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!!

For My Valentine (2010)

Saint Valentine's Day dates back to AD 496 (thank you Wikipedia). In its bare essence, this holiday is defined as a recognized day of the year for expressing ones love and affection to their intimate companion. While it is important to remember to show your love to your love everyday, Valentine's Day is an excuse for us to celebrate it!
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Interestingly enough, the notion of bestowing Valentines has evolved drastically. The truth is, there are many routes that may be taken in celebrating and ultimately the one we each choose has to do with who you are.
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For Hubs, it was building me my new beautiful kitchen cabinet.
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For me, as you can guess, it is with food!
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As I mentioned in a previous post, Hubs had to work on Valentine's Day. Since he's been working like a dog for the last week, I thought I would try to sweeten his day, from beginning to end.
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Part 1 : Breakfast

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Hubs has to leave for work well before the rooster crows. I knew I was not going to see him before he headed off for the day, so in our kitchen was a plain white box waiting for him with a little note that read -

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Happy Valentines Day Sweetie!!
Enjoy for Breakfast
I LOVE YOU!

and inside this plain white box was a...

great big Cream Puff for my Cream Puff!

[j/k Hubs is not a cream puff...though after eating that whole thing, he just might have felt like one, haha!]
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Part 2 : The Boxed Lunch

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I was hoping to bring Hubs his lunch at work, but due to some exercises that were going on, he informed me there was no way I was going to get on base to deliver it. Forced to improvise, my toasty sandwich idea was out the window and I had to prepare it the night before.

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It began with delicious Olive Bread from The O-Bread Bakery, Shelburne, VT

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This is really awesome stuff, but too costly for us to justify making it a part of our daily routine. Like I said earlier, Valentine's day is an excuse to splurge, so the extra $4 is just a write off for love.

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Now we build...
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Prosciutto.
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Piled very, very high.
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Yum!

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Fresh Mozzarella.
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What a combo so far!

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Now a bit of Baby Romaine.
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Some Red Onion slices dressed in a balsamic/olive oil combo.

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This sandwich is huge!
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Beautiful too.

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It's a big sandwich to show my big love :O)

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Now what is Valentine's Day without more sweets!?!
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A very special cupcake...
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from my favorite place in town for cupcakes!!

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Their yellow cake with white frosting is THE BEST!

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This one was actually carrot cake with cream cheese icing (Hubs fav).

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Now for a little love note secretly hiding in the package.
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Hubs 2010 Valentine's Day Box Lunch.

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Breakfast and lunch were a huge hit! I was a little worried about the sandwich, since this was the first time I've attempted that combo...but as luck would have it, the love that went into making it did shine through!

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Now just wait until you see what I cooked up for dinner that night!!

Happy Valentine's Day 2010!

I just finished the shopping for my 2010 Valentine's Day Menu!

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This year was a bit of a battle...been on the road the better half of a week, Hubs is working crazy hours, hockey has come up a couple times and of course there are the distractions of the Winter Olympics.

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However I think I have come up with a multi-course meal to tantalize the taste buds and warm the heart!

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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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Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

What's Cookin'?

