Surf & Turf Dinner for Two

I’m officially a Mrs. now!!! Our wedding was better than I could have imagined and we feel so lucky.  Can’t believe that after 5 years I can finally call him my husband. 

I took off work the Wednesday – Monday of the wedding week (we are honeymooning later in June…)  so it was back to work on Tuesday.  But my coworkers made coming back so much better by throwing me a really wonderful party to celebrate the wedding!  They had a potluck with all the kinds of foods I like, decorated our conference room, gave me flowers and balloons, and best of all gave us a huge basket of food to make a romantic dinner for two. 

Food gifts are my favorite so it was absolutely the perfect present for us!  The basket they gave us was packed with every single ingredient we’d need for the meal, down to the spices.  

They even gave us caviar and a bottle of wine (I had this one before while on a work trip to Gainesville – The Prisoner is a spicy red blend from Napa and it’s delicious!)

We registered for an electric grill after seeing the same one at our hotel in Austin.  I love it because you don’t have to deal with the mess of gas or charcoal.  We picked it up the day we planned to cook our fancy meal – luckily Lance is handy because it came in a thousand pieces and had to be assembled. 

While Lance build the grill, I started to prep our food.  The recipe they gave me had a side of mashed potatoes but I baked them whole instead (since that’s what seems to come with steaks at classy restaurants…) I followed the steps from Gimme Some Oven to make the perfect baked potatoes. 

The salad for our meal had grilled watermelon, which I’d never tried before.  One of the dishes at our wedding was actually a watermelon arugula salad, so this was the perfect side to go with our first fancy meal cooked as a married couple. 

To grill the watermelon, we just cut rounds of it, rubbed one side with olive oil and sprinkled with sugar, then put that side down on the grill for about 3 minutes.  The recipe from A Whole New Twist says to give it a quarter turn (don’t flip them) part way through so you get sear marks both ways. 

The shrimp they gave us was already cooked but we drizzled some oil on them with salt & pepper and let them heat up a bit on the grill as well.  We also grilled up some bacon wrapped scallops (although we had even more scallops with our main course too! 

The salad was pretty easy.  We cut up the grilled watermelon and served it over arugula with the shrimp and some bleu cheese. The dressing for the salad was very simple too - 2 T balsamic vinegar, ¼ t Dijon mustard, ½ t raw honey, 2 T extra virgin olive oil, and ¼ t ground sea salt.  I could make a bigger version of this into a dinner sometime. 

Then we began prepping our steaks.  They got us two giant filet mignons – and I was a bit worried because I never cook steak myself and didn’t want to end up ruining them.  I usually leave it up to the pros at restaurants.  But I followed Iowa Girl Eat’s recipe and they turned out perfectly. 

I’m planning to use the spice rub from that recipe any time I make steak in the future.  It was a blend of salt, peppercorns, fennel seeds, red chili pepper flakes, dried minced garlic, and dried minced onion.  I don’t have a mortar and pestle so I put it all in the food processer and blended until the fennel seeds got chopped up a bit. 

It was actually very easy.  Just rub the steaks in olive oil, generously spread the spice rub on both sides, then sear in an extra hot cast iron skillet with 2 T melted butter until they get nice and golden.  Then, put the whole skillet in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes (this ended up being just enough to cook them rare – but obviously keep an eye on them so they don’t get overdone!)  

Once the steaks were ready, I took them out and covered them with foil while they rested.  In the meantime, put the skillet back on the stovetop and sauté some minced shallot and garlic.  The recipe said to use red wine (which of course would make it even better) but I didn’t want to waste our good one on cooking.  So I added in a cup of beef broth along with a sprig of rosemary and another tablespoon of butter.  As that simmered down, it turned into an amazing sauce to top the steak. 

Then for the scallops, pat them dry with a paper towel then season with salt & pepper.  I put these in a separate skillet with 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil until they got a nice sear. Just before they were done, I tossed them into the steak sauce to finish them up. 

This is probably the best meal I’ve made for us.  It says “dinner for two”, but it really could have been for four since it was so much food.  We actually ended up making a steak salad with homemade bleu cheese dressing for lunch the next day with all the leftovers.   

Since there were so many steps to this meal, I don’t have the time right now to break it all down, but you can visit these sites to get the full recipes: 

The Perfect Baked Potato - Gimme Some Oven

Grilled Watermelon Salad with Shrimp & Arugula - A Whole New Twist

Surf and Turf for Two - Iowa Girl Eat’s

Thanks again to my coworkers for such a sweet welcome back from the wedding week!  

Almond Joy Easter Cheesecake

I’ve been slacking on the food blogging lately – way too much else going on right now!  We are less than a month away from getting married (April 30^th!!!) and just bought a house, so it seems every spare moment of my time in consumed with wedding planning & house stuff. 

Despite all the craziness, I had to keep up my Easter tradition of baking a cheesecake.  This was my 9^th annual cake – it’s starting to get difficult to think of new flavors to try out.  Last year was Chocolate Bailey’s – and you can see recipes for all the previous years here. 

I love anything with coconut – so Almond Joys are one of my favorite candies.  (My family agrees – my parents admitted to stealing some of my Almond Joys from my Halloween baskets…)  Although if they combined Mounds and Almond Joys to make them dark chocolate with almonds, it would be even better…

I think this cheesecake was probably the best I’ve made so far.  Not only are there almonds and coconut on the garnish, but they are baked into the crust and in the filling as well!  It was pretty time consuming, but definitely worth it. 

