Blog Posts by Epicurious.com

In our ongoing video series Chef Lou Jones, from The Culinary Institute of America, demonstrates how to make French Grand Marnier Soufflés

In both professional and recreational cooking classes, soufflés always seem to be on the curriculum. Despite changing culinary trends, creating the perfect soufflé-rich yet light, puffed tall, and one that won't fall-remains an essential skill for chefs and serious cooks.

In these videos, The Culinary Institute of America's Associate Dean of Restaurant Education, Chef Lou Jones, shows us how to make single serving Grand Marnier Soufflés. The skills Chef Jones demonstrates can be applied to all sorts soufflés, sweet and savory, large and small.

Soufflés were invented in France in the late 18th century, according to Alan Davidson's Oxford Companion to Food. The word "soufflé" means "puffed up" in French-to keep your soufflés that way, don't bang on or open the oven door during cooking (so they are not jolted and cook at an even

Hollywood party planner Lara Shriftman shares her secrets for entertaining, with recipes, hosting tips, and more

So your Oscars invitation never arrived in the mail. That's no reason to forego the glamour of the evening. It's easy to host your own telecast bash, complete with eats and an atmosphere fit for the stars. To help, we've enlisted the expertise of Lara Shriftman, one half of the public relations and special events firm Harrison & Shriftman, which is responsible for countless high-profile book and product launch parties, film festival fetes, and Hollywood parties. She's also cowritten several books on entertaining with partner Elizabeth Harrison, including Party Confidential.

Do Something Different

The sedentary nature of a party based on long hours of TV-watching can create particular challenges for a host, says Shriftman, who's hosted an Oscars-viewing party with partner Harrison for the past ten years (and whose guests have included Serena Williams, Lara

Here we go again.

It's nearly Feb. 14, that faux holiday every year when the birds sing, the sun shines, and rainbows peek out of the clouds ... just for couples.

For single people, it's often not quite as cheery.

Loving twosomes get great widgets like Epicurious's Valentine's Day Menu Planner, Valentine's Day-themed chocolate extravaganzas, and special Valentine's Day wine events. heck, even White Castle 's getting into the act, with reservations-required seating at the "Love Castle" for you and your honey.

Singles, on the other hand, tend to get happy hours at cheesy clubs, or several rounds of whiskey with the boys/girls.

Thank God, then, for dedicated singles who host Anti-Valentine's Day dinners for a bunch of their single friends. Even better, they can work with all the ingredients nuzzling couples avoid on V-Day, like garlic and squid ink.

Here are what I think are a couple prime candidates for an anti-Valentine's Day dinner:

- Comfort foods like

The sweet richness of coeur à la crème reigns again

Here's a Valentine's treat that'll set you apart from the chocolate masses: coeur à la crème-a creamy white heart, surrounded, if you please, by raspberry sauce. This pretty, fresh cheese-based dessert is an old French classic that makes the "in list" every now and then, explaining why your mother or grandmother may remember it and you don't.

Certainly coeur à la crème is worth getting to know-the ingredients come together in minutes, and the fetching hearts require no baking. The hardest part is waiting, often overnight, while the mixture sets in a special heart-shaped basket or porcelain mold with holes in the bottom, which allow the whey to drain off (available from Dean & DeLuca). When it's ready, you need only invert the heart onto a serving plate and sauce it as you see fit.

Coeur à la crème requires a porcelain mold or basket with holes at the bottom so the whey can drain

Variations of

If you're going out for a nice meal this Valentine's Day, and expect to drink wine, these five tips could help you save money. And embarrassment.

1) Go for the unfamiliar varietals. Not Chardonnay, not Cabernet Sauvignon. Those have been marked up more because more people order them. Order the Albarino, the Tempranillo, the Barbera, or the hard-to-pronounce Greek wine. It'll be a better value.

2) Don't order the second cheapest bottle. Obviously you're avoiding the bottom-of-the-list option. The wine director knows this. And he's marked it up accordingly. The least expensive bottle may actually be a better choice. If the eatery is any good, you're safe because what self-respecting restaurant would put a bottle on a wine list that it didn't endorse?

3) Decide what you want to eat first. This will inform your decision regarding pairings and it helps the sommelier narrow down the choices (see next tip).

4) Ask for assistance. Not even the geekiest wine lover knows the wine

Cooking for a party of two can be truly trying, especially if the recipe you're using results in too many servings. I won't even consider many recipes if they look overabundant. This is why Cooking for Two: Perfect Meals for Pairs (Chronicle Books) by Jessica Strand is the perfect book, not just for Valentine's Day but for the other 364 days of the year too.

Strand's recipes span from dishes easily made for two (antipasti, quesadillas) to scaled-down classics (chicken potpies, vegetable lasagna), from savory (poached cod, frittata) to sweet (fruit crisps, chocolate sorbet). So there's bound to be at least one recipe that will fit the mood, whether you're cooking with your friend, sibling, or sweetheart. And even if you're just cooking for yourself, that second serving can be just as easily eaten as another helping or saved as leftovers for another night rather than a week's worth.

Now, all I need is a cookbook full of recipes made for a party of one....

Recipes to try:

Create a special menu to share with your sweetheart

If the way to your loved one's heart is through his (or her) stomach, a candlelit dinner is the supreme Valentine's Day celebration. A meal composed of some of these seductive dishes is guaranteed to earn you more brownie points than a box of chocolates.

Set the Mood

A romantic dinner deserves special music. Play Sinatra to create the feel of dining in the Big Apple, Edith Piaf for the ambiance of a Parisian bistro, or Paolo Conte to transport you to an Italian piazza.

Clean as You Go

So you can relax after you've shared the last bite of dessert, get all your prep work done early and clean up as you cook. Of course, there's nothing wrong with leaving the dishes in the sink until morning.

Recipes

Two Straws

• Strawberry Shakes
• White Russian Shake
• Chocolate Raspberry Shake
• Mexican Hot Chocolate

Have a Heart

• Glazed Raspberry Heart Scones
• Chocolate

Satisfy the senses with these seductive sips

There are three keys to making a sensuous cocktail: First, it should look bright, attractive, sleek, or curvy. Second, the ingredients must invoke some visceral sense-either with palate-tickling fruit or earthy accents from herbaceous spirits. And finally, the name has got to suggest passion, seemingly begging to be consumed. These five drinks fulfill the mission nicely.

AMARETTO-CRANBERRY KISS

Vodka and cranberry have been a pair on numerous occasions (most notably in the Cosmo). In this drink, orange juice smoothes out the flavor of the tart cranberry. To avoid making an overly sweet Kool-Aid-like concoction, try using unsweetened cranberry juice or adding more OJ. The amaretto contributes sweet almond flavors (you may have seen the Disaronno Originale brand on liquor shelves) and adds yet more alcohol. Beware: This Kiss packs quite a punch.

Appetizer Pairing:

Bombay Sliders with Garlic Curry Sauce
Cranberry and