Feed the Love: Cooking for Two on Valentine’s Day
The scent of this sweetly-spiced short rib will have you swooning before you even leave the kitchen. Photo: Abdi Aminlari for 3 Photographers. Styled by Michelle Garcia.
“The sight of lovers feedeth those in love.” - Shakespeare from As You Like It
Once again, Shakespeare nails it and nothing brings this sentiment more to light than Valentine’s Day. When you’re in love, nothing fills you up more than celebrating a day dedicated to millions of other lovers. When you’re not… well, I don’t have to tell you, we’ve all been there!! Like most, I waiver back and forth between celebrating the romantic, fun and flirtatious spirit of the day and dismissing it as a “Hallmark” holiday, crafted to empty our pockets, relegate singles to their homes for the day and stress out guys the world over.
The history of the day is a bit ambiguous. History tells us Valentine’s Day (or Saint Valentine’s Day as it was originally called) is named after 3 early Christian martyrs – all named Valentine – and was decreed a holiday by Pope Gelasius I in 496 A.D. The weird thing, though, is that these martyrs didn’t seem to do anything particularly romantic or loving and the “holiday” wasn’t even associated with hearts, flowers or love until the days of Chaucer in the 14th century. So how’d we get from there to here? Marketing, I suspect, but we all buy in at some point, at some level! Is that so wrong?
When I was six, my brother married my sister-in-law on Valentine’s Day. As I danced around in my pink chiffon flower girl’s gown, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect day. The years passed and heart shaped boxes of chocolate from my Dad gave way to single roses and candy from my high school sweetie, a short but intense anti-love-born-of- punk-rock stint in college and, finally, the segue to expectations of full blown, 5-star meals (roses, chocolates and jewelry also required). And then something changed.
My brother and sister-in-law were celebrating a milestone anniversary. And, since their kids were both away attending college, my mother decided she would cook a “special” dinner for them (my mom’s idea of a special dinner is making a reservation so it still perplexes us why she chose to cook). The day fell on a Friday during Lent and my mom wasn’t sure if they would eat meat on Friday. Rather than querying them, she decided to play it safe with tuna potpie rather than taking me up on my suggestion for seared tuna. Her creation was from a can! But I added the cherry to the meal. I offered up my famous cream puffs (loosely based on the pate de choux of last week’s beignet post). After three attempts and with lateness looming, I made a buy decision and headed out to the local bakery. Closed! I ended up buying brownies from Dunkin Donuts with the thought of warming them and doctoring them up with ice cream and hot fudge. They were harder than hockey pucks. Completely inedible But the dinner was entirely memorable and we’re still laughing about it 14 years later.
While chocolate is typically the dessert of choice for lovers, I bucked the trend with this interesting recipe merging popovers, creme brulee and an orange syrup. Photo: Abdi Aminlari for 3 Photographers. Styled by Michelle Garcia.
Both traumatized and inspired by that event, I now commit myself not only to culinary excellence on Valentine’s Day but I’ve also rededicated myself to the sweet, simple spirit of the day. One year, I woke up early, baked the most delicious scones, put them in baskets and hand delivered them across the state to my parents, my brother/his wife, my best friend and, of course, my own valentine. And finally, it came to pass that my favorite thing to do on Valentine’s Day is to forgo the expensive restaurant with a limited and uninspired “special menu” and instead create one myself and spend time cooking in the kitchen with that special someone. For me, cooking together tops my list of the most romantic and memorable “dates.” If you can work well together in the kitchen, you’ll work well together through life! This Valentine’s Day dinner menu is designed just for two and is easy to execute as a whole or in part. Since Valentine’s Day falls on the weekend this year, you can spend a leisurely evening in the kitchen with your favorite someone. Feed the love!!
This post is dedicated to my brother and sister-in-law. You guys are my inspiration. Happy Anniversary, happy life, happy love!
Special thanks to Abdi Aminlari and Michelle Garcia for their photographic and styling (respectively) genius on this shoot. They do the dishes justice big time!
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Pan-seared scallops topped with make-ahead mushroom ragout makes a quick but elegant starter. Photo: Abdi Aminlari for 3 Photographers. Styled by Michelle Garcia.
Valentine’s Day Menu for Two
Calimyrna Figs and Aged Chevre
Blood Orange and Baby Spinach Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
Pan Seared Scallops with Wild Mushroom Ragout with Beet Beignets
Sweetly-spiced Short Ribs served over a Parsnip Mash
Pistachio Popovers with Cream Brulee Filling and Grand Marnier Syrup
Recipe: Seared Scallops with Wild Mushroom Ragout & Beet Beignets
Ingredients
2 1/2 tbl. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tbl. butter, divided
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 c. Italian parsley
8 oz. wild mushroom combo (shitake, oyster, cremini and//or chanterelle)
1/4 c. dry white wine (or Chamomile grappa if you can find it)
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
6 large sea scallops
sea salt & pepper
Prepare the Mushroom Ragout
Melt 1 tbl. butter with 1 tbl. olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until beginning to color. Stir in garlic and parsley. Add wine; simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up browned bits in skillet, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon peel and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made up to 1 day ahead.)
Prepare the Scallops
Drain and rinse scallops. Pat until completely dry (the key to perfectly browned crust). Season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tbl. butter with 1 1/2 tbl. olive oil in a large skillet over high-heat until the mixture is hot and you see a small amount of smoke. Place the scallops flat side down in the pan, do not crowd and do not move them (or you will not get a perfectly browned crust). Flip the scallops after about 2 minutes and cook for another minute or until the middle of the scallop is slightly transluscent the the scallop is springy rather than firm (be careful not to overcook, they will continue to cook off the heat a bit). Re-heat the mushroom ragout. Plate 3 scallops to each plate and top with the mushroom ragout (leftover ragout is great as crostini with melted taglia cheese). While you’re cooking the scallops, your partner can make the beet beignets. Serve together for a great starter or add a scallop or two for a main course.
