Valentine's Day Recipes
Winter Tomato Soup
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1½ cups chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 4 ounces red cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Garnish:
- 1 tablespoon olive or peanut oil
- 8 to 12 red or yellow cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons crème fraîche, slightly thinned with milk to a pouring consistency
- freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and salt and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth. Pour the mixture into a blender, add the cherry tomatoes and blend until smooth. Return the soup to a clean saucepan and add the remaining 3 cups of broth. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Garnish: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat in a small skillet. Add the red or yellow cherry tomatoes and sear for about 1 minute, shaking the pan frequently. Place 2 or 3 seared tomatoes in the center of four wide soup bowls and pour the soup in around them. Top each with a drizzle of crème fraîche and a few grindings of black pepper. Makes 4 servings.
If using a Vitamix: Prepare the recipe as directed up to the point of adding the chicken broth. Pour the onion and tomato paste mixture into the Vitamix. Add the chicken broth and cherry tomatoes. Set on the "hot soups" setting and push the "on" button. The hot soup will be ready to garnish and serve.
Recipe by Jayni Carey, ©Copyright, Jan., 2011.
Roasted Lobster Tails with Saffron Butter
- 2 6 to 8-ounces lobster tails
Saffron Butter:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1/16 teaspoon (pinch) ground saffron, or saffron threads, crushed
To prepare the lobster tails: Insert the tips of kitchen shears between the meat and the shell. Cut through the shell down the center of the back, leaving the tail fan intact. Open the shell and using your fingers, loosen the meat from the shell. Carefully lift the meat leaving it attached at the tail end. Close the shell, resting the meat on top of the shell.
Saffron Butter: Melt the butter in a small bowl. Immediately stir in the saffron.
Arrange the lobster tails in a shallow baking dish and fill the dish with ½-inch of water. Baste the lobster with the saffron butter (and again after 10 minutes of cooking). Bake in a 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes (depending on size of tails), until the lobster meat is opaque and tender. Serves 2.
Wine recommendation by Tom Hodge:
2008 Puligny-Montrachet, Olivier Leflaive
2009 Verget Chablis
Recipe by Jayni Carey, ©Copyright, Jan., 2011.
Lemon Rice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, warmed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir frequently until opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the warmed chicken broth, lemon zest and salt. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook the rice for 15 minutes, or until the broth is absorbed. Let the rice stand, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice, stir and serve. Serves 4.
Recipe by Jayni Carey, ©Copyright, Jan., 2011.
Sautéed Zucchini and Red Pepper
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 small yellow summer squash
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and cut each half into ½-inch pieces. Cut the yellow squash into ¼-inch rounds. Stem and seed the pepper and cut in half. Slice the pepper into thin strips.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet or sauté pan. Add the vegetables and sauté until tender-crisp. Add the minced garlic during the last minute of cooking. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Serves 4.
Recipe by Jayni Carey, ©Copyright, Jan., 2011.
Champagne Cupcakes
Cupcake batter:
- 2/3 cup butter
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup Strawberry Andre Champagne (room temperature)
- 6 egg whites
Frosting:
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- red food color
- 5 to 6 teaspoons strawberry Andre Champagne (room temperature)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two cupcake tins with liners. (Recipe makes 18 to 20 cupcakes.)
Cupcake batter: In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Blend the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with the Champagne. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the beaten whites into the cupcake batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full.
Bake the cupcakes in a 350 degrees oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. After 5 minutes, remove the cupcakes from the tins and cool completely before frosting.
Frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. On low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. After each cup is combined, speed up the mixer and beat on high for about 10 seconds. Return to low speed for the next addition of powdered sugar. Repeat until all sugar is added. Add the vanilla extract and a few drops of red food color to achieve a soft pink color. Add the Champagne slowly to taste and texture (you might not need it all).
Pipe or spread the frosting on the cupcakes. Recipe makes 18 to 20 cupcakes.
Recipe prepared by Brenna Hawley.
Cupcake recipe adapted by Brenna Hawley. Champagne Cupcakes with Sweet Champagne Buttercream Frosting is from "gimme some oven!" Website: http://gimmesomeoven.com/champagne-cupcakes-with-sweet-champagne-buttercream-frosting/