Lemondrop

Like all of us here at Lemondrop -- who recognize that peanut m&m's should be a food group -- pastry chef Anne Thornton thinks dessert is the most important part of the meal.

In fact, her brand-new Food Network show, "Dessert First," will inspire you to unleash your own confectionery goddess. The first thing we asked her: What's your favorite recipe to seduce a guy?

Anne wasn't shy: She kindly gave us a video demonstration (below) on how to whip up her heart-stopping Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles. Be careful, though -- these babies have the power to make a man refuse to share.

"I once made them for my then-boyfriend and he ate about 20 in one sitting," she says. The dude, however, had an excuse: "He had just run a marathon."

Besides getting that recipe (it's after the jump), we talked to Anne about the difference between cooking in a professional kitchen and cooking your way to a guy's heart, how to make the perfect steak dinner, and the only two dessert personalities on Earth.

In fact, we love her so much, we kind of want to invite her to be an honorary Lemondropper -- and not just because she's our new friend-who-can-cook.

Lemondrop: What's the best thing about cooking dessert?
Anne Thornton: It's something that you can do for special occasions. It's a wonderful gift. You can't send a whole meal. Usually you don't do a meal and make it as a gift. That's the best thing about making sweets.

You said you wait a little bit when you first start dating someone before you decide to cook for them. When you do finally decide to take the plunge, what do you like to make?
Ooh, that's a great question! It all depends since I like everything on the planet. I always ask people, especially when you're making it as a gift or doing it as a kind gesture, I like to ask what they like and then I amend [the menu] that way.

Most guys love steak, I mean, it's been my experience. I've also dated some vegans, but usually the guys I date are big steak eaters, so I get a good grass-fed steak and create a steakhouse meal at home with delicious sides. I do this really creamy, delicious spinach casserole with gruyere. It's like creamed spinach, but it's that much better because it has cheese and nutmeg. It's heavenly. I like to make grits as well. I'll make these smoky grits with smoked gouda, and then I'll roast some cherry tomatoes and caramelize some onions.

Grits are just great. People call them polenta now because they're fancy, but they're just grits!

Has there ever been a time that you've cooked something sweet for somebody, and there's been a triumph -- or disaster?
Usually it's triumph. It's hard to get rid of people, men in particular, when you feed 'em! It's like when you go to the zoo and they're like, "Don't feed the animals!' [Laughs]. Not that men are animals! I love men, a little too much. You've gotta be careful who you share [your cooking] with because it's hard to get rid of them.

I broke up with someone once, and we met up to talk and he said, "I haven't eaten in TWO DAYS!" I said, "You're a grown man! Go to a restaurant and get yourself some food." It seemed like me being gone was less upsetting than the food.

Do people have dessert personalities?
There are chocolate people and then there are lemon people. It's kind of a strange thing, but people are like, "I don't like chocolate, but I like lemon meringue or lemon bars or lemon lemon."

I think that people who like chocolate also like lemony things. It's always surprising to me when one of my dear friends, who's sort of manly, likes delicate, dainty desserts. It's really funny -- the guy doesn't want a big hunk of something, it's always like, "Oh, that's the most beautiful petit four!"

When you meet somebody, can you peg them as a lemon person or a chocolate person?
No, I can't! I wish I could -- it would be a good superpower. I like to try to convert people as well. People who say they're not chocolate people, I say, "OK, let's wait a second. Let me make you something and we'll see."

So you're a dessert proselytizer ...
And people tell me sometime that they don't have a sweet tooth. Please, everybody has a sweet tooth. They're totally lying. Especially if you throw some salt in there, like I always do with my desserts to offset it. People are like, "Oh, I don't normally have a sweet tooth, but I can't stop eating these!" And I think, "That's right!"

How is making dessert on TV different from making it in a professional kitchen?
It's really fun. I love it -- I get to talk the whole time. Normally in the professional kitchen, I don't get to constantly talk while I work.

Do you like to cook at home?
I do. I got up yesterday morning and cooked up a storm. I cook my meals every single day, whether it's lunch, breakfast or dinner. Usually I do all three, and I also bake a few days a week. I love it. It's not just my job, it's my passion.

Do you like guys who cook?
I'm not into guys who cook. People always ask me that. I always get nervous when a man cooks for me because I'm going to have to pretend that I like it. But I've been surprised.

Actually, the best meal a man ever cooked for me was made by my friend's boyfriend. I said, "Oh god, why are you making me do this? I'm going to have to pretend that I like it!" I'm usually the only woman in the kitchen, so I always work with men who cook, but in my personal life, it tends to be that I'm always the one in the kitchen.

So, is it safe to call your chocolate and peanut butter truffles your "aphrodisiac truffles?"
Yeah. In some way, I guess they could be, [laughs] but I also make them for my brother-in-law for Father's Day because my sister doesn't cook, so I make them for her. And they ship well too!

You can keep them in the freezer, so if you're entertaining a few gentlemen, you can make a big batch one day and it will last you a few weeks. Let's be honest -- it happens.

Get Anne's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle recipe here at AOL's KitchenDaily. But first, watch her insider tips, below.

"Dessert First" airs at 12 pm ET/PT every Sunday on the Food Network.