Valentine’s Day Menu

Breakfast

• Cava Cocktail
• Challah French Toast
• Hashed Browns

Dinner

• Arugula Salad
• Wild Mushroom Risotto
• Pepper-crusted Steak (not for me)
• Sauteed Asparagus

Dessert

• ??? What does Chef Trader Joe’s have prepared?

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

• 3 14 1/2-ounce cans vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 pound assorted wild mushrooms (such as oyster, crimini and stemmed shiitake), sliced
• 1 cup arborio rice* or medium-grain rice
• 1/2 cup dry Sherry
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
• 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Preparation

Bring vegetable broth to simmer in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover and keep broth hot.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter with olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped shallots; sauté 1 minute. Add wild mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender and juices are released, about 8 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add Sherry and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add 3/4 cup hot vegetable broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining hot vegetable broth 3/4 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh thyme. Serve warm.

Serves 4-main course or 6-first course servings.

From Epicurious.com

Cava Cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 blood oranges, plus 1 thin slice, for garnish
• Splash of fresh lemon juice
• Splash of bitters
• 1/2 cup chilled cava

Directions
Using a reamer, juice the blood oranges into a strainer placed over a bowl. With the back of the spoon work the pulp against the strainer to extract all of the juice, about 1/4 cup.

In a small pitcher combine the blood orange juice, lemon juice, bitters, and the chilled cava. Give it a little stir. Pour into a chilled champagne flute. Garnish with a thin slice of blood orange.

Serves 1.

From Food Network, Alex Guarnaschelli

Menning Mimosa

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons orange flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
• Prosecco, chilled
• Fresh mint leaf

Directions
In a Champagne flute, mix together orange juice, lemon juice, and liqueur. Fill with Prosecco. Garnish with mint leaf and serve immediately.

Makes one cocktail.

From Martha Stewart

Hashed Browns

Ingredients
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and 1/2-inch diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced scallions (white and green parts)

Directions
Melt the butter in a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan. Add the potatoes, onions, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally with a flat spatula, until the potatoes are evenly browned and cooked through. (Allow the potatoes to cook for 5 minutes before turning.) Turn off the heat and add the parsley and scallions. Serve hot.

Serves 4-6
Cook time: 20 minutes

From Food Network, Ina Garten

Challah French Toast

Ingredients

• 6 extra-large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon good honey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large loaf challah or brioche bread
• Unsalted butter
• Vegetable oil

To serve

• Pure maple syrup
• Good raspberry preserves (optional)
• Sifted confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Slice the challah in 3/4-inch thick slices. Soak as many slices in the egg mixture as possible for 5 minutes, turning once.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a sheet pan and keep it warm in the oven. Fry the remaining soaked bread slices, adding butter and oil as needed, until it’s all cooked. Serve hot with maple syrup, raspberry preserves, and/or confectioners’ sugar.

Yields: 8 large slices
Cook time: 12 minutes

From Food Network, Ina Garten

General Tso’s Tofu

Ingredients

• 12oz firm tofu
• egg substitute for 1 egg, or 1 egg beaten lightly
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• vegetable oil for frying
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2/3 cup veggie stock or broth
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 4 tbsp sugar
• red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 tbsp white vinegar

• steamed broccoli
• cooked rice of your choice

Directions

1. Drain, dry and cut tofu into 1 inch chunks.
2. Mix the egg-replacer as specified on the box and add 3 tbsp water. Dip tofu in egg replacer/water mixture and coat completely. Or dip tofu in lightly beaten egg.
3. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cornstarch over tofu and coat completely.
4. Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden, then drain oil from tofu.
5. Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in pan on medium heat. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic then cook while stirring for about 2 minutes. Do not burn garlic. Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper, and vinegar.
6. Mix 2 tbsp water with 1 tbsp cornstarch and drizzle slurry into sauce. Add fried tofu to the sauce and coat evenly. Serve immediately with steamed broccoli over your choice of rice.

Serves 2.

Source: Boston Organics

Robie’s Buttermilk Pancakes

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk, set aside:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine salt

Combine the wet ingredients in a second bowl, whisk:

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 beaten eggs

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined. Fry in a pan with butter. Top with maple syrup and devour.

Don’t skimp on the ingredients here. Use real butter and real vanilla extract, but especially real maple syrup and real buttermilk. Depending on where you live/shop, actual buttermilk might be difficult to find. The term “buttermilk” formerly referred to the liquid left behind after churning butter but nowadays refers to a cultured milk product not unlike drinkable yogurt. The only real buttermilk we’ve been able to find (in VT and MA) is Kate’s Real Buttermilk; even at the NYC Greenmarket, the best you can find is cultured buttermilk made with whole milk. At least attempt to avoid most grocery store buttermilk; it’s made from skim milk with added thickeners and such, basically buttermilk without any richness, which is, like, what’s the point? Oh, and no powdered buttermilk either…it messes with the texture too much. The point is, these are buttermilk pancakes and they taste best with the best buttermilk you can get your mitts on.

Source: Kottke.org

Cranberry Brie

Ingredients

• Brie (wheel or good size wedge)
• 3/4 c. fresh cranberries
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. raisins (I use golden)
• 1/3 c. water
• 1/8 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp. all spice
• 1/8 tsp. ground clove
• 1/8 tsp. ground ginger

Instructions

• Put all ingredients (except the Brie) into a small pan and cook on medium heat until berries pop or get soft.
• Remove top crust of brie.
• Put mixture on top.
• Put in oven at 200 degrees for 10 – 15 mins or microwave until cheese gets soft.

From Denise Ritchie

Sparkling Cranberries

For the simple syrup, raw cane sugar or real brown sugar lends a nice molasses flavor to the cranberries, but regular granulated sugar (or a blend of brown/white) will work.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cranberries, picked over
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• More sugar for coating: I do a mix of medium-grained organic sugar for the first coating, and then a second toss with regular granulated white sugar. You don’t want a huge grain for that first toss, just something larger than standard sugar, smaller than most turbinado sugars (slightly-chunky organic).

Instructions:

1. Place the cranberries in a medium glass bowl and set aside.
2. Make a simple syrup by bringing the water and sugar just to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Let the syrup cool for a couple minutes and then pour it over the cranberries. If the syrup is too hot the cranberries will burst, so be careful. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day, drain the cranberries and toss them with larger grained sugar until they are well coated. I only use a scoop of sugar at a time, and small batches of cranberries, so the sugar doesn’t get too damp. Place the coated cranberries on a baking sheet to dry for a few hours.
4. Do a second toss with the regular granulated sugar, this typically takes care of any sticky spots on the cranberries. Let dry another hour.

Makes 2 cups of sparkling cranberries.

From 101 Cookbooks, December 2009