Valentine's Dinner for TWO (plus, like, a week's worth of leftovers)

It's a good idea to stretch your cooking muscles once in a while . . .


So I decided that this Valentine's Day, I'd like to forgo the fancy restaurant thing and go for something a bit more genuine and relaxed for my husband and me. We are, after all, parents of two children, living on a modest budget out in the country with limited babysitting access. And, frankly, sometimes going out feels like more work than fun, what with all of the fuss about trying to look nice for the first time in a few months or however long it's been.


Anyway, back in November, my husband and I enjoyed our fanciest, French-est dinner to date when he took me out for my birthday to Fort Worth's wonderfully anomalous Saint-Emilion. I don't remember half of what I ate, or at least what anything was called, but I do remember my husband going on about the soupe á l'oignon and how I just had to learn how to make it. And most importantly, I remember the pleasure of enjoying a well thought-out, elegant meal.


This is what I decided to give my husband (and, all right, fine, myself) for Valentine's Day (in addition to a French press, which I'm sure is something he never knew he always wanted and Season 4 of "Kids in the Hall")--a well thought-out, elegant meal. So, beginning a few weeks ago, I perused the Internet in search of the perfect Romantic homemade meal.


And this is what I came up with:

If I'm going to go all out, I'm going all out . . .
printed-up menu, and all.

salad: Arugula and Radiccio Salad with Vanilla Roasted Pears and Candied Walnuts from diningdetour.com

The candied walnuts were the best part!

soup: Henri's French Onion Soup from thecurvycarrot.com

This French onion soup recipe gets the stamp of
approval from my husband. He said it tasted as
good or better than the Saint-Emilion soup he
enjoyed on my birthday.

main dish: Crispy Rack of Lamb with Honey and Mascarpone from Giada de Laurentiis at foodnetwork.com

My first time cooking lamb came off without a
hitch. These were so tender and juicy, and they
tasted wonderfully with the sweet crème fraiche
and mascarpone sauce. They were also,
incidentally, the easiest part of the meal to cook!

side dish: Roasted Spring Vegetables with Arugula Pesto from delish.com

The surprise hit of the night . . . I've already
sung the praises of roasted veggies (see first
blog post), but the pesto added a succulent
quality to an already wonderful base. I'll be
using the arugula pesto again, maybe on
grilled chicken.

dessert: Chocolate Coupe with Cocoa Nib Mousse from delish.com

A perfect ending to a perfect meal. It's a good
thing these aren't easier to make because I'm
pretty sure I'd eat this everyday if I could.

And dang, if I didn't outdo myself. We definitely busted out the fine china for this one. I began cooking two days before, including making my own crème fraiche for the rack of lamb's sauce,

homemade crème fraiche (sour cream) . . .
so, so, so easy to do!

and continued to cook up until dinnertime Tuesday night. We got the kids in bed by 8 (my daughter had a hot dog without a bun for dinner with a cheese stick and some strawberries, but I am NOT going to feel guilty about that), and then my husband and I enjoyed each other's company as we enjoyed some really wonderful food and wine and the thought of knowing that we didn't have to make reservations or put on fancy clothes to enjoy a luxurious, gourmet-style meal.

It was just the two of us, a roaring wood-burning fireplace, a table full of delicious food, two glasses of wine, and good conversation.

And isn't that what love is all about?

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