Special Valentine's Day Meals

My regular email from Wine Spectator caught my eye today for these scrumptious recipes for you to make your loved one this Valentine's Day! (Or, possibly, I'm just a sucker for salad, crab cakes, and chocolate!). Any of you out there making something special, or going somewhere special to celebrate?


Bright Flavors, Tempting Pleasures for Valentine’s Day
Miami chef Michael Schwartz shares recipes for buttery crab cakes, chocolate dessert and more. Plus, get 12 recommended Rieslings, Chardonnays and Sherries
Samantha Falewée
Posted: February 9, 2018

In the 1980s and ’90s, Miami’s Design District was devoid of the sleek galleries, high-end fashion and jewelry boutiques, modern architecture and playful public art installations that have arrived over the past decade. It was there that chef Michael Schwartz opened the restaurant, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, in 2007, on a leap of faith and a simple mission: serve fresh, local, approachable food.

One regional James Beard Best Chef Award and several new restaurants later (the latest addition to his Genuine Hospitality Group, Amara at Paraiso, opened last week), the Philadelphia native is a leader in the Miami culinary scene. For Valentine’s Day, he shares a creative, indulgent and tempting three-course meal. The recipes are sourced from Schwartz's cookbook, Michael's Genuine Food: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat.

Photo by: Ben Fink

His Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad with Crumbled Ricotta and Pomegranate Vinaigrette highlights seasonal fruits in a mélange of vivid flavors, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Carrot Butter Sauce is a succulent, buttery main, and a silky Milk Chocolate Cremoso with Espresso Parfait calls on an unexpected ingredient that serves as a fruity, bitter foil to the sweet cremoso. Genuine Hospitality Group sommelier and beverage manager Amanda Fraga picks a wine for each dish, and below you’ll find an additional 12 recommended wines, all rated 90 points or higher and representing great value at $30 or less.