Valentine’s Day only happens once a year so you need to pull out all the stops to show that special someone in your life how much they mean to you. Lucky for us, Katherine and Randy of Katherine Wants have curated the perfect Valentine’s Day menu with recipes from their debut cookbook, Katherine Wants, Randy Cooks: The Ultimate Date Night Cookbook. Let’s just say, with this line up, it’ll be a Valentine’s Day to remember.
Oyster Shooter
Yield: 6 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
When it comes to dating, you have to give it your best shot from the get-go. This shooter will do just that! It’s fun, builds excitement, and is ultimately a great way to start off your Valentine’s Day.
- 6 oysters, freshly shucked (oyster liquor reserved)
- 3 medium ice cubes
- 3 ounces tomato juice
- ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon white miso paste
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco for more
heat or Frank’s for a milder flavor - 4 ounces vodka.
For Garnish:
6 quail egg yolks (optional)
1 tablespoon finely diced cucumber
1 tablespoon seeded and finely diced jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoons smoked salmon caviar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill.
Special equipment:
2-ounce shot glasses
- Place one shucked oyster and its liquor in each shot glass.
- Put the ice, tomato juice, lemon juice, miso paste, hot sauce, and vodka in a cocktail shaker. Shake aggressively. Pour the strained mixture over the oysters, then add one quail egg yolk, if using, to each shot glass.
- Evenly garnish the shots with the cucumber, jalapeño, caviar, and dill.
LOVE TAP: These shots are a bit of a pain to build, so make them up to 2 hours before your date arrives. Just slide a toothpick down the side of the glass to make sure some liquid gets beneath the oyster. This will ensure you get the slide you’re looking for when you throw the shot back. For these shooters, you’ll need 2-ounce shot glasses (aka double shot glasses). Standard shot glasses have a capacity of about 1½ ounces, which just isn’t large enough to impress your date.
Also note that you’ll be eating raw eggs here. If you’re not comfortable with that, just leave them out. But they really do add a special touch!
Boeuf Bourguignon
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
This particularly delicious version is layered with flavor, using smoked lardons, carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions, and French Burgundy wine, which gives the stew its name. Think of this classic dish as a therapist, because it’ll help you and your Valentine fall in love.
2 cups bacon lardons, preferably double smoked
1 (4-pound) boneless picanha steak (aka sirloin or rump cap or coulotte), cut into 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 carrot, finely diced
4 shallots, finely diced
12 cloves garlic, peeled
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves, dried or fresh
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (750-ml) bottle red Burgundy wine or other dry red wine of choice, preferably pinot noir
4 cups beef stock
2 cups pearl onions, peeled
2 cups small cremini mushrooms, cleaned
12 baby carrots
Mashed potatoes, for serving
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon lardons until the fat is rendered and the lardons are crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Season the steak with the salt and pepper and sear in the bacon fat, still over medium heat, until it has a nice crust and a golden brown color, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and drop in the butter, carrot, shallots, and garlic cloves; cook until they start to color, about 5 minutes. Add the herbs, tomato paste, and flour and gently toast over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Next, deglaze the pot with the entire bottle of wine.
- Return the picanha and bacon to the pot, increase the heat to medium-high, and simmer vigorously until the wine is reduced by half. Pour in the stock and cover the pot. Lower the heat and gently simmer for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the beef is fork-tender.
- About 10 minutes before the meat is done, add the onions, mushrooms, and carrots and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the carrots are tender but still firm. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Plate with mashed potatoes, top with chopped parsley, and serve.
LOVE TAP: Use a nice bottle of red wine for this recipe to maximize the flavor. Plus, if you buy an extra bottle, it pairs perfectly with the dish once it’s ready to enjoy. To make it easier to peel the pearl onions, blanch them in water for 10 seconds and then shock them in ice water for 1 minute.
Raspberry Cream Cheese Cobbler
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Prep time: 8 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
This is what you would call a cook’s dessert because all you do is assemble it and fire it in the oven. Great results with minimal effort so you can spend more time enjoying time with your partner on Valentine’s Day.
Batter:
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup 2% milk
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
12 ounces raspberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces (¾ cup) cream cheese, cut into ½- to 1-inch chunks.
For Serving/Garnish:
Vanilla ice cream (see page 228)
Flaky sea salt.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Pour the melted butter into an 8-inch oven-safe frying pan and tilt to evenly coat the bottom and sides.
- Make the batter: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- In another bowl, toss the raspberries in the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, giving them a shake to evenly coat.
- Gently layer the berries over the batter and top with the cream cheese chunks.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let cool slightly, then serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of flaky salt.
LOVE TAP: This cobbler does best baked at a high temp. You need that wet batter to cook through, and you want a nice caramelized top on it. If you don’t have an 8-inch oven-safe frying pan, you can use an 8-inch cake pan instead.
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