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The Wine and Roses of Valentine’s Day
There are two ways to go to impress your loved one. Either reserve at the finest establishment, have every superlative taste sensation presented to you, or: take a cooking class and impress the Hell out of your significant other, by doing it all yourself.
But it’s got to be good, because part of the day’s romance is going to take place around the dinner table!
The Dorchester’s Chef Chandler, together with the ambience of the hotel dinning room’s flowers, candles and champagne, make the Valentine Va-Voom theme help start, re-kindle, or reinforce the moment that started the spark.
Whet your appetite with poached oysters Neptune, that’s with crabmeat, asparagus and herbed hollandaise; or perhaps, chilled prawns with tomato coulis, and marinated vegetable relish.
You can expectantly await the arrival of the entrée casting the inevitable requisite number of deep meaningful looks, long pauses, and giddy smiles.
The arrival of roasted whole poussin, basted with truffle oil, and a rosemary and foie gras stuffing, or; roast rack of lamb with hazelnut, fresh mint, Dijon mustard crust would be enough to put any other thoughts on hold.
However, desserts always heat up expectations especially the likes of the passion plate for two: a dark chocolate Elysium mousse together with a rose petal white chocolate mousse. Add to that the chocolate damnation torte, fallen warm chocolate soufflé, chocolate amaretto pate, and truffles served with Bing cherry compote. ‘Petite mort’! You are left gasping, in need of a cigarette!
If you want to try this at home…. Here’s a cooking demonstration I gave for the Romeos who had a Juliet in their lives. At first I thought the idea a bit sexist, but as I worked on a simpler menu, that a non-professional might handle, I thought that Juliet was going to be a lucky girl.
Start by declaring your ardent love with:
Subtle beginnings….Prawn and papaya salad with cilantro and lime vinaigrette.
Courtly entrée: Broiled loin of pork medallions with a glaze of garlic, orange, ginger. Grilled tomatoes with herbs, zucchini and carrot batons, roast potatoes Vichy.
Final Seduction…… dessert-lemon sabayon over iced strawberries and Curacao.
Not bad for a culinary declaration of love…any man who can pull this off is a keeper.
Oh yes, be sure you clean your room, and fluff the pillows before she gets there… the champagne goes without saying………and turn off the cell phone.