California Farm Valentines Dinner
Once a year for Valentines Celebration, our best local restaurant makes a special dinner and invites a local wine maker to bring the wines. $350 per couple. They published their menu, I made their dishes at home from scratch and invited friends.
This year, the wines are pinot grigio, chardonnay, merlot, and pinot noir. The courses this year are shrimp filled avocados, scallops, halibut, duck, filet mignon and T-bone steak. The side dishes are bacon, blueberries, portobello mushrooms, asparagus, fingerling potatoes, miniature onions, red cabbage, sauces, the dessert is chocolate with mandarin oranges.
You can buy these dishes ready made instead of making them from scratch like I do, it will save you time, but I list them anyway if you want to be frugal like me. I always publish my cost per dish in my recipes and use local farm ingredients when available.
California Farm Valentines Dinner
Once a year for Valentines Celebration, our best local restaurant makes a special dinner and invites a local wine maker to bring the wines. $350 per couple. They published their menu, I made their dishes at home from scratch and invited friends.
This year, the wines are pinot grigio, chardonnay, merlot, and pinot noir. The courses this year are shrimp filled avocados, scallops, halibut, duck, filet mignon and T-bone steak. The side dishes are bacon, blueberries, portobello mushrooms, asparagus, fingerling potatoes, miniature onions, red cabbage, sauces, the dessert is chocolate with mandarin oranges.
You can buy these dishes ready made instead of making them from scratch like I do, it will save you time, but I list them anyway if you want to be frugal like me. I always publish my cost per dish in my recipes and use local farm ingredients when available.
Cooking Instructions
- 1
Scallops: melt the bacon in cast iron skillet, place scallops on top of tea smoked bacon, rub top with lemongrass infused oil, a sprinkle of black pepper on top, sautee till golden but no more than 3 minutes. Put on warmed serving plate. 10 minutes total.
- 2
Use the bacon fat from broiling to sautee the slivered portobello mushroom. Add to plate with scallops, add slice of Meyer lemon. 5 minutes total.
- 3
Make the avocado appetizer: cut ripe avocado in half, remove the pit with a spoon and plant in a pot, fill with mayo, rinse frozen cooked newport shrimp till soft, remove tails, mix with chopped shallot, drops of habanero pepper sauce on top, top off the avocado, drizzle fresh Meyer lemon juice over. Ten minutes total.
- 4
Soak frozen halibut overnight in 2% salted icewater to firm up, dry. Rub with sesame oil. Sprinkle with zest of lemon and flaked seasalt. Crisp in cast iron skillet. Set aside on warm plate and crisp blue berries in the same cast iron pan drippings. Serve together. Ten minutes total.
- 5
Grill the asparagus: wash spears, soak overnight, break off bottoms for soup, rub stalks with olive oil, broil 3 minutes. While grilling, make hollandaise sauce. Whip egg yolk, water, mustard, salt, pepper, till well mixed. Heat butter in glass measuring cup in microwave till piping hot and bubbling (123 seconds). While whipping, drizzle butter in. Scoop sauce into still warm glass measuring cup, add lemon juice, taste. Drizzle over asparagus. Ten minutes total.
- 6
Bake the premade frozen mock duck breasts, or make fresh the night before. Preheat oven to 325F degrees, bake mock duck breast rolls till crisp and fresh, about 8 minutes. Serve with warm purple Ube sauce and asparagus. Ten minutes total.
- 7
Pan sear the filet mignon and deboned T-bone steaks, Heat cast iron skillet, always put oil in first, add butter, it prevents burning the butter, add pepper and salt, sear meat on all four long sides, 3 minutes per side. Slice as thin as possible on cutting board, sprinkle with truffle zest, rest on warm platter to let flavors integrate. Boil red cabbage, fingerling potatoes and boiler onions 15 minutes in salted water with vinegar, add to meat on plate. 15 minutes total.
- 8
For dark chocolate: keep mix under 85F degrees at all times. Melt 220 grams cacao butter, one cup, in glass bowl in microwave, cool down with 1/4 cup honey till 85F. Whisk in vanilla, seasalt and 220 grams cacao powder till smooth. Add 2 cups of 85F degree warmed coconut cream, whip together, pour in aluminum foil form, sprinkle with cacao powder. Add sliced mandarin oranges, serve with whipped cream. Five minutes total.
- 9
Wines. Serve small quantities in large wine glasses for each course: 2 Tbs each white wines with shrimp, scallops, and halibut. Serve 2 Tbs red wines with duck, filet mignon, T-bone steak.
Linked Recipes
California Farm Griddled Seared Asparagus
California Farm Hand Made Chocolate
California Farm Cointreau Liqueur
650. California Farm Tea Smoked Bacon
California Farm Oyster Mushroom Steak Dinner
California Farm Surf and Turf Grilled Skewers
California Farm Fresh Made Mayonnaise
California Farm Avocado Shrimp Salad
California Farm Single Portion Hollandaise Sauce
California Farm Seitan Mock Duck in Plum Sauce
California Farm Bottle Aged Habanero Pepper Sauce
California Farm Grilled T-Bone Steak
California Farm Affordable FiletMignon for 2
California Farm Annual Lemongrass Citronella Harvest
California Farm Panfried Halibut with Asparagus
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