Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Dinner for my Valentine (2010)

This year was a struggle, but come Valentine's Day I was able to pull it together!
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Part 3 : Dinner
The menu itself may sound more difficult than it actually was. In fact, I didn't begin cooking until around 2pm...drifting in and out of the kitchen as I watched Team USA Women's Hockey pound the heck out of China!!
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2010 Valentine's Day Menu
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Salty/Sweet Beginnings
Prosciutto & Fresh Mozzarella Crostini, drizzled with a Balsamic Reduction
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Tangy Tastes of Love
Salad with Lil' Ms. Homemaker's Vinaigrette & Carrot Slaw
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A Garlicky Passion for Mussels
Mussels in Garlic/White Wine Sauce
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Kona Steak Dream
Seasoned Grilled Steak with Kona Coffee Porter Reduction
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A Heavenly End
Saint André Triple Cream & Cooked Apple on a Soft Baguette
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Early Preparations
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The first thing I did at 2pm was get my reductions going. In one pot was some balsamic vinegar and in the other, two bottles of Kona Coffee Porter (beer).
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Cook's note - I chose to do a balsamic reduction simply because we keep a cheaper bottle of balsamic in the kitchen. If you are lucky enough to have some good quality balsamic vinegar in your cupboards, then by all means...leave as is!! The bonus in reducing the cheap stuff is you can transform it into something thick, sweet and rich. The negative is that your kitchen fills with the sharp pungent smell of vinegar.
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Salty/Sweet Beginnings
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Construction Process:
Toast some baguette slices - aka Crostini.
Layer with prosciutto and slices of fresh mozzarella.
Heat in oven until cheese has melted.
Top with balsamic reduction.
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Prosciutto & Fresh Mozzarella Crostini, drizzled with a Balsamic Reduction.

Cook's Note - The only thing I might have adjusted here is the application of the balsamic reduction. I wish I had taken more care into doing some beautiful design over the top. The salty prosciutto, creamy mozzarella and sweet balsamic all together were excellent!!

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Tangy Tastes of Love
* Salad with Lil' Ms. Homemaker's Vinaigrette & Carrot Slaw
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It's just a simple salad, but in case you are interested in making it, here is what went down.
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Asian Inspired Carrot Slaw
Julienned Carrot
Toasted Sesame Oil
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Pepper
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Lil' Ms. Homemaker's Vinaigrette
Extra Virgin Lemon Olive Oil
[we had some leftover from production for holiday gifts, but regular EVOO will do.]
Rice Vinegar
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Salt/Pepper
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Construction Process:
Dress baby roman with Vinaigrette and top with Carrot Slaw.
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Cook's Note - Do make the Carrot Slaw in advance, say 20 minutes at least. Do not dress the salad until just before serving, or you'll end up with a wilted mess. The contrasting flavors between the dressed lettuce and Asian inspired carrot slaw complimented one another fantastically!
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A Garlicky Passion for Mussels
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Toasted bread slices are a MUST so that you have a way to soak up and enjoy the Garlic/Wine Sauce.
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Mussels in Garlic/White Wine Sauce
Begin with lots of minced garlic and a heart stopping amount of melted butter.
Add white wine, salt and pepper.
Dump in cleaned mussels and cook until all the shells are open.
Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.
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Cook's Note - While the actual act of cooking mussels is quick and easy, their prep is time consuming. Also, as my father always says when it come to clams, mussels, etc...if it looks at all questionable, don't eat it! The mussels turned out good, but not yet great. I added a little too much wine and think I may have been short on the butter.
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Kona Steak Dream
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Kona Coffee Porter Reduction
2 bottles of Kona Coffee Porter (beer) were simmered to reduce.
A touch of sugar and the seeds of 1/2 a vanilla bean were added to sweeten and enhance the flavors.
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Grilled Seasoned/Coffee Steak
Rub steaks with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of ground coffee.
Grill to desired doneness.
Following the resting period, drizzle with Kona Reduction.
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Doesn't the plated sauce above resemble a serpent or snake...maybe Champ (Lake Champlain version of Nessie/Loch Ness Monster)?!?!
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Seasoned Grilled Steak with Kona Coffee Porter Reduction
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Cook's Note - We had some potatoes leftover, so I whipped up some garlic mashed potatoes to serve with the steak. Honestly, this dish was perfect for us...no changes in the future!
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A Heavenly End
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Maple Sauteed Apples
Combined melted butter and maple syrup over moderate heat.
Add thinly sliced apple and cook until softened.
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Construction Process:
Spread softened French Triple Cream on sliced baguette.
Lay cooked apple slices on top of cheese.
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Saint André Triple Cream & Cooked Apple on a Soft Baguette
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Cook's Note - This is AWESOME!!!
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This was my first time making all of the above and Hubs gave the meal...
a lovely 10 on the scale for Valentine's Day Dinners!!!
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Overall it was a pretty easy menu to prepare and I will likely do each of the courses above again at some point. Please take what you will for ideas/inspiration from this and get in the kitchen!!

5 comments:

  1. Wow! I wish I would have had that meal for Valentines day...it looks amazing.

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  2. Thank Pam! It was a huge hit with us as well :O) Hope your Valentine's Day was great!!

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  3. What a beautiful meal -- so fancy, but you make it sound doable! Way to go :-)

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  4. Thank you Bethany! It's all an illusion on this one, as far as difficulty was concerned. Perhaps one thing that made it all so easy, was I didn't follow any recipes and went with my gut (or rather hungry tummy) for guidance haha. Hope you had a wonderful day Sunday as well!

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  5. un excellent diner pour une magnifique st Valentin, bravo
    à bientôt

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