A special & easy Valentine's dinner for two
pick meat or fish, then use my suggestions for gear, beverages, salad, and dessert.
(scroll down to the big headlines to head straight to the recipes)
What we have here are recipes for a salad - steak, potato, and spinach OR poppyseed encrusted salmon, potatoes, and spinach. This is for those who want to stay in next Friday night, and cook for someone. It’s for those who cook often, and those who do not. There’s a reason I’m sending this a week early, and the reason is this: be ready! If you shop on Friday night (the 14th), you’re setting yourself up for stress, if you do it Wednesday or Thursday, then Friday will be fun. Have fun, shop before the 14th.
Let’s talk about gear, to do this right, the equipment helps massively. Secondarily, valentine’s day can be a gift giving day, and in lieu of flowers (which die) how about gifts that keep giving (and producing wonderful food!)?
If you’ve never owned a leave in thermometer, you should get one. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a probe that sits in meat or fish, with a steel cable that you can close your oven door on that attaches to a unit outside the oven, which has a magnet and attaches to your oven. It’s a window into what’s going on inside the product that you’re cooking. It’s always right, it reduces stress, and eliminates cooking error. I’ve included 3 different thermometers, get one if you don’t have one. Leave in thermometer with timer $65 or leave in thermometer $50 or instant thermometer $25
If you want mash potato making (and gnocchi production) to be the easiest, and fluffiest it can be buy this ricer: potato ricer
A small sheet tray with a rack insert is vital, it will let the steak cook better, and it’s the best place to cook anything else (the salmon cooks rack-less): quarter sheet tray and rack
You’ll need some butcher’s twine to secure the bacon around the filets too.
The San Valentino Cocktail:
a little something to get you started…
makes 2:
4 ounces rum
2 ounces Cognac
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 ounces pomegranate juice
4 ice cubes
candied ginger or Amarena cherries for garnish.
steps:
In a cocktail shaker combine the rum, cognac, lemon juice, pomegranate juice, and ice. shake well until combined and cold. Serve with the garnishes.
the salad:
serves 2:
1 head of red leaf lettuce
dressing:
1 tablespoon ev olive oil
1.5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
topping:
3 tablespoon crushed pistacchios
3-5 ounces gorgonzola cheese
1 pear, cubed
1/4 teaspoon flakey salt
bacon wrapped filet mignon with gorgonzola sauce or cognac sauce
ingredients:
2 (6-8 ounce) rounds of filet mignon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
uncured bacon (2 strips)
gorgonzola sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces of gorgonzola
1 pint whole milk
cognac sauce
2 ounces cognac
1 small shallot
2oz creme fraiche
make the steak:
preheat your oven to 275ºF/ 135ºC with a rack set in the middle.
salt and pepper both sides of the steak, then brush each filet with about 1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, around the equator of the steak, (where you’ll wrap it with bacon). Wrap each filet in a single piece of bacon and hold it in place with a single piece of butcher’s twine.
place the steaks on a rack set inside a sheet pan
If using the leave in thermometer, insert the tip into the absolute center of one of the steaks. set the temp alarm to 130ºF / 54ºC (for medium rare), and remove the steaks when that temperature is reached (40-50 minutes)
heat a medium carbon steel pan over high heat, and then place the steaks in the pan naked. sear 1 minute on each side, then rotate to its side and brown the bacon (about an additional 90 seconds). return the steaks to the rack to rest while you make the sauce of your choosing.
choose: gorgonzola sauce (easy) or cognac sauce (potentially scary because of the flambé) (both are fabulous):
Gorgonzola Sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat combine, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3 ounces of gorgonzola, fresh black pepper and 1/2 cup of whole milk. Stir to combine and once simmering, shut off the heat and add 2 additional ounces of gorgonzola, serve immediately.
Cognac Sauce in the pan you seared the meat in, over medium high heat, add the steak drippings, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 sliced shallot, a pinch of salt, and sauté until color forms on the shallot, about 90 seconds. Remove the pan from the flame, add 2 ounces of cognac, and either tilt the pan towards the flame (flambé) or gently return the pan to medium heat and cook the alcohol off (about 3 minutes). shut of the heat, add 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche, and adjust for salt. serve immediately over the steak.
(photo below with gorgonzola sauce)
poppyseed encrusted salmon
ingredients
2 (6 ounce) salmon filets
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 egg white, beaten
1/4 cup poppy seeds
steps:
with a rack in the center, preheat the oven to 425ºF/220ºC.
salt and paprika all flesh sides of the salmon, then brush the egg white over all the seasoning. pour the poppy seeds onto a small plate, and then dip the salmon into the poppy seeds, they should stick to the egg whites.
cover a 1/4 sheet tray with foil, place the salmon skin down on the foil (this is a great method to leave the skin behind, which for ease, is the way I’m going here, parchment is what to use if you want to keep the skin).
if using a leave in thermometer, place the top of the probe in the center of the larger of the two pieces of salmon, set the alarm for 130ºF (about 15 minutes).
using a fish spatula, slide just above the skin to get the meat of the fish, and leave the skin stuck to the foil.
serve with mashed potatoes and spinach.
light mashed potatoes
ingredients
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into thirds.
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 bunch, finely chopped parsley
salt to taste
steps
in a 8 or 12 quart stock pot bring water (enough to cover the potatoes) to a boil over high heat. add 3 tablespoons kosher salt and the cut up potatoes. boil for 20 minutes or until fork tender. drain the water and pass each potato through a potato ricer and back into the original pot.
add the milk, and return the pan to low heat, mix until combined. add the parsley, adjust for salt, and add the butter. hold at a warm temp. (these hold great in the fridge for 4 days as well).
sautéed spinach
1 pound baby spinach
3 garlic cloves, smashed, skin on (for heat protection, and easy removal of cloves)
2 tablespoon olive oil
steps
heat the oil in a stock pot and fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the spinach, turning it initially a few times with tongs, then add 1/4 cup water, and cover the pan. steam for 2-3 minutes. remove the lid, remove the garlic cloves and continue to cook down to the desired texture.
dessert.
literally buy Tate’s oatmeal raisin cookies, and spoon Van Leeuwen’s vanilla bean ice cream between two cookies. and be done. it’s easy, it’s delicious, and it’s cute.
the low temp cooking of the steak makes for an unbelievably even gradient of doneness across the meat. Also, the resting required is less because of the lack of high temp agitation. enjoy