This post is a continuation of the Valentine’s Weekend Recipe Series 🙂 Let’s face it, the only thing that makes a Valentine’s Day dish festive is it either being pink, red or heart shaped. So, use your imagination if these recipes don’t work for you.
Saturday-
Breakfast- Maybe something light for breakfast, fresh fruit, yogurt, granola. Add something special with this twist on ‘guy kibbee eggs’. (Recipe from ChefRecip.es)
‘I Love You Guy Kibbee Eggs’
What you need-
Eggs
Bread
Cheese (optional)
Veggies (your choice, optional)
Directions-
1. Assemble your sandwich, then butter one side of the bread. Separate the egg white and yolk into two bowls. Place the sandwich, buttered-side-down, in a pan over medium heat and grill until golden brown, then remove.
2. Butter the uncooked side of the sandwich. Using a cookie cutter or a sharp knife, cut out the center. Lower the heat slightly, then return both pieces of the sandwich to the pan, uncooked-side-down. Add just enough egg white to fill the bottom of the empty sandwich center, then carefully slip the egg yolk into the center.
3. Cover the pan (this will help the egg cook quicker and melt the cheese) and let everything cook for a couple minutes, checking regularly after one minute to make sure nothing is burning. Once the egg appears to be cooked, immediately remove the sandwich and serve!
Lunch- Jon has been begging me to make pizza with him. I thought that V-Day weekend would be a good time to do so. It is super easy to make everything into a heart.
Heart Pizza
Here’s what you need-
Mozzerella (Here in NYC, we have access to the best fresh mozzarella in America, but you can definitely go to the grocery store and settle for some Sargento brand in the cheese section.)
Sauce (Recipe for good marinara sauce- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/danny-boome/nonas-marinara-sauce-recipe.html, but no one would cry if you got the canned stuff from the grocery store.)
Pizza Dough (Recipe for good pizza dough- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe.html, but again, you can go for the packaged stuff in the grocery store)
Pepperoni (feel free to go the extra mile and cut them into hearts <3)
Any other desired toppings (peppers, olives, onion, etc)
Corn Meal
Directions-
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. If using a pizza stone or cast iron pizza pan, sprinkle with cornmeal. If using a cookie sheet or metal pizza pan, grease with olive oil, then sprinkle with cornmeal.
3. Remove bread dough from refrigerator and stretch or roll out to a thickness of 1/2-inch. Shape into a heart. Prick several places with a fork.
4. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and top with pizza sauce, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around.
6. Sprinkle cheese over sauce.
7. Place pepperoni all over pizza.
8. Bake another 10-20 minutes until pizza is golden and bubbly.
Dinner- I am going to give a main dish and side dish recipe. I also suggest a salad. Maybe cut cucumbers into hearts using a cookie cutter, add craisins for some sweetness, and try to make a beautiful presentation.
Easy Romantic Filet Mignon
Here’s what you need-
2 (8 ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 1 pound total)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced shallot
2 slices bacon
Directions-
- Place oven rack in it’s highest position. Set oven to Broil.
- Rub steaks all over with olive oil. Sprinkle with onion powder, then with salt and pepper. Wrap one slice of bacon around each steak, and secure with a toothpick.
- Place steaks onto a broiler pan, and broil for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the steaks over, and sprinkle the tops with shallots. Broil for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until the steaks are cooked to your liking.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Courtesy of Paula Deen)
Ingredients-
3 medium baking potatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon (or more) whole milk, at room temperature or warmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan.
2. Add the butter, sour cream and garlic. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or the back of a fork until the ingredients are blended.
3. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes are the desired consistency.
4. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
Dessert
Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee (Courtesy of Anne Thornton) Trust me, this recipe is easier than it looks.
Ingredients
Custard:
2 1/3 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar, plus more if needed
1 vanilla bean
6 eggs
Brulee:
4 to 8 teaspoons sugar, divided
Berries:
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Special equipment:
4 (6-ounce) ramekins
a baker’s torch
Directions-
1. For the custard: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place 4 (6-ounce) ramekins in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan. Fill a tea kettle or small saucepan with a spout with water and heat.
2. Add the heavy cream and sugar to a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Using a sharp paringf knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean using the back of the knife to prevent the pod from breaking. Add the seeds and bean to the saucepan. (If any of the vanilla seeds get stuck to your fingers, grab some of your extra sugar and rub the sugar between your fingers over the saucepan to remove every last bit of vanilla seeds and let fall into the cream.) Whisk over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, the vanilla seeds break up and the mixture comes to a simmer. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain into a large measuring cup or bowl with a spout and either discard the vanilla bean or reserve, dry out and add to your sugar bowl!
3. Place a medium bowl over some wet paper towels, or form a dish towel into a circle or wreath shape and nestle the bowl in the center. This will help act as your third hand or as a base to hold the bowl in place when you start tempering in your hot liquid. Separate the eggs, add the yolks to the bowl and whisk to combine. (Reserve the egg whites for another use, or make meringues and store in an air-tight container for a sweet treat anytime!) Gradually whisk in the hot cream mixture, making sure to scrape any remaining vanilla beans into the mixture as well. Return the custard to the measuring cup. Pour the custard into the ramekins, or use either a 4 or 6-ounce ladle to help evenly distribute. Pour enough hot water from your tea kettle into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully transfer the baking dish into the oven. Alternatively, to make sure none of the water from the pan ends up in the filled ramekins, you can place the pan with the ramekins in the oven, and then add the water to come halfway up the sides.
4. Bake the custards until the center is set but still jiggles a bit when you gently shake the pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and set aside to cool to room temperature. Once at room temperature, place into the refrigerator to cool completely.
5. For the brulee: Sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over the tops of each custard, picking up the ramekin if needed. Position the flame of a baker’s torch 1 to 2 inches above the surface of the custard and move the torch around in an even circle to melt and brown the sugar, moving from ramekin to ramekin. Do not allow the sugar to burn. You can even pick up and tilt the ramekin to help even out the caramelized sugar. If you don’t have a baker’s torch, place all the ramekins on a baking sheet and pop under the broiler. Watch the whole time, and rotate the baking sheet as needed until the sugar melts and browns evenly.
6. For the berries: Combine the raspberries, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. When ready to serve, spoon the berry mixture atop the custards.
Please, ‘follow’ along, Sunday’s recipe will be coming soon!
~Sarah
wifeafterchrist 