Valentine’s Day is only a few days away.  Still trying to figure what to do? My suggestion is to stay home and cook a lovely meal to impress him or her. What says “I love you” more than feeding your loved one. Besides it is most probably too late to make dinner reservations at a decent restaurant, and knocking elbows with the rest of the other couples in a crowded, noisy restaurant does not sound very romantic. A home dinner is more appealing with great ambiance.

It is not too late to come up with a menu (simple but delicious) to wow him or her.  If you are on a budget and still want to make an impression, splurge on one expensive ingredient and balance the rest of the menu with lesser cost items but still delicious. Look out for specials that are currently running in the grocery store. You will be surprise at what is available, during this time, that is within your budget .

How to achieve a balance? Say you would like to serve lobster but it is a little out of your price range, then again maybe not… Instead of serving lobster as the main course, why not serve it as an appetizer? By serving it as a starter, portions are smaller and therefore less costly. For example, purchase a couple of lobster tails, roast it in the oven with wine, shallots, herbs, and butter and strew it on top of mixed greens with vinaigrette or use the meat to make risotto. So you see you can have lobster, eat it and still make an impression. It is all of a matter of careful planning and spending your money wisely.

Now that you only have a few (or two) days before Valentine’s, how are you going to come up with a simple and easy menu?  First cook ingredients that you are familiar with. This is not the time to experiment unless you know what you are doing.  Steak is always popular.  Can’t go wrong with steak.  Even a picky eaters would eat steak (unless they are vegetarians).  The cut of steak, again, is totally up to you.  I recommend, if cooking steak, to buy the best cut you can afford. This is where you splurge. Yes it is still winter outside; however, pan-seared steak on the stove is just as good.  Just make sure you do not use a nonstick skillet and crank the heat up on high! Give the steak an initial good sear to get a nice brown coloring and turn the heat down a little when you flip the steak over. A good cut of steak does not need much fuss. It just need a good seasoning of salt and pepper. You can make a sauce by rendering some red wine in the same pan the steak was seared in with some fresh herbs, a little broth, and finish it off with butter to give the sauce a smooth finish.

Instead of serving baked potato with the steak, why not serve potato gratin instead. Gratin has a rich luxurious feel that envelopes your mouth with creamy, silky richness.  Gratin also pairs  well with lamb or pork. Roasted asparagus with balsamic vinegar is another wonderful side as the slightly sweet and acidic balsamic vinegar adds freshness and helps cut the richness of the steak and potatoes.

To end the meal on a high note, do not make some low-fat, low calorie dessert. It is Valentine’s day for heaven’s sake! If you are not a baker, it is no shame to go out and purchase dessert from your favorite local bakery.  If you are talented in the baking department, let loose, make something orgasmic and close the meal with a bang!

Here’s a quick and tasty filet Mignon recipe.

Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Cabernet Sauce

4 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided

2 tablespoon olive oil

4 (5-6) ounces filet Mignon steaks

salt and pepper

2/3 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other full bodied red wine

1/2 cup beef broth

1/3 cup chopped shallots

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup chopped parsley

Method

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Season both sides of steaks with salt and generous amount of ground black pepper. Add steaks to skillet (do not crowd. Cook in batches if necessary) and cook to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plates and tent with foil.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Next add wine and bring to a boil until rendered in half (about 1 minute). Add in beef broth, thyme, rosemary, and mustard; simmer until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in parsley. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon over steaks.

Serves 4

 Chocolate Molten Cakes(recipe taken from Epicurious with my own added touch)

An old favorite that is popular in restaurants everywhere (except Fayetteville). If you never had one or had one and always wanted to know how to make it, here it is. The show stopper of this dessert is when you cut into the soft center of the cake, thick luscious warm chocolate oozes out, flowing like lava (hence molten cake). 

4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cacao)

1 tablespoon instant espresso

10 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Method

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Generously butter six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Sprinkle inside of each dish with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Stir chocolate, espresso and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs, egg yolks and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Whisk in sugar then chocolate mixture and flour. Pour batter into dishes, dividing equally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Bake cakes until sides are set but center remains soft and runny, about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes for batter that was refrigerated. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates. Serve with ice cream.

Serves 6