Valentine's Dinner Menu

Just a bit behind in posting.Valentines is one of the times I like to go for gold and really set out to challenge myself and impress my guests, so for Valentine's last year, I was inspired by the French Laundry Cookbook I received as a Christmas gift from my husband.  Since I work full time, I had to streamline the recipes a bit.

Menu

• Puff pastry coins topped with Gorgonzola mousse, toasted walnuts and caramelized pear
• Egg shells filled with truffle custard topped with mushroom ragout and drizzled with truffle oil
• Roasted beet and blood oranges with baby greens, feta cheese and champagne vinaigrette
• Marscapone orzo topped with butter poached lobster and lobster butter with grated Parmesan
• Sous Vide chicken roulades stuffed with spinach, Gruyère, prosciutto and mustard, served atop creamed corn and roasted red pepper sauces
• Red Velvet Cake balls dipped in dark chocolate and served with raspberry sauce

For the puff pastry appetizers, I was inspired by several recipes, so there is not a specific one for these delicious tid bits. To start, I cut circles out of puff pastry sheets and pierced then with a fork, baked them according to the package and stored them in an air tight container until Saturday.  I made the mousse with a package of cream cheese, 6 ounces of Gorgonzola and enough heavy cream to make the consistency pipe-able by whirling in the food processor. Toasted some walnuts and chopped very fine.  I took two peeled pears and sliced each into layers, then julienned and then cut into a small fine dice. I tossed the pears with some honey and butter and sauteed until juices were absorbed and pears were well caramelized.  Setting the pears and walnuts aside and bringing the mousse to room temp when ready to assemble about an hour before guests arrived.  To assemble, I piped a dollop of the Gorgonzola mouse onto each puff pastry coin, sprinkled with the toasted walnuts and then topped with a demitasse spoonful of the caramelized pear.  Very pretty and oh so yummy with a nice pinot.

I took Friday off and did the shopping in the morning and then came back and started prepping.  I'd already bought the egg shell cutter. And although it only took six eggs to get the hang of it, it took two dozen eggs to get the 10 I needed for my dinner.  The trick with the egg topper is not to let the spring thingy hit too hard. Use a paring knife point to separate the top of the egg from the bottom.  The hard part is removing the membrane inside without breaking part of the eggshell off while holding it.  But it was worth it.  Not only is the recipe in the French Laundry easy, but superb quality.  It calls for a truffle ragout, but I used baby bellas, adding a bit of truffle salt and drizzle of good truffle oil. Thomas Keller may not agree, but my guests thought it was outstanding. The presentation in the egg shells and cups made it very special and well worth the little extra effort.

Blackberry Ancho Chili Wine Reduction

This is a play off a Boby Flay recipe, but I've made it much simpler while capturing all the flavor.  Once you make this, you'll be craving it.  I've used frozen organic blackberries, as well as fresh, so you can make this sauce year around no matter where you are located.



Ingredients

1 each Garlic clove, chopped

2 tablespoons Canola oil

2 tablespoons Cilantro, chopped

2/3 cup Brown sugar

2 tablespoons Ancho Chili powder

3 cups Red wine (merlot, shiraz or cabernet)

1 can Apple-Raspberry frozen juice concentrate

10 ounces Blackberries (fresh or frozen)



Heat a 4 quart saucepan on med-high heat. Add oil, garlic and Ancho Chili powder. Sauté for about one minute, until fragrant. Add wine and simmer vigorously until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add brown sugar, cilantro, juice concentrate and blackberries. Cook until syrupy or reaches 225 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat. Can be served warm or at room temperature.







Yields: 1 ½ cups or enough for about 10 – 12 servings.

Mole Chile Rub

This is a great rub to use on chicken, pork or beef.  The chocolate adds a great backdrop to the chile with just a touch of sweetness of offset the bite of the chocolate and chile. It's great all by itself, by with the Ancho Chile Blackberry Wine Reduction sauce, its exceptional.  The flavors combinations will send your taste buds to heaven.
Ingredients

1/2 cup Brown sugar

2/3 cup Ancho Chili powder

2/3 cup Granulated garlic

1/3 cup Smoked paprika

3 tablespoons Sea salt

1/3 cup Cocoa powder

Place all ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork. Store in an air-tight container.

Sprinkle one to two tablespoons on meat about 30 minutes before grilling or cooking.



Yields: 2 ¼ cups

Coffee Rubbed Grilled Steak with Cilantro/Garlic Butter

Summer's not complete without a grilled steak.  Try something a bit different with this Coffee Rub.  I know, coffee?  Yes, but you can't really taste the coffee. And I know it seems like a lot of spices, but it takes less that 5 minutes to put them all in a bowl and mix and you can store this in an air-tight container and use all summer.  The coffee gives the rub a deep flavor without overpowering it, so you can use this on pork, or chicken.  I've even used it on a grilled turkey breast that I chilled in used in a salad for lunch.  Yum.

Don't skip the Cilantro Garlic Butter on the steak.  This lets your taste buds know their not at your local Western Sizzler.  If you've never put a dab of flavored butter on your steak and let melt before you dig into it, you're in for a real treat.  The butter's fresh flavor adds a succulence to the meat that is just to die for.  You'll love it.  Definitely an easy way to bring your steak up a notch.

Grilled Coffee Rubbed Steaks with Cilantro Butter

 Serves 4

Coffee Rub Ingredients:

1/4 cup chili powder

1/2 cup instant coffee granules

4 tablespoons Spanish paprika

4 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoon dry mustard

2 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoon dried oregano

4 teaspoons ground ginger

4 Sirloin or rib-eye steaks, 1 1/2-inches thick

Canola or olive oil

8 tablespoons Cilantro Butter

Directions

Combine all spices in a bowl and mix thoroughly with fork, being sure to break up any brown sugar lumps.

Preheat grill to high heat. Brush each side of the steak with oil and then season each side liberally with 2 tablespoons of the coffee rub onto 1 side of each steak. 

Cook the steaks, rub side down until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the steaks over, cook for 2 minutes and then turn grill down to medium heat and cook until medium-rare doneness, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from grill and top each steak with 2 tablespoon of Cilantro Butter and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Cilantro Garlic Butter

Top your steaks with this and you'll be the named the grill master. Also good on grilled shrimp and chicken or fish.

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, slightly softened

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (1 bunch rinsed and stems removed)

fresh lime juice from half a lime

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Combine the butter, garlic, cilantro and 1 teaspoon lime juice in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and add more lime juice if needed.