Valentine’s Day Prep

Mr. Cook Local is back again, and he’s ready to talk to those of you who don’t consider yourselves cooks.

Valentine’s Day is coming up and, really, who wants to go out to the restaurants? Prices are jacked up (well, some do), places are busy and none of that really impresses your significant other.

I talked to the Mrs. and we thought a series of recipes that you could use to put a fantastic, beautiful dinner on the table, that would (hopefully) impress that wonderful other.

Much of this meal will be prepared the day before. Hopefully, everything you’re going to be cooking with will be something you have already.

So, lets start with the menu:

Short ribs braised in Porter Ale with Maple-Rosemary Glaze (or Macaroni and Cheese)

Honey Roasted Beets

Sesame Brussels  Sprout Saute

Cheese and Garlic Cornbread

Bread Pudding with Grand Marnier Sauce

To make these dishes, we’re going to need a couple different items to cook with:

• 10-12 inch cast iron skillet (for the bread pudding)
• 4-6 inch cast iron skillet (for the cornbread)
• Large skillet (for the Brussels sprouts)
• Pyrex dish (or a cookie sheet) (for the roasted beets)
• Dutch oven/braising pot (or any oven safe covered stew pot type) (for the shortribs)
• Two small sauce pots

My goal, over the next few days, will be to walk you through these recipes, giving you tips for how you can really impress, but not stress yourself out doing it. Believe you me, I’m not the cook in this couple, and I’m going to take this as easy as possible.

Now, the ingredients are a little messy right now. I’m going to throw them below here, but, I’m not sure we can call this finalized. I’m going to do the best I can to keep the list below be final, but, some of the recipes may need some last minute tweaking.

I highly, highly recommend trying to hit either the U-District Farmer’s Market tomorrow, or the West Seattle or Ballard Farmer’s Market on Sunday to pick up items such as the short ribs, onions, beets and apples.

4lb bone-in shortribs2 large yellow onions1 carrotbottle of porter3/4 cup of beef stock3 tablespoons of maple syrup1 tablespoon horseradish3 or 4 rosemary sprigs
or
Macraroni box2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons rice flour1 3/4 cups whole milk8 oz sharp cheddar4 oz gouda1 tsp cumin1 onion3/4 cup panko breadcrumbsCouple handfuls of mushrooms3/4 cup gorgonzola
———–
ground yellow cornmeal 1 cupflour 1 cupbaking powder 1.5tspbaking soda 1/2 tspgranulated sugar 2 tblsalt 1/2 tspchili power 1/2 tsp2 lg eggssour cream 1/2 cuphalf/half 1 cupbutter 1 stickfrozen corn kernels 2/3 cupGouda (golden glen, older the better)garlic 4 clovessmall cast iron pan
————
25 brussels sprouts4 garlic cloves1 tbl mirin1 tbl sesame oil1/4 cup sesame seeds
————
3.5 lb beets1/3 cup honey2 tbl butter1 tsp thyme2 tbl balsamic vinegar
———–
butter (2 stick)lg baguette1/2 cup raisins/dried cranberries2/3 cup chopped hazelnuts2 cups diced apples4 eggs2 cups whole milk1 cup half/half2 cup sugar1 tbl vanilla extract1/2 cup grand marnier1/8 tsp cinnamon1/8 tsp nutmeg1/8 tsp allspice

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Tagged as: Valentine's Day