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Valentine’s Day Sweet Treats

By
Keith Recker
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Valentine's Day Sweet Treats: Clockwise from top left: Sinful Sweets’ chocolate-covered pretzel dusted with toffee crumbs. Tabbara Chocolate’s stylish bonbons. Lux Artisan Chocolates’ macadamia nut, almond, and coconut bar. Sarris Candies’ chocolate-covered pretzel sticks. More candies from Tabbara Chocolates. On the tray, from top: Toffee Taboo from All in Good Taste Productions. Chocolate-striped potato chips from Sarris Candies. Chocolate-covered s’mores from The Milkshake Factory.
Delicious Valentine's Day sweet treats to satisfy your cravings.

Wondering what sweet treats will impress this Valentine’s Day? We’ve compiled some of our favorites from local chocolatiers and confectioners to make Valentine’s a little sweeter from traditional european technique to modern american favorites, to an experiential Valentine’s celebrations featuring the Butler Sweet Tooth trail, this list has you covered.

Sinful Sweets

With everything made fresh daily in their downtown Liberty Avenue store since 2011, Sinful Sweets is a go-to for pecan turtles, salted caramels, and toffee. Founder Chris Weck comments, “My mom always said that there’s love in food,” and her sweet sentiment comes across in the chocolate, mixed in with a spark from Chris. “My family owns a traditional chocolate-making business in Chicago, and I’m always breaking the rules a little bit. I love making candy for kids and families, and supporting Pittsburghers with this business.” Sinful Sweets just added a second location at Ross Park Mall. sinfulsweetspgh.com

Tabbara Artisan Chocolate

Nancy Tabbara is reviving three generations of family tradition with her exquisitely crafted bonbons. Her offerings blend the sophistication of mid-century Beirut with a sharp, contemporary sense of flavor and design. Classics like chocolate-covered macadamia clusters and candied orange peel join modern fantasies like beautiful-to-behold chocolate bonbons filled with passion fruit or raspberry jelly and vanilla ganache. tabbarachocolates.com

Sarris Candies

Founded by Frank Sarris about 60 years ago, and now run by his son, Bill, and other family members, Sarris Candies is all about quality and generosity. Well-known for their philanthropy, and for empowering the fundraising efforts of schools and organizations around the country, the company is also a source of a vast variety of delicious sweets. The chocolate-covered pretzels and potato chips shown here are popular salty-and-sweet crowd pleasers. But the big picture is much broader, and best perceived with a visit to the flagship Sarris store in Canonsburg. sarriscandies.com

Toffee Taboo

All in Good Taste Productions founder Bob Sendall started this chocolate line in 2004 with his signature Toffee Taboo. The recipe? Start with toffee-encrusted almonds and cashews in dark Belgian chocolate. Top with kosher salt and drizzles of white and dark chocolate. Infuse the combo with Sendall’s always upbeat, always sunny energy, and you have one of Pittsburgh’s most delectable sweet treats. store.allingoodtasteproductions.com

Milkshake Factory

Edward Marc Chocolatier and The Milk Shake Factory, started by fourth-generation chocolatier siblings, spring from their family’s century-plus of gourmet confection legacy to elevate every dessert occasion. The Milk Shake Factory, a modern twist on the old-fashioned soda shop, features flavors including Peanut Butter Brownie, Bananas Foster, and Fried Ice Cream. Limited edition items appear every season, including creamy Hot Chocolate and festive shakes. Among the most popular chocolates are Dark Chocolate Salted Caramels, Chocolate Covered S’mores, Fresh Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, and fun seasonal gifting chocolates. themilkshakefactory.com

Lux Artisan Chocolates

Shelby Ortz began her exploration of tempting flavors and beautiful food compositions in the pastry kitchens of Eleven and Soba. She struck out on her own in 2013 with Lux Artisan Chocolates, her all-handmade, all-natural line of chocolate bars, bonbons, and more. We’re big fans of her chocolate bars, and there are several hidden in drawers around the office. Our favorites? Dark chocolate with macadamia, almond, and coconut. luxartisanchocolates.com

Beyond the Box of Chocolate

An Experimental Sweet Treat Trail

This Valentine’s day hit the road and explore the county through its sweets, from ice cream shops and local bakeries to candy stores. The trail, as they say, will make you “feel like a kid again…” as long as you keep your elbows off the dinner table.

Our advice? Break up the trail with lunch at the Chop Shop on Butler’s Main Street. Fend off the sugar crash with a Reuben or seitan shawarma! We also loved The Harmony Inn on Mercer Street in Harmony, whose sandwiches and diverse beer list are sure to please.

