Sweet temptation

Recipe ideas for Valentine's Day
Cover picture from Fini’s Feinstes
Cover picture from Fini’s Feinstes
Alexandra-Embacher-c-Martin-Guggenberger-Photography-web
9. February 2025 | 
Alexandra Embacher
9. February 2025
|
Alexandra Embacher

Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to make your loved one’s heart beat faster with homemade treats. Whether chocolatey, fruity or creamy – with these recipes, you can create a romantic dessert that will delight your sweetheart.

5 tempting recipe ideas

  • Tempting combination: pear and chocolate cake
    Chocolate and pears are a real dream team. This succulent cake combines the intense flavors of dark chocolate with the delicate sweetness of pears for an irresistible moment of indulgence.
  • Creamy temptation: eggnog parfait
    A light and airy parfait with a subtle hint of eggnog – perfect for anyone looking for an elegant yet uncomplicated dessert. It goes well with fresh berries, slivered almonds or a hint of dark chocolate.
  • Love to bite into: Heart roulade with strawberries
    This heart-shaped roulade is not only a visual highlight, but also a real delicacy in terms of taste. An airy sponge roll filled with creamy strawberry cream – simply heavenly!
  • Perfect for spontaneous people: chocolate mug cake
    Quick, easy and incredibly delicious: this small chocolate cake is prepared without scales, using only a cup as a measuring cup. Ideal for a sweet Valentine's Day moment for two when you spoon it straight out of the mold.
  • French pastries: macarons
    These delicate meringue cookies with a creamy filling are a confession of love in cookie form. Whether with raspberry, chocolate or vanilla filling – macarons are always an exquisite choice. Here they are filled with fine chocolate ganache.

Our conclusion

With these sweet recipe ideas, you can conjure up an unforgettable Valentine's Day dessert. Whether you want to surprise your loved one or treat yourself – enjoy the day with these delicious treats.

A la table, s'il vous plaît! A la table, s'il vous plaît! A la table, s'il vous plaît! A la table, s'il vous plaît!
Copyright for the featured images used:
Cover picture from Fini’s Feinstes

Book tip: Mind Set Win

Mental strength as a recipe for success

At first glance, Mind Set Win looks like a sports book—but it is actually a real coaching tool for anyone working in high-stress industries. Whether you’re a chef, hotel manager, or project manager, this book is all about concentration, self-management, and mental endurance.

The variety of perspectives is fascinating: from Max Verstappen to Lindsey Vonn, top athletes talk openly about pressure, failure, and mental routines. The accompanying exercises are suitable for everyday use, well-founded, and developed by professionals in psychology and coaching.

Particularly valuable are the chapters on focus and flow—a topic that is especially relevant in the hospitality world, where guest requests, team leadership, and self-motivation are daily concerns.

INFO
Mind Set Win—The mental techniques of top athletes and how we can use them for ourselves
Publisher: Benevento
240 pages
ISBN: 978-3-7109-0209-3
Price: €30.00 / CHF 40.90

Book tip: Pasta al Pomodoro

Pasta that brings people together – 55 stories of a great love

It doesn’t take much to bring people together – sometimes all you need is tomatoes, pasta, and a pinch of history. In Pasta al Pomodoro, author Ilse Fischer focuses on a classic dish that is much more than just noodles with sauce: it is a symbol of community, memory, and flavor in its purest form.

The idea came about when Fischer tasted three-star chef Niko Romito’s signature dish, “Spaghetti e Pomodoro” – simple, clear, and yet stunningly deep. “Few ingredients, simple preparation, unique taste,” she recalls. And this experience became the starting point for a project that combines culinary art, emotion, and culture.

In 55 variations, she shows how differently and yet how closely connected this classic dish can be interpreted—from Italian nonnas to culinary greats such as Heinz Reitbauer, Andreas Caminada, Johann Lafer, Norbert Niederkofler, Rudi Obauer, and Tina Marcelli. Even artists and actors such as Philipp Hochmair and Walter Grüll contribute their personal versions.

INFO
Pasta al Pomodoro – 55 variations on the Italian classic
Author: Ilse Fischer
Photography: Ingolf Hatz
Foreword: Placido Domingo
Publisher: Christian Verlag GmbH
Length: 208 pages
ISBN: 978-3-95961-958-5
Price: €30.90 (D/A)

Guest chef at Ikarus: Álvaro Salazar

A culinary journey from Andalusia to Mallorca

When Mediterranean lightness meets Andalusian temperament, the result is a menu that is more than just an arrangement of courses: it becomes a narrative about origins, freedom, and the longing for new perspectives. In December 2025, two-star chef Álvaro Salazar from VORO in Mallorca will take over as guest chef of the month at Restaurant Ikarus – and take Salzburg on a sensory journey between Andalusia and the Balearic Islands.

quick & dirty
Heart roulade © Fini's Finest
Sweet temptation

Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to make your loved one’s heart beat faster with homemade treats. Whether chocolatey, fruity or creamy – with these recipes, you can create a romantic dessert that will delight your sweetheart.