Love at First Bite

This Valentine’s Day, say it with homemade sweets: specifically, these chef-approved recipes from two of the country’s top culinary power couples

MEET THE CHEFS: ANGIE RITO AND SCOTT TACINELLI

Together for 14 years

An Instant Connection: When Tacinelli first met Rito in 2008, when she began working as a server at the New York restaurant where he worked as a line cook, “I thought she was so cute, I couldn’t take it,” he writes in their cookbook, “Italian American.”

They Hit It Off:

“We both came from Italian American families, and she loved food as much as me”—and at Ohio-transplant Rito’s request, they ate around the city on their days off so she could learn about the local restaurant scene.

A Whirlwind Tour: Not long after their first official date, they took a three-week trip to Spain with an “all-food itinerary,” Rito writes. “I realized I was in love with Scott on that trip.”

Better Together: With Tacinelli’s encouragement, Rito, who grew up in her family’s deli and bakery with a dream of owning a restaurant one day, turned from serving to cooking in the kitchen. They worked at separate restaurants for several years, which meant long, grueling work days apart; one year, they had only two days off together.

Eventually, they realized “the only way for us to be in a relationship while also doing the work we’re passionate about was to do it together,” they write.

Italy Meets World: Early in their relationship, they began a tradition of annual pilgrimages to Italy, exploring new regions and their unique cuisines each time. (In 2015, they were married in Florence.)

Back in multicultural New York, they combined their culinary heritage with new flavors and techniques they fell in love with from different cuisines around the world, to develop their own, now much-acclaimed version of modern Italian American cooking.

All in the Family:

For both chefs, what they do comes down to “cooking with heart,” they write. “Every move we make as professional chefs is done with the same spirit of generosity we grew up with. For us, it’s solely about taking care of people, the way our families always have.”

MEET THE CHEFS: GENEVIEVE GERGIS AND ORI MENASHE

A Sour Start:

“We met at a restaurant called La Terza. I worked the salad station, she was the host. I had a crush on her from day one. But she wasn’t into me.”

—Ori Menashe

Turning Point:

“It was the day before New Year’s and the chef asked me if I could stay overnight to prep all the food. I asked if I could invite someone to the restaurant after. She came at around 1 o’clock in the morning and I cooked her a meal—a beet salad.” —Menashe

“I know it doesn’t sound romantic, but he knew that I liked the beet salad at the restaurant. He was going to make a steak, too—but we never got to, we were talking too much.” —Genevieve Gergis

Memorable Bites:

“Because I worked so late, the only way for us to hang out was late at night. She would make me this awesome sandwich.” —Menashe

“It’s a breakfast-y sandwich, but at night. I did a soft-scrambled egg scrambled with a little bit of creme fraiche. Then I would take a toasted baguette with salami, a bit of mustard and mayonnaise or aioli, and cheese, either provolone or havarti, and I would put the egg over it.” —Gergis

Romantic Rituals:

“He makes me tea every morning. My favorite is Native Cultivar Reserve from Red Blossom Tea Company—it’s very honey-ish, nectar-ish. He knows how to make it perfectly—the exact steep time, temperature, and amount. I'm a very picky tea drinker.” —Gergis

“I’ve been a tea drinker since meeting Genevieve. I used to be an alcohol drinker.” —Menashe

Most Admirable Traits:

“She doesn’t cease to amaze me. She is able to handle so much, and she does it so well. I look up to her. She’s a very highly intelligent human being— who’s beautiful as well.” —Menashe

“I’ve never in my life seen anyone who has his perseverance for doing things the right way, and his drive to work really hard every day to get something exactly the way he envisioned it. But he also doesn’t let his drive get in the way of his compassion. He brings everyone into the fold with him, to have that drive along with him.”

—Gergis

Hazelnut Torta Caprese With Sweetened Crème Fraîche

FOR THE CHOCOHOLICS, Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli offer their take on torta caprese, a coastal Italian dessert typically made with almonds. They swap in hazelnuts and toasted brown butter, for a cake that’s ‘‘rich, dense, and almost fudge-like in texture, with a Nutella-esque flavor profile, but all grown up,’’ they write in their cookbook, ‘‘Italian American.’’

Serves 8 to 10

For the Cake

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 1/2 cups (10 ounces) dark chocolate discs (as close to 70 percent cacao content as possible)

• 2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) blanched roasted unsalted hazelnuts

• 5 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons buttermilk

• Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for finishing (optional)

For the Topping

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 3/4 cup crème fraîche

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 10-inch wide, 2-inch deep cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the cake:

In a large sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat until melted and large, foamy bubbles start to appear, 2 to 3 minutes. Swirl the pan to ensure even cooking. The butter will make loud sputtering noises, then the bubbles will dissipate and the noise will subside—this is when you should notice the white milk solids in the butter turning deep golden brown in color. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and stir well until melted. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts until they’re ground as finely as possible, with the texture of wet sand, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla paste, granulated sugar, kosher salt, cornstarch, and buttermilk until well combined.

When the chocolate mixture has cooled to room temperature, add the ground hazelnuts and stir well to combine. Pour the chocolate-hazelnut mix into the bowl with the egg mixture and stir well to combine and create a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake until set in the middle and a cake tester comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan. It may deflate slightly as it cools. Once cool, carefully remove the cake from the pan by placing an inverted plate on top and flipping it over. Place your desired serving plate on top of the now upsidedown cake and flip it once more, so that it’s facing right-side up.

Make the topping:

In a stand mixer with the whisk, whip the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 4 to 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the crème fraîche, vanilla paste, powdered sugar, and salt with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold the whipped cream into the crème fraîche mixture with the spatula.

To serve, slice the cake into wedges and top with flaky sea salt, if using, and a dollop of whipped crème fraîche. For a more delicate texture, serve at room temperature. For a more dense, fudgy texture, serve chilled. Leftover cake keeps, tightly covered in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.

Reprinted with permission from “Italian American: Red Sauce Classics and New Essentials: A Cookbook” by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli (Clarkson Potter, 2021).

Mexican Wedding Cookies

RECIPE BY Genevieve Gergis

GENEVIEVE GERGIS has made these cookies, her husband Ori Menashe's favorite, every holiday for as long as she can remember. Her version of the classic employs rye flour, pecans, and a generous dose of salt for extra nutty, buttery, not-too-sweet results. For denser cookies (like Menashe likes), cream the butter for a minute. For a lighter, airier version (like Gergis prefers), cream the butter for 4 to 5 minutes.

Makes about 40 cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 3/4 cups pecan halves, very finely chopped

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 6 tablespoons rye flour

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until pale and glossy, about 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed to high until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl about halfway through.

Add the vanilla and beat for 1 minute, then add the nuts and beat briefly on low speed just until incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together flours and salt. Add to the batter and mix on very low speed until just incorporated and the mixture forms a loose, shaggy dough. Do not overmix. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape the dough into ping-pong-sized balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer the whole sheet to the refrigerator for 5 minutes to rechill briefly, then bake until just barely golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Once cookies are cooled, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.

Reprinted with permission from “Bestia: Italian Recipes Created in the Heart of L.A.” by Ori Menashe, Genevieve Gergis, and Lesley Suter (Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2018).