January 17, 2007
That most romantic of days, Valentine's, is just around
the proverbial corner. It's never too early to begin
planning a special feast to share with the one you love best!
With that in mind, we've assembled an entire Valentine's Day
dinner menu of tempting dishes as a prelude to the (hopefully)
exciting evening to follow.
Included is a recipe for salad, entree, side dish
and dessert - each one a gem in its own right.
Be sure to pick up a bottle of red wine (we suggest
a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon) to accompany this
sweetheart of a meal.
THE SALAD AS APPETIZER:
Baby Greens with Cheese Crostini
8 ½” thick diagonally-cut wide baguette slices
½ lb. soft cheese (such as fresh mozzarella, Boursault or Teleme )
1/2 cup olive oil
4 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 bag or (or 8 cups) mixed baby greens
¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
½ cup lightly toasted pine nuts
Preheat broiler. Spread each baguette slice
with 1 TBSP cheese. Arrange on baking sheet,
cheese side up.
Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic in large bowl
to blend. Add greens, sun-dried tomatoes and
pine nuts; toss to combine. Season salad to
taste with salt and pepper.
Divide salad between 2 plates.
Just before serving time, broil crostini just
until cheese softens and begins to melt - no more
than a minute.
Arrange 4 crostini atop each salad and serve.
THE ENTREE:
Porterhouse with Garlic Merlot Sauce
One large (14-16 oz.) porterhouse steak
1 TBPS. vegetable oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1 TBSP finely chopped garlic
½ cup Merlot
¾ cup beef stock or broth
4 TBSP (½ stick) unsalted butter
Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over
high heat. Add steak and cook until brown,
about 1 minute per side. Reduce heat to
medium and cook steak to desired doneness:
3 minutes per side for medium-rare,
5 minutes per side for medium.
Transfer steak to plate and cover lightly with foil.
Add garlic to skillet and sauté over medium-high
heat for 2 minutes or until lightly browned.
Add Merlot and boil until reduced by half -
about 3 minutes. Add beef stock or broth and simmer
until thickened - 7-8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Add butter and whisk until melted. Season to taste with
salt and pepper.
Cut steak into 2 pieces and place on plates.
Drizzle with sauce and serve.
THE ACCOMPANIMENT:
Whipped Yukon Gold Mashies
6 large or 8 medium Yukon Gold potatoes,
peeled and cubed
½ cup vegetable both
½ cup sour cream
A pinch or two of ground nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste.
Cook potatoes in medium saucepan of boiling
salted water until tender - about 20 minutes..
Drain well and return potatoes to pan.
Add sour cream and nutmeg and whip 1 minute more
or until thoroughly blneded. Season potatoes to
taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Use any extra steak sauce as gravy if desired.
THE DESSERT:
Nutmegger Chocolate Pie with Fresh Whipped Cream
(an old Connecticut favorite)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP. unsweetened cocoa
½ cup evaporated milk
Combine sugar and cocoa, then add eggs, butter and milk.
Mix well and pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
Garnish each slice with freshly-whipped real cream.
Click here to see the complete
collection of recipes from The Stray Gourmet.
Until next time, see you around the galaxy.
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