“Brookies, Truffles & Totally Loving Yourself: A Very Indulgent Valentine’s with The Home Show loaded with recipes to try at home”
- Food Business Coach Tracie
- 6 minutes ago
- 3 min read
I was so excited and genuinely thrilled to be invited back to The Home Show for Valentine’s 2026 – it feels like such a treat to return to Sinead Ryan’s kitchen‑loving corner of Newstalk. Sinead isn’t just a brilliant broadcaster; she’s an incredible cook, someone who really understands the joy of delicious food made from scratch, from proper home‑cooked meals & desserts that actually work in real kitchens. Her ability to cut out the fluff and make it delicious means that we always get to chat about real food and real tips that matter in a home kitchen. Sharing these recipes with her and with you her, Home Show listeners feels like chatting with a group of friends who all love the same things: good ingredients, comforting food & bakes, and that special moment when a homemade dessert lands on the table and everyone leans in.
This Valentine’s, especially for Sinead Ryan and you, her listeners of The Home Show on Newstalk, I wanted to create the kind of dessert line‑up that makes your kitchen feel like the sweetest restaurant in town.
We start with pure theatre: molten chocolate lava cakes for two, with soft, fudgy centers that spill onto the plate the moment you dig in, and mini white chocolate and raspberry cheesecakes that look like they’ve come straight from a pâtisserie window, rippled with berries and just the right size to share.
For coffee lovers, there’s a no‑churn coffee‑ice‑cream affogato, where you “drown” silky homemade coffee ice cream in hot espresso at the table and serve it with crisp, chocolate‑dipped thin shortbread fingers – the sort of grown‑up ice‑cream float that gets a little hush of delight when you pour. If you want a centerpiece, a two‑layer 6‑inch red velvet cake, cloaked in extra‑generous cream cheese frosting and finished with blush‑pink and red vintage star‑tip piping, is unapologetically romantic and just begging for engagement candles.
For true chocoholics, there’s also an ultra‑smooth chocolate mousse for two with burnt‑butter salted caramel sauce and softly whipped cream – the spoonful‑by‑spoonful kind of dessert you almost don’t want to share – plus those glossy, “gourmet” chocolate‑covered strawberries that make any table instantly look more glamorous. And because every good Valentine’s menu needs a little mischief, I’ve added two EXTRA and UTTERLY INDULGENT recipes for you to add to your kitchen cook book.
The first EXTRA recipe is from my niece Laoise. She is 15 progarand and already a very talented young baker. Her Brookie recipe, to me are the most indulgent, insanely chocolatey bites you’ll ever taste—especially when you steal one while it’s still warm from the oven; she first baked them for me last year and I absolutely fell in love, so much so that we teamed up to make them for a family gathering, baking them in sizzling cast‑iron skillets and crowning them with ribbons of salted caramel and scoops of velvety vanilla bean ice cream—a full‑on dessert spectacle that created the kind of cozy, joy‑filled memories you never forget.
The second EXTRA recipe is Rory O’Connell’s utterly irresistible Burnt Caramel Chocolate Truffles, and they are the kind of tiny treat that can completely steal the show. I first tasted them back in October while we were filming Rory’s Christmas programme for RTÉ, and one bite was enough to convince me these are the most decadent little mouthfuls you’ll ever try. The richness and intensity of flavour packed into a piece no bigger than your thumbnail is indulgence in its purest form, so either scale down the recipe or box up the extras as luxurious little gifts for the people you love.
Wishing all the wonderful listeners of The Home Show with Sinead Ryan the happiest, cosiest and most decadently delicious Valentine’s Day. However you’re celebrating, I hope it’s filled with great food, big laughter and little moments that feel truly special—and remember, the sweetest love story always starts with how you treat yourself. So pour a glass, plate up something gorgeous, and don’t forget to love yourself first this Valentine’s Day and every day.
Tracie Daly
XOXO
Tracie Daly:
Food Hero Kilkenny 2025
Food Business Coach
MC for Food Festivals
Development chef
Very Proud Aunty