Saffron and Valentine’s Day, a match made in heaven!

Valentine’s Day is about love that encompasses borders and limitations, a love that is eternal. This day is celebrated all over the world by gifting someone you love deeply, by being together, by presenting red roses and chocolate, by cooking and baking for them.

Saffron is also about love, a love by our generous planet, a love by the kind hands that grow saffron. Saffron is praised all over the world for its unique qualities. It is also red in color, smells exotically and tastes distinctively. It is the perfect ingredient for your Valentine’s Day.

In this article, we will review the reasons you should incorporate saffron in your Valentine’s Day and will recommend ways to do it. You will have a different experience this year.

Why incorporate saffron in Valentine’s Day celebration?

There is no better gift than health for someone you really love. Anything that improves that health is a worthy gift. Saffron is a health bomb, compact with organic compounds that are potent with healing and rejuvenating powers.
It is full of antioxidants that are proven effective for reducing inflammation and oxidation.

They are in categories of Carotenoids, Flavonoids and Anthocyanins and include Safranal, Crocin, Crocetin and Picrocrocin. These are the same chemicals that cause the color, aroma and taste of saffron but they have strong healing powers too.

These chemicals are able to donate one electron to free radicals to make them stable. Free radicals are lacking one electron in their structure so they are unstable and reactive to the point that they might attack anything in their way including healthy cells! This over-reactive process is believed to be the cause of excess inflammation and autoimmunity that manifest as depression and heart disease.

Saffron is able to remove inflammation resulting in more chemically balanced brain and positive and hopeful thoughts. It can also induce happiness in your heart by eliminating oxidation. A bright mind and a happy heart are the essential states for Valentine’s Day.

Saffron is also a natural fat burner because it can increase metabolism and heat in your body. It melts the excess fat inside your body to generate energy and heat. It is a great remedy for the cool temperature of Valentine’s Day.
It can also lower blood cholesterol and glucose which makes it the best solution for sweet treats of Valentine’s Day.
Saffron in also red in color just like roses which is a great compliment for brownness of chocolate!

How to incorporate saffron in Valentine’s Day?

Of course chocolate is the focal point of everything that you want to make or eat on Valentine’s Day but saffron is a good compliment to chocolate. It is red in color creating contrast when sprinkled on your chocolaty dessert. Its exotic aroma and distinctive taste takes chocolate to the next level, an experience never to forget:

• Starting with the simple hot chocolate, you can crush saffron threads in a mortar & pestle, put it in the mug and pour the hot chocolate over it.
• If you are planning to make a chocolate lava cake which has become a staple on Valentine’s Day, just mix the crushed saffron in the cake mix and let the magical aroma fill the room while baking. When cutting the hot cake to reveal the lava, little pieces of saffron resemble actual lava!
• If you are going with chocolate ganache, mix the crushed saffron with the chocolate pieces and let it melt over double boiler. It will infuse the chocolate with divine taste. Strawberries dipped in this ganache are the dessert to die for! You can also pour the ganache over ice cream or cupcakes.
• Brownies are the ultimate chocolate dessert but with saffron added to the mix it becomes something from out of this world. Just mix the crushed saffron with dry ingredients and let it do its magic in the oven. Pair it with ice cream or wiped cream and you have the perfect treat.
• Saffron is also a good match for white chocolate where the result is a golden hue that tastes even better.
• Saffron is the perfect complement to pistachios. You can make white or dark chocolate truffles with them for a different kind of delight.
• For muffins and cakes, either mix the crushed saffron with dry ingredients or pour a teaspoon of hot water over it and let it sit for 10 minutes then add it to the wet ingredients. The result is a heavenly aroma while baking and a beautiful yellow hue in your cake.
• Saffron and rose water are the classic Persian combination. You can put them both in your recipes ranging from drinks to cakes and anything in between.
• In case you are cooking for your love, put crushed saffron in the rice or marinate your chicken in a saffron mix or even add it to your pasta sauce. Either case, the result will be memorable.
• For a very radical experience, put a pinch of saffron in your champagne to make a golden elixir with a dry bittersweet taste.
• Coffee and saffron is also a good and healthy combination as they complement each other chemically, delivering more health benefits and a distinguished taste.
• Finally, a gift of saffron in a little heart shape container is unique on its own!

 

Final thoughts

Love is the focal point of Valentine’s Day, a distinguish feeling that is difficult to verbalize yet it is universal. A sincere, passionate feeling that keeps you warm, makes your heart happy and illuminates hope to your mind. It is the bittersweet feeling that is red in color.

Saffron is also able to encourage passionate feelings that make your body warm and your heart happy. It can illuminate your mind and banish dark and depressed thoughts. It has bittersweet taste and red color.

Persian saffron is the best in the world that just in a pinch can deliver health, healing and rejuvenation. It is full of goodness and happiness. It is full of love, a match made in heaven for your Valentine’s Day.