Valentines Day Dinner Ideas
Dessert is always the easiest part of the meal to sort out for me-
Red Velvet Cake with Beet-Red Frosting &/OR
Coeur de la Créme with fresh organic raspberry Sauce.
Salad: Organic Arugula & Butter-Leaf Salad with thin sliced gold & red beets, candied Organic Ojai Walnuts,
adorned with Shaved Parmesan Cheese & fresh cracked pepper.
Soup: Red Baked Potato Soup with fresh purple onion & Sharp Cheddar Cheese on top. &/OR
Ojai Valley Inn Resort Tortilla Soup garnished with Red tortilla chips & avocado.
Main: Chicken Picatta with Capers, White Wine & Myers Lemon Sauce
If you need help with the particulars, blog me!
Coeur de la Créam
Valentines Day ‘Heart of Cream’ Coeur de la Crème
3 ounces good quality white chocolate, finely chopped or grated
8 ounces cream cheese (not low fat), room temperature
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. powdered sugar, sifted
Puree 10 ounces frozen or fresh raspberries
Zest of one lime, saving a lime twist curl for the plating
display
3 T. sugar
Cut two sheets of cheesecloth big enough to fully line your heart-shaped mold, plus a little overhang on all sides. Dampen the cheesecloth with water, wring it out, and put them together to make a double layer. Press it into the sides and bottom of the mold, leaving some hanging over the sides.
Microwave the white chocolate in a microwavable bowl in 15-second intervals on high. Stir between intervals, and heat only until smooth and just melted.
Mix the cream cheese, 1/4 c. cream, and the sugar in a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Then add the white chocolate and beat for 2 minutes, until very smooth.
In another bowl, beat the remaining 1 c. cream to stiff peaks and fold into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon into the heart-shaped mold, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, then fold the overhanging cheesecloth over it to cover the top. Place the mold unto a rimmed sheet pan or plate and chill for 4-6 hours
To make the puree, blend the thawed berries, their juice, the zest, and the sugar in a blender or food processor until smooth. Push the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds into a small bowl. Cover and chill for up to 4 hours.
Carefully peel the cheesecloth off the top of the coeur de la crème and invert it onto a plate. Peel off the rest of the cheesecloth. Smear a white dessert plate with the red raspberry sauce, place the coeur on top & add a little twist of lime for color.
enjoy!
Smoked Turkey Club Sandwich
Bread of choice (I like sourdough or rye)
Safflower mayonnaise
Ojai Jalapeño Jelly
Smoked Turkey- sliced very thin
Apple-Smoked Bacon- crispy
Provolone Cheese
Avocado
salt & pepper to taste
Coat one side of the bread with safflower mayonnaise & the other with Ojai Jalapeño Jelly & build your sandwich.
enjoy!
Fat Slathered Figs
Fat Slathered Figs…
Organic California Figs
Soaked in Ojai Jalapeño Jelly
Cover the Jelly-coated Figs in goat cheese, except the stem
Wrap each fig in prosciutto
Arrange covered figs on a decorative plate, with a hill of
Ojai Jalapeño Jelly in the middle & dive in–
enjoy!
Baby Rainbow Carrots
Baby Rainbow-Colored Organic Carrots
Clean & gently peel (or scrub), fresh baby rainbow-colored carrots- I like to leave a little of the tops on for color
Lightly steam, drain, drizzle with Ojai Jalapeño Jelly
enjoy!
Bitter Poetry
I love Tonic Water & ‘Q Tonic’ is so delicious- I met Molly from Q Tonic @ The Fancy Food Show last month.
Pairing Quality ‘Q TONIC’ with your favorite Spirits to broaden the enjoyment of a cocktail (or mocktail), makes perfect sense to me-
I am blogging this recipe in honor of the First Annual Ojai Wordfest Gathering
March 19-27 Ojai, CA.
Cocktail developed for Q Tonic by mixologist Jerri Banks
Bitter Poetry
1.5 oz Junipero Gin
1 oz Fresh Orange juice
½ oz Acacia Honey
½ Teaspoon Freshly Grated Ginger
2 Dashes Fee Bros Orange Bitters
1 oz Q Tonic
1 orange twist
Glass: Cocktail/Martini
In cocktail shaker, add all ingredients except for tonic.
Add ice, shake well and strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Top with Q Tonic.
Garnish with an orange twist.
enjoy!
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