FoCo Joe: “The Breakup Treat”
Valentine’s Day is a strange holiday, if you ask me. Sadly —or happily, depending on your view —I have never had a significant other with whom to share the day. So this weekend, like usual, I spent my February 14 finding new ways to spend time with my friends. Given this nontraditional approach to Valentine’s Day, my mind naturally went to the foods less eaten on this most romantic of weekends for this week's column. After all, for those of us without a romantic partner, Valentine’s Day can feel pretty isolating. Thus was born the theme for this week’s dessert — celebrating those treats we eat alone, in isolation and in unashamed revelry.
Thus, for this week’s column, I proudly present a recipe for “The Breakup Treat,” also known as “FoCo Joe’s Eat Your Heart Out Specialty.” Here’s how I put it together:
Step 1: Pick up an Oreo chocolate bownie from FoCo’s dessert selections (to the left of the soups most days).
Step 2: Head over to the array of spreads by the toaster and spoon a bit of Nutella on to the top of your brownie. Unnecessary? Maybe. But this is a breakup treat, and no breakup treat would be complete without at least a touch of Nutella.
Step 3: Gently drizzle hot caramel sauce (ice cream stand next to the Kosher station) over the Nutella on your brownie. In order to safely spread the caramel, hold your plate with one hand and carefully push down the lever with your other.
Step 4: Scoop out a legitimate portion (not too hefty) of chocolate ice cream. Unfortunately this dessert does not include a full pint of Ben & Jerry’s, but I’ll get you as close to that as possible without requiring a trip to Collis Market!
Step 5: Sprinkle a spoonful of chocolate chips over your concoction. The chips will serve as the flower petals of your delicious dessert romance, if you think about them that way. (Note: the chips can be found just next to the ice creams.)
Step 6: I know, I know, six steps is a lot of steps — trust me, it’s worth it. But you know what really resembles a flower petal? Special-K Strawberries! Head back over to the cereals and grab two or three strawberries from the Special-K container to garnish your plate. The berries will add a nice color and texture to the overall presentation of the dessert. (Author’s Note: A special shout out ought to be given to Caroline Filan ’18 for this brilliant idea. Caroline, you’re a natural! That said, I ought to disclose that I do not condone the habitual removal of strawberries from the Special-K bin —this is frankly a disservice to the Dartmouth community, many of whom rely on a balanced bowl of Special-K flakes and berries to start and end their days. Please do not be egregious if you perform step 6!)
If put together following these directions, my “Breakup Treat” will bring together the best of all single-people dessert loves — the infamous Brownie Spouse, the Ice Cream lover, the strawberry significant other and, of course, the friends-with-benefits Chocolate. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!