Ina Garten's Ultimate Dessert Recommendation For Valentine's Day

No matter how you feel about Valentine's Day, the holiday is a special occasion that's well spent by taking and sharing pleasure in food. Whether you're celebrating platonic, romantic, or familial love, pouring your heart into a dessert is a sweet way to express your feelings. So, if you want to surprise those you cherish with a treat, Ina Garten has a recommendation that is sure to be adored.

A respected author of numerous cookbooks and a relatable host of Food Network television shows, Garten is beloved for her work in the culinary world. With Garten's upcoming memoir releasing in October 2024, we're excited to learn more about her life; including her relationship with Jeffrey, her husband, who she once referred to as her "secret ingredient" to life (via TODAY Food). The two have been married for over 50 years, and he's a frequent and happy guest on "Barefoot Contessa," so we're inclined to believe she's as much an expert on love as she is on cooking.

Over the years, Ina Garten has shared many of her favorite recipes for celebrating Valentine's Day. It's only natural that some of them may be the way to someone's heart, so why not try preparing one yourself? According to her Facebook post in 2014, Garten's ultimate dessert recommendation for Valentine's Day is profiteroles. This classic and decadent pastry could sweeten any day, especially the most lovely one of the year.

With a history as rich as its taste, profiteroles have been enjoyed for centuries. Commonly associated with French cuisine, this pastry's origins are actually Italian. The combined cultural roots can be credited to the royal marriage between Italian Catherine de Medici and French King Henry II. Their union (and the queen's chefs) led profiteroles to become a classic French pastry. With its romantic lore, it seems like fate that Ina Garten considers the dessert a Valentine's Day staple.

This decadent pastry features cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with warm chocolate sauce. While baking profiteroles requires more effort than eating them, the process and ingredients required are simple enough. Still, if it's your first time making profiteroles, don't fret. Garten can walk you through every step of preparing this delicate dessert.

In Garten's recipe for profiteroles, she shares her tips for perfect cream puffs. Even she admits that baking French pastries can be daunting, but it will surely boost your confidence in the kitchen. Vanilla is the standard ice cream filling for profiteroles, but feel free to add a special touch by using your valentine's favorite flavor. Garten also explains how to make her all-purpose chocolate sauce for drizzling on top of each profiterole. Her secret ingredients for a deep, rich flavor are honey and fresh-brewed coffee. After mixing and baking, assemble each (sufficiently cooled) component for a dessert that will make anyone swoon.

As food is often the way to the heart, you may want to make more than just dessert for Valentine's Day. According to a Valentine's Day post from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten expresses that, to her, "a home-cooked meal is the best way to say 'I love you!'" Whoever you're cooking for would probably enthusiastically agree, so why not take things a step further and prepare dinner as well?

Start your meal with a signature drink. In an Instagram reel, Ina Garten shared her go-to Valentine's Day cocktail, a Kir Royale. All you need for this simple bubbly beverage is sparkling wine (either prosecco or champagne) poured over a little crème de cassis.

The rest of the menu may be determined by your available time and culinary skills, but there are a few irresistible meals that you can try. If you have leftover pastry dough from your profiteroles, you can try making gruyère and crab gougerès for Valentine's Day. Or, for a plant-based dish, a vegetarian spaghetti "carbonara" is also a great idea.

Regardless of who you choose to celebrate February 14 with, profiteroles and any other dishes inspired by Ina Garten can make the day a special one. After all, her recipes and love story can warm anyone's heart.