Menu Section
These menus are intended for the home cook, instructions are provided with each dish. Please note the recipes are not exact, improvisation is encouraged. These recipes also assume that the reader has salt, pepper, flour sugar, butter, olive oil, etc. Please enjoy!
Valentine's Menu for Two
February 14, 2008
Ingredients
Six Large Dayboat or "Diver" Scallops, Two Navel Oranges, One Large Shallot, Dijon Mustard, Red Wine Vinegar, One Large Russet Potato, Fifteen or Twenty Oil-Cured Black Olives such as Moroccan, One Ripe Lemon, Two Skin-On Chicken Breasts with Wing Bone attached, Rustic Country Bread, Mixed Greens (Preferably Organic), Slivered Almonds, Capers, Whole Garlic Clove, Bittersweet Chocolate, Top Quality Raspberry Sorbet, Cocoa Powder, Heavy Cream
First Course
Seared Dayboat Scallops, Beurre D'Orange, Toasted Almond-Caper Topping
Second Course
Simple Mixed Green Salad, French Vinaigrette, Garlic Crouton
Third Course
Crispy Chicken Breasts, Lemon Confit, Moroccan Olives, Roasted Potatoes
Fourth Course
Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles, Raspberry Sorbet
Prep
First, make lemon confit, this is nothing but sliced lemons cooked and cooled in simple syrup, which believe it or not is equal parts sugar and water, very simple. Thinly slice the lemon and add about a cup of sugar and a cup of water bring this to a boil in a small saucepan. Once it boils set aside to cool.
Ok, so this is the only part you actually have to measure, take 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces and put it into a glass bowl with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. In a small saucepan heat 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, slowly, do not walk away, it will boil over! Once it does come to a boil arm yourself with a spatula and pour the cream into the chocolate/butter mixture. Start moving it immediately the idea is to melt all the chocolate before the cream loses all its heat. You should have a smooth and very firm mass once the chocolate is smooth. When cool enough to scoop either use two spoons or even better a melon baller and put the balls into cocoa powder and roll them around. (Alternatively you could roll in nuts or dried fruit or coconut) Refrigerate these once they are all rolled.
Once last item of prep, rinse the scallops very well and then dry them on paper towels equally thoroughly.
Cooking
Ok, so this is the only part you actually have to measure, take 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces and put it into a glass bowl with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. In a small saucepan heat 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, slowly, do not walk away, it will boil over! Once it does come to a boil arm yourself with a spatula and pour the cream into the chocolate/butter mixture. Start moving it immediately the idea is to melt all the chocolate before the cream loses all its heat. You should have a smooth and very firm mass once the chocolate is smooth. When cool enough to scoop either use two spoons or even better a melon baller and put the balls into cocoa powder and roll them around. (Alternatively you could roll in nuts or dried fruit or coconut) Refrigerate these once they are all rolled.
Once last item of prep, rinse the scallops very well and then dry them on paper towels equally thoroughly.
Start by reducing (boiling) the juice from the two oranges until more than half the volume of liquid has evaporated at the same time heat a medium saute pan till smoking hot. Reduce the heat to very low on the juice and medium-low on the saute pan. Salt and pepper both sides of the scallops and add them to the saute pan, round side down, think of them as little hamburgers cook them only on the two sides until just firm, overcooked scallops are terrible. Total cooking time should not exceed three minutes for most scallops. Plate the scallops once cooked onto plates and add the capers and almonds to the now empty saute pan off the flame. Just let them warm up. Whisk one half stick of butter into the reduced orange juice on medium hear, take note, the butter must be cut into very small pieces or it will not form a smooth sauce, but oily orange juice. Once all the butter is mixed, spoon the sauce over and around the scallops and finish with the capers and almonds on top of that, serve immediately.
To make the salads, cut the bread into slices not unlike Italian Bruschetta. Toast these in a hot oven until lightly toasted, drizzle with olive oil, cut the clove of garlic in half and rub the cut side on the bread, toast again until golden. In a large bowl put 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, two teaspoons of Dijon mustard and half a chopped shallot, mix well and then slowly add four tablespoons of olive oil while whisking. Toss in the lettuce and mix until well covered serve with garlic croutons hot from the oven. This salad can be improved with the addition of chopped parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil or goat's cheese or glazed whole shallots or roasted beets, or all of these together would be delicious.
To make the salads, cut the bread into slices not unlike Italian Bruschetta. Toast these in a hot oven until lightly toasted, drizzle with olive oil, cut the clove of garlic in half and rub the cut side on the bread, toast again until golden. In a large bowl put 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, two teaspoons of Dijon mustard and half a chopped shallot, mix well and then slowly add four tablespoons of olive oil while whisking. Toss in the lettuce and mix until well covered serve with garlic croutons hot from the oven. This salad can be improved with the addition of chopped parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil or goat's cheese or glazed whole shallots or roasted beets, or all of these together would be delicious.
Finally, for the chicken, heat a large saute pan until smoking with just a bit of vegetable oil, salt and pepper the chicken breasts, peel and cut the russet potato into 1/2 inch dice and add both to the pan, make sure the chicken skin is fully in contact with the pan and no potatoes are directly underneath them. Put the pan in a 400 degree oven for twenty to thirty minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts, start checking them after fifteen minutes, you shouldn't but it is ok to make a small incision in the breasts to check doneness, better that than raw or dry chicken or insert an instant read thermometer, it should read 155 degrees in the middle of the breast. Once this has happened, remove the breasts to rest a moment, add the olives and the lemon confit, without the simple syrup of course and toss all the ingredients together, correct the seasoning if required, adding a little chopped parsley at this stage would be a good idea if you have it, finally plate this mixture and then put the chicken on top, pour any pan juices over this and serve.
Now for dessert simply serve the sorbet in a bowl and the truffles around or on top as liked. Enjoy!