Valentine’s Day dinners can either involve reservations or a romantic dinner made by hand.  The best part to eating at home is no corking fee on the wine and your fancy clothes can stay in the closet.  Try these two decadent recipes which may take a bit practice but will “wow” your Valentine.

Beef Wellington is the Bain to the existence of many a cook to enter Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen”.  So much can go right, and yet so much can go wrong during the preparation of this dish.  Here is another opportunity to use your meat thermometer to nail it every time just like a seasoned Micheline Star Chef!  IF your guest is particular with the cook of their meat, keep in mind this should be prepared  medium rare (internal Temp of 140-145) so you can make individual Wellingtons with cut steaks as opposed to a full roast.

 

Beef Wellington

 

The Duxelles (fancy name for the mushroom and shallot filling):

1 ½ lbs mushrooms (your choice) sliced

2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

2 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves only)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a sauté pan.  Sweat all ingredients in the pan until tender (you can add a little splash of white wine here if you like).  Remove and pulse with either an immersion blender or in a food processor.  Set aside to cool.  This should look like a chunky paste NOT a liquid.

 

Beef:

3 lbs center cut beef tenderloin roast (you may need to trim the end to keep it uniform…or tell your butcher what you are using it for and they will cut it for you)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste but use it liberally because tenderloin is generally bland if not seasoned properly)

12 thin slices prosciutto

6 sprigs of fresh thyme (leaves only)

2 Tbsp grainy mustard (more if needed)

1 large sheet of puff pastry (yes you could make it fresh, but thawed frozen store bought sheets works as does Pillsbury crescent dough if you are making individual Wellingtons and not roasts)

2 large eggs (lightly beaten for graze prior to roasting to give it a lovely colour)

Pat the roast as dry as you can get it using paper towel.  Once dry, season the roast with salt and pepper and sear the tenderloin in a heavy bottom pan.  Only a couple minutes each side to create a caramelized crust (you could give it a light flour coating to get a really nice and easy crust).  Set aside and cut off the butcher twine keeping it in a cylinder shape before you do anything else with it.  Once cool, rub the entire roast with the mustard.

On the counter or table lay out a sheet of plastic wrap about a 1 and ½ feet in length so you can wrap the roast up in a clean and easy way once ready. Shingle the prosciutto across the plastic wrap so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef.   Spread a layer of the duxelle on the prosciutto (right to the edge) and place the roast on top.  Grab the edge of the plastic wrap and wrap the roast.  Let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Lay out your thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and place the prosciutto wrapped roast on top.  If you can roll the pastry and seal the edges do so, otherwise used a second sheet and seal it completely.  Use the egg wash to coat the surface of the roast and score it gently with a sharp knife to create a decorative pattern and small steam vents.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 425F for 10 minutes on parchment paper or a greased wire rack.  Reduce heat to 400F and continue to bake for about 40 to 60 minutes.  Until your desired internal temperature (125 will be rare…140 medium rare…use your meat thermometer.)

Let rest and serve.

You can choose your sides.  Roasted or mashed potatoes are a classic way to finish this off.  You can try grilled asparagus or kale florets sautéed in smoked bacon and lemon zest like I used for this dish.  Plus do not forget a bold sauce to finish the dish.

Red Wine Sauce

2 Tbsp un-salted butter

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

1 garlic clove (crushed)

1 C dry red wine

1 C Beef stock

¼ C balsamic vinegar

2 fresh thyme sprigs

In a small pot on medium heat bring all ingredients to a simmer and reduce liquid by ½.

Strain sauce to remove all chunks.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on your Wellington and be thankful nobody called you a “donkey” during the preparation of this killer meal!

 

Ile Flottante (floating islands)

This desert is a French classic!  Ile Flottante (floating islands) is old school but timeless.   It holds such a deep rooted foundation in French custom that there are stories of French cavalry creating this in rather minimalistic improvised kitchens.  Yes, chocolate is a staple of Valentine’s Day but this dish will pair perfectly with wine or champagne and beat any box of chocolates any day every day.  Yes, it does take time, but make it the night before.  May I suggest a candy thermometer for this to ensure you nail it on the first try.

 

Crème Anglaise

1 C milk

1 C heavy cream

½ vanilla bean (scraped out) or use 1 Tbsp of Vanilla extract.

6 egg yolks

½ C sugar

Large bowl with ice cubes and water

 

Combine milk, cream, and vanilla in a medium sauce pan and simmer over medium heat.  Remove and let steep about 15 minutes.  Remove the bean if you used one and set aside (yup, you can use it again for another recipe).  Return mixture to stove and warm over medium heat until tiny bubbles begin to form.

In a medium bowl or stand mixer, whisk egg yolks and sugar until thick and fully incorporated.  As you continue to whisk, drizzle in ½ of the milk mixture.  Reduce the heat to low and return everything to the same pot on the stove.  Congratulations you have made custard!

Using a candy thermometer, stir the custard continuously until you achieve a temperature of 170F (if you hit 180F…start over).  This should take at best about 20 minutes.  The custard will thicken slightly (if you run your finger across the back of a dipped spoon the trench should not fill in).  Pass this though a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl with several ice cubes and water.  Stir your crème anglaise from time to time as it rests for 15 minutes.  Cover tighly (try plastic wrap across the surface to avoid a skin/film forming) and refrigerate.

 

Meringue

6 egg whites (room temperature)

Pinch of fine sea salt

Pinch of cream of tartar (lemon juice or baking powder will work in a pinch…just helps with the sugar chemistry)

½ C sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Non-stick cooking spray

Bring a large, wide mouth pot of water to a bare simmer (low heat)

Using your stand mixer set at a medium speed beat the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until opaque and they start to thicken.  Gradually add the sugar and eventually the vanilla extract.

Raise the mixer speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form (but egg whites still look glossy)

While you can bake the meringues, try this technique.  Coat the bowl of a metal ladle with non-stick spray and scoop out some meringue.  Gently lower the scoop into the boiling water for a couple of minutes.  Gently dislodge the meringue from the ladle and let it float for about 2-3 additional minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Do this one at a time (yes it is a bit time consuming) but you can master the technique and make your perfect sized “islands”.  You can make this a few hours ahead of the event.

 

 Caramel Sauce

In a light coloured heavy bottom pan heat 1 C of sugar until dissolved and a shade lighter then a conventional penny (do you remember those?).  You can kick this sauce up with a splash of bourbon.  If crystallization occurs try dipping a pastry brush dipped in cold water to remove it from the pan (be careful).  Let cool and drizzle over the dish when you plate.

Assemble your dish as follows.  In a shallow bowl spoon in some Crème Anglaise (cover the bottom with a little extra because it is that good).  Settle a meringue island into the centre of the bowl and drizzle some caramel.  Top with raspberries to cut a bit of the sweetness and add some red for the Valentine’s Day celebration.  Enjoy!