Valentines Day - the day of love, strewn with flowers, chocolates and lots of romance. Valentines Day has vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman traditions. Books and information abound if you so desire to read more about it please do, but we are focusing on the sensuality of food on Valentines Day. What can be more sensuous than chocolate? I'm sure there is more chocolate sold on Valentine's Day than any other day of the year. On Valentines Day chocolate clearly says "I Love You". Chocolate is more than food and it also makes you feel so very good. Chocolate is heavenly, sensual, gratifying, creamy, rich, excessive, silky, smooth and luxurious - need I say more?
For a romantic Valentines Dinner, I think certain food and beverage items are necessary. As we already discussed number one is Chocolate. I think Champagne is most desirable too. I am giving you a few wonderful recipes you might want to try, but if you are just too tired after a busy day to go out for a romantic dinner then let someone else do the cooking for you, that's why God created chefs. I always think a nice lobster dripping in butter is heavenly (worry about your weight another day). And remember, have fun, be romantic, eat chocolate and think delightful romantic thoughts about the loved one you are with.
Chocolate Orange Truffles
1 cup unsalted butter
1 lb. good quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 egg yolks (save the whites for a meringue)
1/3 cup Grand Marnier
Melt butter in top of double boiler over simmering water. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth and melted. In a bowl, whisk the yolks and stir in a few spoonfuls of the warmed chocolate to temper. Then stir the yolk mixture into the chocolate. Constantly stir the mixture until a thermometer registers 160 degrees about 4 minutes. Remove the chocolate mixture and pour into a bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature stirring occasionally for about 1 hour.
Gradually add the Grand Marnier whisking constantly. Cover the chocolate and refrigerate overnight. With cold hands, quickly roll heaping teaspoonfuls of chocolate into balls. Then roll the truffles into cocoa powder or powdered sugar. Place in pretty paper candy cups.
Rose Petal Liqueur - add a little to chilled Champagne, it's simply divine
3 cups loosely packed, deep pink rose petals from pesticide free roses
1 quart of vodka
1/4 cup lightly packed rose petals from pesticide free roses
1 cup sugar
1 Tbl. rose water
Just a delicate touch of red food coloring
Remove the white heels from 3 cups of rose petals. Gently wash in cool water and then gently dry. Crush them lightly. In a 1 1/2 qt. glass container, combine the rose petals and vodka, cover and let stand in cool, dark place to steep for 2 weeks.
Next, remove the white heels from 1/4 cup of rose petals. Gently wash the petals in cool water and dry them. Layer the sugar and 1/4 cup of rose petals in an airtight pint container. Cover and let stand for 1 week. You are making rose sugar. After one week, remove the petals from the sugar which will be lumpy.
In a small saucepan gently boil the rose petal sugar and 1/2 cup water over medium high heat for 3 minutes stirring often to dissolve sugar. Cool the sugar water, cover and refrigerate. After 2 weeks when the mixture has steeped (roses and vodka) strain it through a coffee filer into a clean glass container. Stir in the rose sugar syrup to taste. Add the 1 Tbl. of rose water and a touch of red food coloring for a lovely pink color. Mix some of the liquid in with your champagne. Have a romantic toast.
Mixed Berry Sorbet
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup fresh sliced strawberries
1/4 cup fresh blackberries
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup raspberry liqueur (Framboise)
In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and 2 cups of water to a boil stirring to dissolve sugar. Refrigerate until chilled. In a blender combine all of the berries, the liqueur and 2 cups of chilled syrup. Blend just until berries are pureed. Press the puree through a fine sieve, discarding pulp. Freeze the sorbet in an ice cream machine according to manufactures instructions, then cover and freeze at least 4 to 6 hours.
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries - Yumm, my favorite
16 large strawberries with stems
4 oz. fine quality semisweet chocolate, broken up
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbl. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Wash berries and pat dry on paper towels. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. In a double boiler over simmering water stir the chocolate, sugar, cream, butter and vanilla until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat, but leave in double boiler. Dip the berries into chocolate and let excess drip off. Place on baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Julia's Chilled Cantaloupe Soup - this is so delicious and creamy I used this recipe a lot in catering
1 ripe cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbl. Grand Marnier
Place cantaloupe chunks in food processor and process until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process again to incorporate. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I serve in big wine goblets. You can add a pesticide free orchid to the side of glass for garnish if desired. Note: I have also use papaya replacing cantaloupe.
Herb Baked Tomatoes
6 beautiful red ripe tomatoes about 3-inch diameter
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs, crusts removed and good quality bread
1/4 cup scallions, minced use green part too
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
2 Tbl. fresh Italian parsley, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
olive oil
Preheat oven to 400. Cut the cores from tomatoes, removing as little as possible. Cut them in half crosswise and gently remove seeds and juice. Place the tomato halves on baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, scallions, basil, parsley, thyme, garlic and 1 tsp. salt. Sprinkle tomato halves generously with salt and pepper. Fill the cavities of the tomatoes and cover tops with bread crumb mixture. Bake the tomatoes for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with grated cheese and drizzle of olive place under broiler until cheese is bubbly.
Chicken Marinated in Zinfandel
1 1/2 cups Zinfandel
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbl. soy sauce
1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbl. Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 chicken breasts - washed and cleaned
Whisk the wine, oil, soy, Worcestershire, mustard and black pepper well. Put chicken pieces in large zip lock bag inside a baking pan. Pour over marinade and close. Refrigerate the chicken 6 hours turning occasionally. Grill the chicken and cook until juices run clear. Discard marinade. When chicken is done, arrange on a platter with fresh Italian parsley and pesticide free flowers.
