Homemade Three Course Valentine's Day Dinner

One of my goals of this blog is to get people to not dread being in the kitchen. Cooking can be fun, especially if your significant other, friends or family cook with you. This particular entry is dedicated to sharing a three course meal you can make at home, along side your special someone to celebrate Valentine's Day. Light some candles, turn on some music, open a bottle of wine and have fun!

First up is an appetizer! Zach and I have a friend that went to Culinary School and lives in Cape Cod during the Spring, Summer and Fall. Every winter when he comes home to KC for the off season, he comes over and cooks for us. I love it!! He is my own personal cooking instructor. This appetizer takes a couple of techniques I learned from him.  

Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp and a Beef Gastrique

Ingredients:

Shrimp, 3-4 per person (I like a large variety, the smaller the count number the larger the shrimp)

Spaghetti squash (smallest one you can get - you will have left overs) 

White wine vinegar, 1/4 cup

Sugar, 1/4 cup

Beef broth, 1/2 cup

Chives 2-4 T 
Oil
Salt and Pepper

Spaghetti squash has a firm shell, just like other squashes, but the primary difference is the consistency of the inside. When cooked the inside can be shredded into stings similar to spaghetti pasta - hints the name. To cook the squash, place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour. Similar to a baked potato, you should use a fork or knife to make slits or holes to release air and pressure to avoid bursting. Once done cooking, let cool.

 

Better Bonus Tip: This step can be done the day before to save time, but the squash will need to be stored in the fridge. 

Next up, we need to make the gastrique. A gastrique is equal parts of vinegar and sugar warmed and reduced. I decided to use white wine vinegar for my gastrique. Place 1/4 cup sugar into a small sauce pan and add 1/4 cup vinegar. Turn on heat to medium and let the mixture come to a boil, making sure to stir until the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, turn down heat to medium low and let simmer until starts to reduce (decrease quantity and slightly thicken). At this point the gastrique is a bit of a sweet and sour sauce, so add 1/2 cup beef broth to balance out the flavors. After the beef broth is added and the mixture cooks for a few more minutes, taste (don't burn your tongue!) and adjust flavors to fit your liking. Turn the heat down to low to keep warm until the rest of the dish is ready. 

While the sauce is cooking, turn oven temperature up to 400 degrees. We are going to cook the shrimp in the oven. Before baking, make sure the shell is off and they are deveined (you can buy them this way). Toss shrimp in oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

Lastly, we need to prepare the squash. Slice open the slightly cooled squash and remove the seeds. Then use the prongs on a fork and scrap the insides of the squash and it will be begin to shred into thin strips.

To assemble, place a couple of spoon fulls of the gastrique onto a plate. Then place a mound of the squash in the center of the liquid and place shrimp around the edges. Sprinkle with chives for color. 

Better Bonus Tips:  The squash is best at room temperature to slightly warm, so if you made the squash the night before, after shredding it, you may want to warm a bit.

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Now that the appetizer is done, lets move onto the main course. When I first decided to do my blog I decided I was going to really focus on food that I made on my own, without following a recipe step by step - my own creations if you will.  Well this particular main dish is not my own creation. I thought, is there a way I can modify this to make it my own, but honestly, just couldn't bring myself to do it. There is nothing I can do to make it better or different in a good way. It is so delicious and an elegant dish, that it fit in perfectly to the 'line up'. Plus, I figured you will get a lot of recipes with this particular blog entry, so one that isn't mine is okay - right? 

I have made this for my neighbors and some friends, in addition shared it with a friend to make for her husband on his birthday - continues to be highly approved! I think the proscuitto and sauce make this dish. For those of you that have never used proscuitto before, it is an Italian ham. It can be purchased at most deli counters, but can be a bit more pricy than other deli meats. The good thing is you want them to make paper thin slices, so it won't end up weighing that much, but feel free to use regular ham if you need to cut costs. Just remember to have them shave the slices very thin! Crispy, salty deliciousness!

By the way, you will notice the ingredients and directions are much more descriptive than when I write a recipe - I am working on that! 

Prosciutto Wrapped Beef Cubes with Mustard Pan Sauce

From the kitchen of Cooking for a Better Tomorrow, courtesy of Food Network 

Ingredients:

1 pound tender cut beef, cut into roughly 2-inch cubes to make 12 pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound prosciutto
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small shallot, diced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon coarse-grain mustard
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves 

Sprinkle beef on all sides with black pepper. Wrap beef cubes with enough prosciutto to cover entirely. Be sure that prosciutto doesn't overlap more than once. Place wrapped cubes seam side down on a plate. In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and butter. When butter has melted add beef cubes, seam-side down to seal, then saute until crisp on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes for medium rare. Remove beef and let rest 5 minutes before serving. Add shallots to pan and saute 1 minute to soften. Add chicken stock and scrape up brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Whisk in mustard and heavy cream and cook 1 minute more to thicken sauce. Remove from heat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley. 

Better Bonus Tip: Make sure to use a plastic cutting board when working with the beef. 

Better Bonus Tip: This recipe serves four, so either cut it in half or leave as is and you will have left overs.

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So what should you have with the beef? Try these delicious crispy potatoes!  

 

Smashed Roasted Potatoes

Adapted by Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes

Ingredients:

Small potatoes, yukon gold or new potatoes (2-3 per person)

Garlic, 2 cloves chopped

Chives, 4 T chopped 

Lemon, 1

Sour Cream, 1 cup

Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Place potatoes in cool water and bring the water to a boil. Salt water and boil until fork tender (fork can be inserted into the potato and easily removed), approx 10 minutes. 

Better Bonus Tip: Adding the potatoes to cool water allows for equal cooking time and consistency of the potatoes' skin and flesh. 

 

Once potatoes are fork tender, remove from water and place on greased baking sheet and let them cool slightly.  Next, use a potato masher and gently smash the potatoes. I have found if you don't press the masher all the way down, the potato will not fall apart. 

Better Bonus Tip: Spray some cooking oil onto the masher to help the potatoes not stick.

 

Once all potatoes are smashed, sprinkle with salt, pepper, chopped garlic, half of the chopped chive and then a drizzle of oil and lemon juice. 

Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.

Mix remaining chopped chives with sour cream and drizzle over warm potatoes once out of the oven. 

Better Bonus Tip: For an elegant look, place the sour cream mixture in a plastic bag and cut off the tip. Gently squeeze the plastic bag over the potatoes.  

Serve the beef and potatoes with your favorite side salad and you have a five star meal made by you!

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Okay, last but not least - DESSERT! I have to have dessert, but like it to be easy and not really heavy.

Fruit Trifle

Ingredients:

Angel food cake (could also substitute pound cake)

Packaged whipped cream

Favorite berries (fresh and frozen)

Mint

Chop angel food cake into bite size pieces. Blend frozen fruit in a blender or food processor. Add some fresh mint if you would like.

Serve in a nice glass and layer ingredients as you would like until the glass is almost full.

My trifle layers consisted of: 
angel food cake, whipped topping, fresh strawberries, 
angel food cake, whipped topping, frozen raspberry/mint puree, fresh blueberries, 
angel food cake whipped topping, all of the fruit for the final layer (fresh strawberries, frozen raspberry/mint puree dollop, fresh blueberries and a mint leaf).

Better Bonus Tip:  Make one and use two spoons - more romantic! 

  

Happy Valentines Day!

~Ashley

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