Food Columnist Devin Hardy offers up a tasty Valentine’s Day dinner for two.
It’s Valentine’s Day next Thursday, and you haven’t made a reservation! Don’t panic, keep it old school and prepare that special someone a fun, tasty meal. This meal is all about comfort. Time to get started on this taste adventure!
Let’s start off with something a little cheesy, an artichoke melt. This will dissolve any lingering tensions and melt away those reservations you have about tackling this challenge of cooking from scratch.
Appetizer: Artichoke Melt
Sourdough or white break, thickly sliced
Artichoke hearts
Mayo (substitute Greek yogurt or sour cream)
Mozzarella
Salt/pepper/(to taste)
Combine mayo and hearts in a bowl, and spread the mixture over the bread. Top with a layer of mozzarella, bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Option: for presentation points, serve it over a sprinkle of parsley flakes.
Now, it’s time to get into the meat of this story, quite literally. We’ll dive into the main course—a bourbon (or substitute*) marinated steak that has a smokey flavor to it, but is also slightly sweet.
Main Course: Marinated Steak
Caramelize the onions, and then add the chili and garlic. Then after letting them sauté, add coke. Then place your meat in it and let it sit for 5 hours. Take those out and sear in a pan. You can also boil the rest of the marinade for a reduction/the onions absorb the liquid making it a bit more flavorful. When the center of the steak gets to about 160 degrees in the middle, take them out and then you can finish it in the oven.
Dessert: Chocolate Caramel Corn
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 cups popcorn
CHOCOLATE
Melt butter over medium heat. Add in sugar and corn syrup, whisking until mixture begins to bubble. Turn off heat and whisk in vanilla, salt and baking soda. Fold in popcorn. This is the point in time when I melt the chocolates and drizzle over Carmel corn.
Well, adventurer, you’ve reached the end of this story. Bottom line: Food on Valentine’s Day is about comfort. Because when you have comfort food, you feel as ease with that special someone.
