See Us Eat: Valentine's Dinner at Home

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Valentine's Dinner at Home

We try to avoid the over-priced prix fixe situation you almost always encounter if you try to go out on Valentine's day. And we like to try to celebrate this most Hallmark of holidays in a decidedly non-commercial way. So, our tradition is surf and turf flanked by fondue on either side, at home.

Cherry Tomatos, Bread Cubes, Brocolli Florets and Pickled Onions
All for dipping in ooey-gooey cheese.

The Cheese Fondue
This year we tried a mixture of cheese, one being garlic cheese and it was quite strong, although still good. Also, last year we omitted the cornstarch and the cheese was a bit stringy. This year we added the cornstarch and the texture was a tad grainy, but much easier to dip into. We have not yet perfected the texture, but I suppose we have plenty of years ahead of us for that.

-2 cups grated sharp cheddar
-2 cups grated roasted garlic cheese
-1/2 cup dry while wine
-1 tb lemon juice
-2 tb cornstarch

In a fondue pot (we love our Cuisinart CFO-3SS Electric Fondue Maker) melt the cheese, then add the other ingredients, stirring frequently, until the cheesy mixture is uniform. Then dip to your heart's content.

Beer Steamed Crab Legs
We simply steamed these king crab legs in beer until heated through, then dunked in garlic butter and a bit of lemon juice.

Dry Aged Ribeye, Pan Fried
Since this was a premium, dry aged cut of meat, we simply seasoned with course salt and pepper, then pan fried in butter and oil for about 3 minutes on each side for rare. It was quite good.

Whiskey Chocolate Fondue
Giao isn't that into sweets, but Alexis is a sucker for any kind of dark chocolate. For this version, we added some whiskey for flavor.

-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-2 tb whiskey

Put all ingredients into the fondue pot and melt, stirring constantly until uniform. Then dip whatever tastes good. We stick to fruit, but some people like cake and marshmallows and that sort of thing.