Gourmet Valentine's Day

Tonight was one of my prouder cooking moments. Since Jim had to work tonight (as did I), we kept Valentine's Day extremely low key. I cooked dinner, and Jim tried to help out. I started with the pasta dish, one of Giada's recipes: Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas. This was one of her new recipes from the "A Cut Above the Rest" episode, featuring her Italian twist on steakhouse dishes. It was a very simple recipe and easy to make, but I knew it would be tasty simply based on the ingredients. While boiling the orzo in chicken broth, onions and cremini mushrooms were sauteed in butter and then Marsala wine. The orzo and mushroom mixture was tossed together with cubed fresh mozzarella, fontina, frozen peas, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and then placed in my favorite green Emile Henry Artisan 8 x 8 casserole dish. It was then topped with a mixture of breadcrumbs, parmesan, and dried thyme and then baked at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.



I waited on putting the pasta in the oven until the second side dish was ready, Focaccia with Rosemary and Grapes, also from the steakhouse episode. I wasn't sure Jim would like this one, since the combination of ingredients was definitely unusual. I wasn't even sure that I would like it. Baked grapes just doesn't sound good. But I've seen Tyler Florence make focaccia with grapes and now Giada, so I figured there was something to it. I used store bought pizza dough from Trader Joe's (at a dollar, even if it didn't turn out, I wouldn't be devastated), stretched it out into a rectangle, and Jim brushed it with EVOO and sprinkled coarse sea salt while I chopped up shallot, rosemary, and garlic. That went on top of the dough with both red and green grapes. This also baked for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, so it worked to do both at once.



While they were in the oven, I started in on the filet mignon. I splurged at Whole Foods and bought .51 lb. of filet mignon. At $25/pound, it was definitely a splurge, but I read somewhere that top quality filet mignon is absolutely worth it and that if I was going to make it, that I needed the best. I've done the Safeway filet mignon before, and Jim's liked it, but tonight was supposed to be special. Anyway, I actually made the merlot reduction before cooking the steak. I sauteed shallot and garlic in grapeseed oil that I got from TJ's. I've never cooked with grapeseed oil before, but I knew it had a high smoking point, so I figured it'd be easy enough to use. It didn't seem to add any flavor like EVOO, but it was so flavorful that didn't matter. I added rosemary, thyme, merlot and beef stock and reduced it to a thick, syrupy consistency. While it simmered, the filet got seared in grapeseed oil for 3 minutes per side and then baked off in the oven at 375 until it was done. Neither Jim or I could remember what the internal temp needed to be, so the steak ended up closer to medium than medium rare, but Jim said it was still very tender. It was my first time attempting a Robert Irvine recipe for Jim. I have been very hesitant to try a Dinner Impossible recipe because they look very complicated and are extremely gourmet, but this one looked good. I made a vegetarian recipe of his for my brother D's b-day last year, but that's been it.

Anyway, after steaming some asparagus, the feast was ready. I was so proud of myself after it was plated--the meal looked so beautiful! The merlot reduction was supposed to be drizzled on top, but since Jim is so picky about sauces, I served it on the side. After I admired the little condiment cups Chevy's used, Jim stole one from the restaurant (sh!). It was quite a surprise to open up my box of leftovers to find it sitting there. So I poured the reduction into that, plated the steak, pasta, asparagus, and the bread.



I absolutely loved the focaccia. The grapes were such an unusual addition, but it paired perfectly. Plus with the fresh herbs, it was very light, too. Jim liked it, too, but not nearly as much as me. I definitely want to make it again for my family. I don't know if my dad will care for it, but I like it enough to eat the whole thing myself (eventually). I didn't really get to eat the pasta, since it had chicken broth in it. Jim said I should have just used vegetable broth, but there was leftover chicken broth from the roasted chicken I made earlier in the week. There actually wasn't quite enough, so I used a boullion cube to supplement it. The orzo absorbed all of the liquid, which was a bit of a surprise, so I'll have to remember to add more broth next time. But I did try a mushroom and a bit of the top. The top was dry, but Jim assured me that it was plenty moist in the main dish. The mushroom was delicious with the Marsala. I have to say that I love Marsala. I know I've said it before, but it adds such richness and depth to the food.

But the crowning moment was that Jim liked the reduction! In fact, he ate almost all of it. Very little went down the drain, which was an absolute first. I was so very, very excited.

So overall, the meal was a great success. Jim ate it all, plus a huge glass of milk. He has leftover orzo, but after tonight, the focaccia will be gone.

Next week, the goal is Bobby Flay's tangerine-glazed chicken. Already got the tangerine juice. But this weekend, we're going to Prima Ristorante in Walnut Creek Friday night, McCovey's with Big and Little A on Saturday, and it's dinner with Jim's family on Sunday night for Little A's birthday. Monday is still up in the air, but I'm thinking Lark Creek in Walnut Creek for dinner and some sort of brunch, maybe in Berkeley.