White Chocolate

In years past, Yvan Valentin crafted elaborate mousse-filled meringue cakes for Frank Sinatra, built a towering croquembouche (a cream puff pyramid decorated with pulled sugar) for Jane Fonda and Ted Turner's wedding and constructed a chocolate replica of downtown's Union Station for President Clinton. But these days, the well-pedigreed French pastry chef is more interested in the rough-hewn chocolate truffles that are the heart of his Leimert Park chocolate factory and wholesale bakery.

Craft restaurant in Century City is celebrating L.A. Beer Week , which kicked off Thursday, with a beer-pairing dinner that highlights the craft beers of Orange County's the Bruery. Craft chef de cuisine John Keenan and pastry chef Shannon Swindle are pairing dishes with 10 Bruery pours. Pairings include Autumn Maple, a Belgian yeast beer made with yams, with maple-glazed Berkshire pork belly; Mischief, a golden strong ale, with Naked Cowboy oysters; and a White Chocolate brew served with a white chocolate ice cream sandwich.

Craft restaurant in Century City is hosting a beer-pairing dinner on Oct. 21 that highlights the craft beers of Orange County's the Bruery. Correction: An earlier version of this post said that the dinner is Sunday; it has been postponed. Craft chef de cuisine John Keenan and pastry chef Shannon Swindle are pairing dishes with 10 Bruery pours. Pairings include Autumn Maple, a Belgian yeast beer made with yams, with maple-glazed Berkshire pork belly; Mischief, a golden strong ale, with Naked Cowboy oysters; and a White Chocolate brew served with a white chocolate ice cream sandwich.

The classic Kahlua White Russian becomes a dessert spectacular in this cool and creamy pie, spirited with Kahlua and a hint of vodka. Featuring a flavorful shortbread cookie crust, it provides a festive finishing touch to holiday entertaining. Garnish with white chocolate shavings for a spectacular presentation.

For chocolate, a matcha made in heaven. At a glance, the cross-cultural dessert pairing of chocolate and matcha, the prized Japanese green tea powder, may not seem the sort of combination to elicit uncontrollable cravings. Among the many terms used to evoke matcha's elusively complex character -- grassy, spinachy, watercress-like, seaweedy, earthy, floral, herbaceous, aquatic, bitter -- barely a single one screams dessert.

Remember your first recipe? Was it wiggly gelatin with a can of fruit cocktail dumped in? Popcorn balls enhanced by food coloring? For many of us, it was sticky squares made with crispy cereals or fried wonton noodles. Mom let us stir the melted marshmallows or chocolate, butter the baking pan and carefully mix in the crunchies. Then we experimented with the peanut butter version and discovered the real perk of being a junior chef.

This Valentine's Day, a variety of special events in Las Vegas will cater to couples, but singles can mingle (in search of that special someone) at activities created just for them. And, on what's the busiest day of the year for marriages in the world's wedding capital, there's the chance to ditch the chapels and get hitched amid Sin City's historic neon. In search of a romantic Valentine's Day dinner? Dozens of restaurants will offer special menus. The Michelin three-star Joel Robuchon Restaurant   at MGM Grand will be offering a 13-course meal, starting with spiced strawberry gazpacho and ending with “an assortment of succulent sweets.” The “Lovers Experience” costs $435 a person.

About 15 years ago, I watched a chef in Paris demonstrate dipping candied orange peel strips into chocolate when another student asked how to make chocolate-dipped strawberries. The chef's immediate response was: "Why would you want to do that?" To him, the tangy taste of strawberries did not seem to complement the flavor of chocolate. Still, to please the student, he proceeded to dip strawberries into chocolate. Most of the students liked them.