top of the cut berries. Place a fondant covered cake layer on top of each.

7. To glaze the berries: Put the 1 1/2 c. sugar and 1/2c. cool water in a small saucepan, preferably unlined copper, and stir just enough to wet the sugar and create a syrup. Then cook over medium to high heat until a candy thermometer registers between 3 10 and 320 degrees (hardcrack). This will take approximately 15 minutes after the mixture comes to a boil. (The unlined copper sugar pan tends to prevent the sugar from crystallizing. If unavailable, add 6 to 8 drops of lemon juice to the syrup when it is almost cooked to prevent crystallization.)

Oil a tray very lightly. If the 12 strawberries are not clean, wash them gently and dry them thoroughly.

Put the pan containing the boiling hot sugar syrup on a pot holder and tip it. Dip the strawberries, one at a time, into the hot syrup, making sure that each berry is completely submerged so that it is coated all around. Lift the berries out of the syrup and drag them lightly over the lip of the pan to remove excess syrup.

8. Set the coated berries on the oiled tray. The sugar will harden around them. Set aside until serving time.

9. For the strawberry sauce: Cut the 2 c. of strawberries into pieces. Place the berries in a food processor along with the 1/2 c. strawberry jam and 1 Tb. cognac. Process until smooth. (No straining is necessary.)
At serving time, place a layer of the sauce on a serving platter. Arrange some of the-heart cakes on top and the glazed strawberries decoratively around them.
Decorate with small-pansies or other edible flowers and serve immediately.

10. For an intimate St. Valentine's Day meal or a tête a tête dinner, place 2 hearts on top of some sauce on a small oval platter and arrange glazed berries around them. Serve immediately.