Valintines Day Dinner

We got back from Mexico on Tuesday.  We had a crazy ass flight schedule because I was using some frequent flyer miles from a partner airline so your choices can get very limited.  We were catching a 7:20 AM flight from Mexico which meant a 3:45 AM pick up in San Miguel.  Then it was routed through LA which is an hour longer flight than through Houston.  Then we had a 3 hour layover so it was a long, long day before we got back to Albuquerque.

Then Wednesday was a full busy work day so I didn't have much time at all to even think about Valentines Day.  So Thursday morning I realize I haven't done anything.  I wrote a very heartfelt love note to Wife.  I thought about making a meal but was concerned that we'd been eating so much in Mexico that we shouldn't be splurging. Then I concluded that could do a luxurious but portion controlled meal even though I would get back from meetings pretty late.  Here is what I made.

First Course

• Shrimp Cocktail - I made a special cocktail sauce by making Chinese flavor base and infusing it into mayo

Main Course

• Beef Tenderloin - Wrapped in bacon, seared it, cooked it in a low oven so it was equally done all the way through.  Made a deglazing sauce with reduction of red wine and beef broth.  We split an 8 oz portion
• Mashed Potatoes in the style of Robochon - This master chef is noted for a mashed potato that is about 50% potato and 50% butter.  I didn't go that far but it is about emulsifying a lot of butter into the potatoes like making a vinaigrette or mayonnaise.  In the spirit of portion control I only served a few spoonfuls of this each
• Sauteed Mushrooms Top Chef - On this season I saw one of the contestants use a technique of roasting the mushrooms first to get rid of some of the moisture before the final saute.  It resulted in the best mushrooms ever.

Dessert

• Crepes with Caramelized Pears - I whipped up a crepe batter and caramelized some pear slices before dinner.  I made the crepes put the pears inside and whipped up a small amount of cream with honey and vanilla.  This was my least successful dish as I was a little too light with the sugar and it needed to be a bit sweeter for my love.

We had a 2000 Pomerol to go along with it.  In spite of not starting cooking until around 6 PM, we were still eating by 7:30.