when you eat at some of the best restaurants in the country on a regular basis, the idea of scrounging up a reservation at a hot restaurant (if even possible), be seated next to other lubby dubby couples where you get absolutely no privacy and have to yell your sweet nothings at each other, and be relegated to its "special valentine's menu" instead of be able to order what you really want from the menu (read: what can we serve that's cheap and easy to make en masse and we can charge $50 per guest), is just absurd.
so this year, i decided to make my own five course valentine's dinner for my sweetheart at home. it's been a while since i've posted (sorry) and i really haven't been cooking much at all, but it was a joy to get back into the kitchen and whipping up some good grub. it was also exciting to work with some fun, luxurious ingredients. no prep pictures this time, as i was under deadline, so use your imagination. =) so without further ado...
the menu...
oysters ready for shucking! quick note: after getting your oysters home from the bar or farm, i recommend scrubbing them down with a brush in cold water to get rid of dirt and grime and make the shucking process a little cleaner. also, if you're not shucking immediately, place the oysters, deep cup side down in a bowl and cover with a wet kitchen towel in the fridge for up to 2 days max.
first course: beau soleil (atlantic northwest) and hog island sweetwater (pacific tomales bay) oysters on the half shell with champagne mignonette. i picked up both from the hog island oyster bar in the ferry building and shucked them right before serving. the beau soleils were bright, briny and meaty while the sweetwaters were sweeter and more delicate. what really brought it all together was the mignonette, a simple but tasty mixture of 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar, a minced shallot, 1/4 t salt, 1/4 pepper, and another 2 tablespoons of champagne poured right before serving. great way to start off the meal after popping the bubbly.
a 2 lb live lobster freshly steamed for about 14 minutes over boiling water. left to cool off, i then cracked the shells, and removed and coarsely chopped the delicate meat. the shells were then added to a small sauce pan with some water, bay leaf and black peppercorns to reduce down to 1 tablespoon of lobstery essence.
third course: warm lobster salad over butter lettuce with tarragon butter. the above lobster essence was whisked with 4 tablespoons of butter and seasoned with tarragon, lemon, salt and pepper to create the lobster dressing. after warming the lobster morsels in the dressing, i layered the meat over butter lettuce dressed with a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. the brightness and acidity of the lemon cut through the richness of the lobster and butter perfectly and the tarragon added a light liquorice note. quite rich on the palate. and how many times do you get to cook and devour a whole lobster!?
third course: salmon sushi and seaweed salad. continuing the seafood theme, i thought it'd be nice to include some fresh fish. both the sushi and seaweed salad came from nijiya market in j town. very fresh and a nice counterpoint to the richness of the last course.
fourth course: roasted miso marinated chilean sea bass with wasabi mashed purple potatoes and blue lake green beans. i originally wanted black cod for this, as i intended to make nobu's famed miso black cod, but nijiya market was out and the fish monger recommended the chilean sea bass as the next best substitute. boy, he was right. the filets, marinated in a sweet miso paste of red miso, sake, mirin and sugar for 2 days, was browned in a grill pan for a couple of minutes and then roasted in the oven for another 10 min until moist and flaky. so tasty, sweet and savory. the purple potatoes, mashed with shallots, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, provided a tasty and light starch and the green beans were simply blanched. yum, yum, yum.
fifth course: lemon curd panna cotta and lavender short bread cookies. if you're a regular of my blog, you probably know i don't bake or really make desserts. never really successful at it. so seeing as i had 4 other courses to prepare, i decided to take the easy route and pick up dessert at miette patisserie at the ferry building. light, lemony panna cotta paired well with the buttery, crumbly lavender cookies and was a nice way to wrap up a luxurious but light meal. too bad my sweetheart wasn't all that into lemony desserts. oh well, more for me!
the meal was paired with a wonderful bottle of 2006 domaine carneros brut rose from napa. crisp, clean but with enough heft to match the richness of the seafood menu but enough bubbles to cut through it as well.
my sweetheart had a fantastic time and i, apparently, got five stars. ;) next year, think about preparing your special someone a simple yet luxurious dinner for two at home. put on some slinky jazz, add a roaring fireplace (or in my instance, the youtube fireplace video on my flat screen tv), some candles and a whole lot of canoodling and you'll have a very fun, intimate and romantic valentine's that won't put you out 3 bills. ;) happy valentine's day!
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