We love to eat out in restaurants, but not on a special day like Valentine's Day when there's likely a prix fixe menu at inflated prices and over-booking so that we have to wait forever to be seated and then slowly served. Valentine's Day has become one of the busiest days in the restaurant year, and we're simply not willing to pay the extra money for food that's more than we can eat and most likely not the best choice for our meal plan.
So we opt to "cook in" on Valentine's Day where we can enjoy some quiet conversation, lots of mood music to keep the evening romantic, maybe a little dancing in the kitchen, and a meal that we know will be not only equal to, but possibly better than what we can get in a restaurant. Besides, we think that making a meal for two is a very romantic activity.
Our menu is elegant but simple since Valentine's Day falls on a Thursday this year. The starter comes in the form of a delightful salad inspired by Bill Wavrin of Rancho La Puerta. You'll be seeing several of Bill's fabulous recipes in our forth-coming The Joslin Diabetes Great Chefs Cook Healthy Cookbook to be published by Simon & Schuster in October of this year. The recipe here is adapted from his cookbook and sets the tone for the dinner to come.
Serve this meal on elegant china with gleaming crystal and your best linens. Fuss a little with a fresh floral centerpiece and light the candles all over the house. Don't forget to exchange Valentine cards!
Our entrée is one of our favorites when we want to dine special-the smallest and youngest rack of lamb that we can find, roasted to perfection with a savory crust on the rib bones, Frenched so they are as long as possible. With this we're serving a tian of roasted vegetables that compliment the richness of the lamb. Dessert is a creamy rice pudding made earlier that day with unsweetened coconut milk and topped with fresh raspberries. Follow this with strong coffee or espresso and you'll have dined on one of the best meals being served anywhere that night.
(for the recipes, click on the individual recipe above)
FTG