Almond Pear Couscous
3 cups good quality chicken stock (I like Kitchen Basics)
1/4 cup golden raisins
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 cup fresh pears, chopped
2 shallots, minced
1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 Tbl. butter
White wine
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 Tbl. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
In a saucepan, add a little wine and gently poach pears until tender. Cool and save wine. In a saute pan, add butter and a little olive oil and saute shallots. Combine, broth, raisins, salt, cumin and pepper. Bring to a boil and remove from heat and stir in pears with wine liquid, lemon, couscous, almonds and parsley. Cover and let stand 10 minutes, when ready to serve fluff with a fork.
Risotto with Mushrooms and Lemon
4 Tbl. butter
2 cups mixed mushrooms; shitake, chanterelle, portobello, oyster, or button mushrooms
cleaned and trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch-pieces
2/3 cup dry white wine
7 cups good quality chicken stock
2 Tbl. olive oil, divided
1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 3/4 cups Arborio rice
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
4 Tbl. butter, divided
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbl. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice and 1 Tbl. lemon zest
Melt 2 Tbl. butter with a little olive oil in large saute pan over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and saute abut 5 minutes, add wine, bring to a boil and reduce liquid by half, about 4 minutes. Remove mixture to bowl. Bring stock to a simmer in saucepan. In the same saute pan used for mushrooms heat olive oil, and add shallots and cook until soft. Add rice and stir. Add simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time stirring until most of stock is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. This process will take about 20/30 minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy. Stir in the mushroom mixture, lemon juice, zest, Parmesan cheese and finish with butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add parsley.
Roasted Pork with Fig Sauce
Fig Sauce;
4 cups dry red wine
3 cups water
50 dried black Mission Figs, stemmed and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbl. lemon zest
Bring all ingredients to a boil in large pan over medium high heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Boil mixture until thickened and reduced to about 4 cups. Stir mixture occasionally for about 45 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving with pork.
Pork;
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbl. fresh sage, chopped
2 Tbl. fresh thyme, chopped
2 Tbl. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbl. sea salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 (3 1/2 lb) boneless pork loin roasts
In your food processor, add olive oil,herbs and salt and pepper, pulse until smooth. Place pork in roasting pan and rub herb mixture over roasts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle pork generously with salt and pepper. Roast pork about 1 1/2 hours until pork registers 145 degrees. You can always cook longer for the doneness you prefer. Place pork on cutting board and let rest for about 15 minutes before cutting. Slice pork and place on serving platter with a bowl of fig sauce in middle. Garnish platter with sage & thyme.
Julia's Pastry Wrapped Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce
2 Tbl. Each chopped fresh thyme, dill and scallion
1 Tbl. olive oil
Fresh lemon juice and zest
1 lemon cut into thin slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 salmon fillet (about 3 lbs) trimmed to measure 5 x 14 and bones removed
1 package Puff pastry sheets, thawed
1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
Heat oven to 400. Combine chopped herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, zest and garlic and spread onto salmon. On lightly floured surface press short sides of pastry together to form a rectangle. With rolling pin, roll to 11 x 15 rectangle. Transfer pastry to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spread breadcrumbs down center of pastry, place on lemon slices and put salmon on top. cut pastry on either side of fish into 1-inch wide strips; fold strips over salmon sealing in center. I twist them together. Whisk together egg and 1 Tbl. water and brush onto pastry. Bake 25 minutes or until fish flakes when poked and pastry is golden. Serve on platter with sauce in bowl. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Mustard Dill Sauce
1/2 cup coarse-grained mustard
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
In a bowl whisk all ingredients well and season with freshly ground black pepper. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and kept chilled, covered. Let sauce come to room temperature and whisk before serving with salmon.
Yukon Gold Potato Leek Gratin
10 large Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
8 leeks, white part only, washed well and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbl. grainy mustard
4 Tbl. butter, plus more for baking dish
heavy whipping cream enough to cover potatoes
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
Italian parsley, chopped (garnish)
Preheat oven to 400. In a large saute pan, melt butter and add garlic, cook until soft, but not browned. Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook until tender. Stir in mustard.
Butter a 9 x 13 baking casserole dish, heat the heavy cream until simmering. Place 1 layer of potatoes in bottom of dish, top with layer of leek mixture and season each layer with a little salt and pepper. Continue layering until you fill the dish, ending with potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and pour cream over the top until potatoes are covered. Cover with foil and place on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes then remove foil and bake for 1 hour longer or until potatoes are tender. When done, add grated cheese and place under broiler until cheese is bubbly (keep an eye on potatoes so cheese does not burn).
Herb Roasted New Potatoes - if you have leftovers the next day, cut potatoes and mix with chopped fresh Italian parsley, chopped scallions, Dijon mustard, a little mayo, a little sour cream, 1 tsp. lemon zest and cooked, chopped bacon for a delicious potato salad. Refrigerate and serve with grilled steaks, chops or fish.
3 lbs. small new potatoes, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 Tbl. Each of fresh rosemary, fresh thyme and fresh Italian parsley all chopped, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl toss potatoes with olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper, place on baking sheet and bake for about 55 minutes or until tender. Turn occasionally.
Rich Decadent Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
1 cup butter
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
1 cup all purpose flour
Heat oven to 325. Grease and 8 x 8 pan with a little butter. Line the pan with parchment paper and grease the paper. Melt 1 cup of butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until batter is smooth. Add the nuts and flour and stir until well incorporated. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until pick comes out clean. Let cool completely and frost if desired.
Rich Chocolate Frosting
3 squares of good quality unsweetened chocolate
3 tsp. hot water
2 cups sifted powdered sugar, divided
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, unbeaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Melt the chocolate; add hot water and stir until thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Blend 1 cup powdered sugar, then soft butter. Add the other cup of powdered sugar along with the egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
Bon Appetit
"You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name's sake, lead me and guide me".
Psalm 31:3
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