Warm the Heart with a Sweet Treat

(NewsUSA)

   As Valentine's Day inches nearer, many are looking for a sweet treat that will complement the perfect dinner party and bring out the spirit of this "holiday of love."

   Incorporating raspberries into your menu not only adds a little nutrition to the year's

sweetest holiday -; raspberries are considered a "heart healthy" fruit that lowers cholesterol -; but they can be easily obtained and eaten year-round. Seek out frozen raspberries in your local store  for a quick and easy way to obtain the same wholesome benefits fresh raspberries offer.

   Here's a sweet treat recipe from the Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission:

Puff Mixture:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into half-inch pieces

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

Cream Puff Filling:

2 cups heavy cream

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup Amaretto liqueur (or 1 teaspoon almond extract)

Raspberry Filling:

2 (10 oz.) packages frozen red raspberries, thawed

1 tablespoon corn starch

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

   Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring butter, sugar, salt and 1 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in flour, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for three minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

   Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating after each egg until smooth. Drop dough into 10 mounds, three inches apart on baking sheet, or spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe into rosettes on the baking sheet lined with wax paper Baked for 30 minutes, and cool on a wire rack..

   Whip cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, and fold in liqueur. Arrange one bag of red raspberries in a single layer on paper towels to defrost. In a saucepan, heat one package of red raspberries and sugar until sugar is dissolved and berries are soft. Place cornstarch in a small bowl. Remove a few spoonfuls of raspberry mixture, and add to cornstarch and mix together until smooth. Add cornstarch mix back into saucepan, cook and stir on medium-low heat until thickened. Once cool, stir in reserved red raspberries.

   Spoon in 3-4 tablespoons of red raspberries on cream puff shell. Pipe whipped cream filling on top of raspberries using pastry bag. Top with remaining portion of cream puff shell, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.