Not too much...actually nothing at all! Sorry everyone!!
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I've been on the road for last three days at a work conference. Considered a destination location, this annual shindig is held at one of New England's many ski resorts. Being from Vermont, folks assume I'm a skier or snowboarder. In fact they often gasp when I tell them, sorry nope...I'm not either. I have found I am almost always able to leverage conversation with the fact I play hockey, so I'll keep using that so long as it does the trick!
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This year my room was somewhat unexpected. By luck of the draw my room had a kitchen! As soon as I saw this, I thought - Jeez, I really should go to the grocery store, pick up some goods and do the unthinkable...be a cooking road warrior! As it so happens, there is no structured time for cooking and being up on the mountain, does not make groceries all that accessible. Instead I joined the ranks of attendees and consumed the prepared/preplanned meals that come with the conference package...bulk produced resort dishes, blah :-P
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On my ride home today I did make a stop at a little, in the middle of nowhere grocery/convenience store. As I cruised the isles I stumbled upon some delicious looking locally made Maple Donuts! I had to get some of these to sweeten up the weekend's breakfasts...Hubs will be psyched!!!!
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As I drove the 4 hours home I had a lot of time to think. I spent a good chunk of it trying to think of what to do for my sweetie this Valentines Day.
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Last year I researched and made a very close knock off to Gino's East's deep dish pizza. I even stopped on my way home (from this very same conference) to pick up some delicious sausage from a butcher's shop about an hour away. The finished pizza turned out so close, I can't help but wonder if the seasoned pan was all that I was missing?!?!
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Then the year before that we had our HUGE winter storm, where the entire city shut down. Since we were snowed in, we found ourselves at the mercy of our kitchen cupboards and whipped up some wonderful spaghetti and meatballs. Between the storm, worldclass dinner selection and one too many bottles of red wine...it was one of the most romantic Valentine's Days I can remember!!!
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What to do this year?!?! It is our first Valentines Day as Husband and Wife, so it should be special and memorable. I thought maybe something new like Beef Wellington or a Bouillabaisse? Or what if I did my own tasting menu and produced a variety of small plates?? Hmmm, that's something to think about.
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While still thinking about dinner options, I realized that my Hubs has to work this Valentines Day...boo! I thought that I may just pack him the sweetest meal to bring with a mini box of chocolates, love note and all!
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We'll see what happens. Hubs is working crazy hours from today through the weekend, beginning at 4am and lasting 12+ hours. The final choice will really depend on what seems could hit the spot for him. Not mention with me being out of town, the poor guy has had to fend for himself at every meal.
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So, if you have any ideas for what to cook up this year, please share!!! The countdown to V-Day has begun and I've gotta get the menu planned asap.

A Big Braised Thank You

We can finally breath...

well our kitchen cupboards can.

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Thank you Hubs!

Thank you for being so thoughtful...

I now have a new place to store my mixing bowls

and stage for showcasing my cookbooks.

We also have a great new location for the stereo.

What lies behind these doors you ask?!?!

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Baking goods and more!

Note my dedicated assistant checking our supply and ensuring these items fit properly into their new space.

Before the creation of this beautiful cabinet we were busting at the seams. Hubs has saved the day and given us some breathing room!

To continue expressing my gratitude, even after the Bookshelf Burgers, I made these Braised Ribs just for him.

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Lil' Ms. Homemaker's 4 Pepper Braising Liquid

Scallions.

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Citrus Mix.

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• 4 Peppers: Cayenne, Chipotle, Red Pepper Flake, & Gochujang (Korean Red Pepper Paste)
• 2 Vinegars: Cider & Korean Double Concentrate
• 2 Sugars: Brown Sugar & Maple Syrup
• 2 Salts: Soy Sauce & Worcestershire
• 2 Spices/Powders: Garlic & Onion
• 2 Tomatoes: Double Concentrate Paste & Ketchup
• 2 Dilutions: Chicken Broth & Water

Everything is mixed in a pan and allowed to come together over moderate heat.

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Southern Style Ribs were on sale again.

Only $0.99/lb, what a deal!!
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Seasoned with salt/pepper, the ribs were browned.
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Braising liquid poured over and into the oven they went.
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Since it was a weeknight, these only cooked for a couple hours,
and were rotated every 30 minutes or so.
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After about 1.5 hours, some of the braising liquid was removed...
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and simmered down into a thicker consistency.
*A side of wild rice was prepared in a 50/50 of Chicken Broth to Water.
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To ensure awesome coating, I transferred the ribs to a baking sheet at the 2 hour mark, smothered them with the reduced sauce, and cooked for another 20 minutes.

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A BIG BRAISED THANK YOU TO HUBS!

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He loves braised ribs and really liked this sauce I made up on the fly!! It was sweet with just a hint of orange and peppers. Next time around I think I will increase the pepper and cut back a bit on the sweetness to try for a spicy sauce, yum!

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Over dinner I asked Hubs, when you get back next fall from deployment, what would be the first thing you'd like me to make for you?

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His answer...Probably Braised Ribs!!