Valentine dinner for two

What is Valentine’s Day to you? Red roses, boxes of chocolate, diamonds, cards from your sweetie and kisses from your children? Is it dinner at a restaurant, a bottle of wine and a romantic dinner?

Helen Keller can be quoted: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." What a wonderful quote to start the memory making of another Valentine’s Day.

Can you think back to the first Valentine's Day of your memory?

Mine is of a cereal box I covered with pink and red paper, plastered with cut-out hearts with my name on the bottom, hung up in my classroom and waiting for the day when everyone would fill it with cards. Also I remember struggling to write each name neatly from the list my teacher sent home, so no one would be forgotten. It is also helping mom bake and decorate cookies and cupcakes to bring to school for the big anticipated valentine party. As I grew older, my memories are of homemade cards, jewelry and dinner out with my high school boyfriend as we stumbled into the world of dating.

Those are all memories from my heart.

There are many choices that you can make that will make that one you love feel special and cared for. Now I’m the Yuma Foodie, so we are not going to talk anymore about diamonds, red roses, cards or kisses, but how you can make a valentine memory with food.

Food stirs up emotions in us. Those emotions create memories. Think back to a wedding or dinner party you recently attended. Do you remember what the bride wore (no fair if you are in the midst of planning a wedding), what the flowers were or the table decorations? Probably not.

But you do remember the food.

If your palate was pleased, the memories of that night will stay with you longer than if the food was a disaster. When asked in the case of disaster, you would probably say “I don’t remember what we ate, but it wasn’t good." But if the food was prepared and presented well, you will be able to describe in detail portions of the meal and many more emotions that were created that night.

I would like to share with you an easy lobster recipe that you can prepare for Valentine's Day or anytime you want to make a memory. The first time I was asked to prepare lobster as a chef I went into a panic. You see I don’t really like lobster at all. I have found when you don’t care for a food, it usually is not cooked at home. Now I had been asked to prepare lobster not for just one or two people, but for six on Valentine’s Day.

I knew this lobster cooking could not be that hard; all my chef friends assured me it was easy and quick to prepare. I began my quest for recipes for lobster. A fellow chef friend of mine, Chef Lance, sent me a recipe that I decided would work well. The sauce alone looked so wonderfully tasty that I figured anything dipped in it would taste grand, even my not-so-loved lobster.

The night of the dinner party I phoned Lance for one more refresher course on the cooking, as chefs are notorious for writing recipes with very little instructions “because we know what we did.” And I was ready. The lobster was fantastic. The dipping sauce was over the top and the lava cakes were a hit. And the amazing part of it all was it was almost too easy.

If you feel like staying home on Valentine’s Day, spending around $10 a lobster and enjoying each other's company in the privacy of your home, take a crack at the following recipes. You won’t be sorry.

I also would recommend Quechan Casino Resort's Ironwood Steakhouse, where they have a valentine’s dinner-for-two menu complete with wine pairing. And the best part of that deal is waiter Mario guarantees he will be around and serenade your table with his beautiful opera voice. Another wise choice would be the valentine special at the Radisson Market Bistro. Chef Anthony gave me a sneak peek at his menu for the 14th and it looks to be mighty tasty, too.

No matter what you plan to do, if you have that someone special, take the time and the energy to create a memory to hold in your heart for the year to come.

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Lobster Tails with Champagne Vanilla Sauce

This recipe is for 4 lobsters, but you can cook as few or as many as you wish. Also I will include instructions to cook the lobster in the oven, but you can also cook it on the grill the same way. Or for real ease, pop in a pot of boiling water with 3 tablespoons of Old Bay Seasoning.

Champagne sauce
One four-inch vanilla bean
One sprig fresh thyme
One tablespoon shallots - minced
One cup Brut champagne
1/2 cup unsalted butter - cold
Kosher salt - to taste
Fresh ground black pepper - to taste
Four 8-oz. lobster tails
1/2 cup unsalted butter - softened
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. minced chives
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

To make the sauce: Cut the vanilla bean in half and split lengthwise. Place in small saucepan with thyme, shallots and champagne. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup. The reduction should be clear and a golden color.

Remove from heat and strain the reduction through a fine sieve.

Reserve the vanilla bean. Rinse the saucepan and return reduction to pan. Using a sharp paring knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the reduction.

Bring the reduction back to a simmer and whisk in the cold butter 1tablespoon at a time, until glistening and smooth. Adjust seasonings as needed with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm for serving.

Lobster Tail

I like to take a pair of kitchen shears and cut down the back of the defrosted lobster shell toward the tail. I then slide my fingers between the shell and the meat and gently pull the lobster meat out of the shell, but leaving it connected at the bottom of the tail. This makes for a very nice-looking lobster when it is cooked.   

In a small bowl, mash the butter with the lemon juice, chives and salt using the back of a fork. Spread the butter over the lobster meat and between the shell and the lobster meat. Place on a sheet pan and cook in a preheated 450-degree oven. I loosely place tin foil over the tails for the first 10 minutes and finish the last 3-5 with the foil off. You want the meat to be opaque throughout. Cooking time truly depends on the size of the lobster.

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Molten Chocolate Cake
5 oz.  bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter  (or 1-1/4 sticks )
3 large eggs
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Vanilla ice cream (optional but good)
Fresh or frozen berries

Chop the chocolate into small pieces so it will melt easily.

Butter 4 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups, set aside. Stir the chocolate pieces and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat until they are melted. Set aside and cool slightly. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl then whisk in the sugar a little at a time until well blended; add the chocolate mixture, then the flour, blend well. Pour into the prepared dishes, dividing equally. (At this point the dishes can be refrigerated until you are ready to bake them).

Place the dishes on a cookie sheet and bake about 11-12 minutes OR about 14 minutes if they were refrigerated.

Run a knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen them, place a dessert plate over the top and invert the cake onto the plate. Put a scoop of ice cream (if using) and drizzle with the chocolate sauce. I also decorate with a mixture of seasonal berries like blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries.

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Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

You can use any chocolate that you prefer - white, chocolate chips, bittersweet - or whatever you have in your pantry. Place about 3/4 of a cup of chocolate in a glass bowl and melt over warm water on the stove. Be sure your water does not touch the bowl or you will get the chocolate too hard and it will harden before you use it. You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave if you have a chocolate melt key on the control board.

While chocolate is melting, take your strawberries and gently roll them in a damp kitchen towel. This will take the dirt and loose seeds off of the strawberries without getting them wet. Holding onto the leaves of the berry, dip into the chocolate. While the chocolate is still warm and moist you can dip them into coconut, valentine sprinkles, sugar or nuts. Let your imagination run wild.

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Karla Billdt works as a personal chef and owns Karla's Kreations. She can be reached at Chefkarlakay@gmail.com.