To get you started, here are the spots we visited on a trip down the trail:

Peace, Love, and Little Donuts

Pint-sized donuts are the shop’s specialty. Find them in flavors like apple pie, birthday cake, chocolate chip cookie dough, and much, much more.

Tin Man Sweets Bake Shoppe

Find everything you need (and more!) inside the pastry cases at Tin Man Sweets Bake Shoppe, from tartlets and eclairs to cakes, chocolates, and cupcakes. The bakery has one goal – make everything taste as good as it looks. We can assure you, it does!

Baldinger’s Candy

Take a step back in time at Baldinger’s, an old-school candy shop. Stop inside to see their famous, 19th-Century cash register and grab a bag of hard-to-find candies, like anise squares and wax lips.

Wendereusz’s Candy and More

Using recipes that have been passed through generations, Wendereusz’s crafts artisan, delicious chocolates. Find them in all kinds of shapes and flavors! We’re fans of their famous turtles, made with pecans and caramel, traditional cherry cordials, and long list of filled truffles.

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Bundt cakes are the stars of this Cranberry Township bakery. 10 flavors – red velvet and chocolate chocolate chip are two of the fan favorites – make up their menu of mini Bundtlets and bite-sized Bunitinis, every one finished off with their signature cream cheese icing.

Photography by Dave Bryce / Story and Styling by Keith Recker

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Granola and Coconut Chia Pudding

By
Jordan Snowden
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0
A hand on the left digs into coconut chai pudding and granola. Next to that bowl sits plates of fruit and salad. Here we share the granola recipe and the recipe for the chia pudding.

Consider time in the kitchen an opportunity to connect with yourself, and to infuse the day with mindfulness and good feeling. Savor a healthy snack and recommit to the goals you’ve set. Fairmont Pittsburgh Sous Chef Caleb Allen shares his recipes for Coconut Chia Pudding and Fl.2 Granola as one way to enjoy your quiet time.

Fl. 2 Granola Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 vanilla bean
8 cups rolled oats
2 cups sliced almonds
2 cups pine nuts
3 cups coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Pinch of sea salt
2 cups raisins

DIRECTIONS

Cut the vanilla beans and scrape out seeds into a bowl. Add dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Combine. Bake at 325° until golden brown. Add raisins to mix once cooled.

Coconut Chia Pudding Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ cup water
½ cup chia seeds

DIRECTIONS

Combine wet ingredients, then whisk in chia seeds. Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Once set, layer it, starting with the pudding, then granola, then diced mango or any fruit you like!

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Forging Forward: Food from the Heart

By
staff-author
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Tom Berna, Fishes and Loaves Cooperative Ministries’ operations manager, says that the organization serves 60 to 70 households five days a week. Photo by Jeff Swensen

Forging Forward 2022 is a series of six articles about organizations helping our region make progress on the significant issues challenging our friends and neighbors. The series is presented with the generous support of The Pittsburgh Foundation.  

The #ONEDAY Critical Needs Campaign, a day of online giving to organizations doing vital work, is on August 9: mark your calendars and plan to be part of something great!

One of the most famous parables of the Bible has Jesus, through faith and love, feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fishes. This metaphor for multiplying goodness in the service of others is the backbone of Fishes & Loaves Cooperative Ministries. Based in the Hazelwood community of Pittsburgh, this nonprofit organization offers Meals on Wheels, congregate lunch, emergency food, and a buying club for residents of Hazelwood, Glenwood, Glen Hazel and most of Greenfield.

After the last grocery store closed in the Hazelwood community more than a decade ago, the community decided to start a buying club and shopping service to serve their neighbors and friends. “This was before Instacart,” said Tom Berna, operations manager. “We started shopping twice a month for about 15 to 20 families. When the pandemic hit, those numbers doubled. And we continue to serve 60 to 70 clients a day, five days a week,” he added.

The organization operates out of St. Stephen Catholic Church Pastoral Center and utilizes a commercial kitchen and pantry storage in the Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood.

While Meals on Wheels is the noprofit’s primary focus, serving more than 100 people a week, it also created a grab-and-go program where people have the option to dine and congregate with other community members. It also offers an emergency food program, which originated during the pandemic.

“In 2018, people would call and say, “I don’t have any food in my house.” We started to think about this: ‘Why don’t we deliver emergency food?’ We began giving out food and by 2021, we gave out 12,000 pounds of food to 100 families. We are one of the few food pantries that deliver. We get calls from people who can’t get to us, providing food once-a-month within a seven-mile radius,” said Tom, a former engineer-turned-deacon who, prior to coming to Pittsburgh worked around the country in hospitals and prisons.

Through this work, Tom and his team have also provided wellness checks, connecting community members to other resources and support systems. He and his team are often the first people who connect with those in need of help.

“I was bringing food to one home and the woman answered the door in a bedsheet. Her boyfriend had taken all of her clothes, and her children’s clothing, too. We were able to find her support so that she could send her children back to school, properly clothed, and so that she could get back to work, as well,” he said.

Never knowing what he may encounter, leading with compassion and an open heart has served him well over the years. Not only does Fishes & Loaves feed the body, but the work nourishes peoples’ souls, too.

“It gives people hope that there is help available and there are people doing it out of the kindness of their hearts,” said Tom. The organization currently has two part-time employees and 20 volunteers. During the pandemic all have worn masks and gloves and implemented contactless delivery service and grab-and-go lunches.

“When the government checks went out during Covid, we saw a decrease in need for emergency food. But once those checks ran out, the demand went right back up again,” he noted. Working with The Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and 412 Food Rescue, the nonprofit has been able to provide fresh and shelf-stable foods that are nutritious and delicious. “Once in a while we get pastries from Giant Eagle, which is always a nice treat,” he said.

Groups like The Pittsburgh Foundation help provide Fishes & Loaveswith the funds it needs to continue its mission. “This work is why I get out of bed in the morning,” said Tom. “When we help our neighbors, we uplift everyone.”

Join The Pittsburgh Foundation’s ONE DAY campaign to provide support to Fishes & Loaves Community Ministry on Aug. 9. Together, we can create a healthy, more equitable world.

Get to know Fishes & Loaves Cooperative Ministries here, and support its work to address our neighbors in need.

Read about other organizations doing vital work to help our neighbors in Western Pennsylvania by reading more in our Forging Forward series, presented with the support of The Pittsburgh Foundation:

Tech 25: The Future is Now

Outreach Teen and Family Services

Neighborhood Legal Services

Fishes and Loaves

Build the Community Center

Healthy Start

Easing the food insecurity of our neighbors is the mission of Fishes and Loaves. Photo by Jeff Swensen

Tom Berna, operations manager for Fishes and Loaves, loads up supplies. Photo by Jeff Swensen

Fishes and Loaves delivers to residents of Hazelwood, Glenwood, Glen Hazel and most of Greenfield. Photo by Jeff Swensen

STORY BY NATALIE BENCIVENGAPHOTOGRAPHY BY JUSTIN MERRIMAN

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Chicken Bruschetta

By
staff-author
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0
Chicken Bruschetta laid on a white table, a perfect summer appetizer.
This quick and easy appetizer is perfect for a summertime party can be made with pesto, arugula and figs for vegetarian guests.

The first ingredient of a great summer party is people! That’s why TABLE was so excited when Marvista Design + Build decided to invite their favorite clients to a summer soiree at their Squirrel Hill showroom, alongside sponsors Cambria Stone, Tisdel Sub Zero Wolf, Don’s Appliances, and TABLE Magazine.

Chef Brandie Lamb journeyed to Pittsburgh from her Cincinnati home, bringing her expertise as a Tisdel SubZero Wolf chef to the proceedings. She joined forces with Pittsburgh caterer Elegant Edge’s owner Judah Cowen to develop a light, bright Kosher menu.

Just before the guests gathered, Chef Brandie showed us how each dish was made. Photographer Dave Bryce and our publisher Justin Matase captured the deliciousness…and the party came alive just after.

Enjoy these dishes at a summer gathering of your own design!

CHICKEN BRUSCHETTA RECIPE

Note: If you have vegetarian guests, grill extra bread, spread it with pesto, sprinkle fresh arugula and sprouts on top… and maybe a slice of ripe fig!

For the crostini

Sliced French baguette

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1/2 tsp Garlic power

1/2 tsp Onion powder

For the chicken

1 lb chicken breast

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

For the tomatoes

1 cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup fresh chopped basil

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1/4 tsp Dijon mustard (set aside for plating)

Slice baguette, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powers. Bake for roughly 10 minutes or until lightly crunchy. If you grill them, put the flame on low and watch them carefully!

Mix chicken with oil, vinegar, and seasoning. Grill till ready. Dice chicken into ½-inch squares.

Dice tomatoes and mix with basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix tomatoes and diced chicken.

Spread crostini with Dijon mustard.

Top crostini with tomatoes, then chicken, and serve.

Photography by Dave Bryce / Styling by Justin Matase / Venue by Marvista Design + Build

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