Almond Joy Cheesecake (adapted from The Curvy Carrot)

Ingredients:

·        For the crust:

·        Coconut oil spray

·        1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (I used cinnamon-flavored)

·        1½ cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

·        ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

·        ¼ cup sugar

·        ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

·        4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

·        1 cup sugar

·        4 large eggs

·        1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

·        1 T coconut extract

·        1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

For the glaze:

·        1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

·        ¾ cup heavy cream

·        1½ t vanilla extract

·        Whole roasted almonds, toasted coconut, for garnish

Directions:

For the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Toast all your coconut and almonds for the recipe (keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn…)

2. Spray your springform pan generously with coconut oil spray.

3. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers, almonds, coconut, and sugar to a fine crumb (my food processer is tiny, so I processed the ingredients individually then added them to my Kitchenaid mixer to blend…)

4. With the machine running, slowly add the melted butter and pulse until it resembles moist sand (or do this in a mixer).

5. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the pan.

6. Bake the crust for about 12 minutes, or until set and lightly browned.

7. Remove from the oven and let cool.

8.  Readjust oven temperature to 325 degrees.

For the filling: 

9.  In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.

10.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

11. Add the coconut and coconut extract.

12.  Stop the mixer, and gently fold in the toasted almonds with a spatula until well combined.

13. Transfer the filling to the cooled crust and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (until the crust is puffy and lightly browned).

14. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the chocolate glaze: 

15. Combine the chocolate chips, cream, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth.

16.  Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

17. Pour the glaze over the cheesecake (which is still in the springform pan) and spread evenly.

18. Garnish with the whole almonds and remaining toasted coconut.

19.  Chill the cheesecake overnight or until firm and set.

20.  When ready to serve, run a knife around the perimeter of the pan to loosen the cake.  Release the pan sides and serve. Enjoy! 

Chocolate Soufflé for Two

For Valentine's Day dessert after our salmon dinner, I wanted to make something that would make just enough for the two of us.  I had a bar of Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt as a favor from my friend Liz's bridal shower.  And recently I bought these cute fox ramekins (surprisingly, they were from Walmart on sale - set of 4 for $10).  The center ends up being gooey like a molten lava cake.  Topped with raspberries, it was the perfect treat to end our meal (along with some chocolate wine!) 

Chocolate Souffle for Two (adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction) 

Ingredients:

• 3 oz dark chocolate
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 3 T brown sugar
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T egg (crack 1 egg, beat it, and use 2 T)
• 6 T all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/8 t baking soda 

Directions:

1. Spray each ramekin with nonstick spray (I use coconut oil spray).  Preheat oven to 350.  

2. Coarsely chop the chocolate.  Set one ounce aside.  Combine the other 2 ounces with the half and half in a medium heatproof bowl.  Microwave 25 seconds, then stir vigorously until melted and combined.  Reheat in 5 second increments if necessary.  Once melted and smooth, whisk in the brown sugar, then the oil, egg, and vanilla until combined.  

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Pour the wet ingredients in and fold with a rubber spatula until there are no lumps.  Pour evenly into ramekins - they should be about 3/4 the way full.  

4. Drop the remaining chocolate into the centers of the cakes, using a spoon to fully submerge.  

5. Bake 15-16 minutes, rotating at the half way mark.  The centers will stay slightly gooey.  Top with raspberries and serve immediately.  

Pan Seared Salmon with Mediterranean Salsa Fresca and Toasted Couscous

I think I've found my new favorite seafood recipe.  I made this salmon dish for Valentine's Day dinner and it was very easy and tasted incredibly fresh.  I made enough for leftovers, which were great in a salad for lunch the next day.  If you like salmon, definitely try out this recipe! 

Pan Seared Salmon with Mediterranean Salsa Fresca and Toasted Couscous (adapted from The Cozy Apron) 

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds salmon fillets, skinned 
• Olive Oil
• 1 t paprika
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• pinch of red pepper 
• 1 t grated lemon zest
• Mediterranean Salsa Fresca (recipe below)
• Toasted couscous (recipe below) 

Directions:

1. Cut the salmon into 4 equal fillets.  Place in a bowl and drizzle with 2 T olive oil.  Sprinkle paprika, garlic, onion, cumin, salt, pepper, red pepper, and lemon zest and toss to coat the fillets.  Allow to marinate at least 20 minutes, or as long as overnight. 

2. Place a large cast-iron over medium-high heat.  Drizzle 2-3 T of olive oil.  Once oil is hot, add the salmon.  Sear on one side for about 4 minutes or until deep golden-brown.  Flip and allow to sear on the other side 4 more minutes.  Remove from skillet.  

3. Serve the salmon over a bed of toasted couscous and a side of the Mediterranean Salsa Fresca.  

Mediterranean Salsa Fresca 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 1/3 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 3 T kalamata olives, diced
• 1 t fresh dill, chopped
• 1 t chopped parsley
• 1/2 t lemon juice
• Salt
• Black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and chill until ready to serve.

Toasted Couscous

Ingredients:

• 1 cup couscous
• 1-1/4 cup water
• salt
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 t Italian seasonings 

Directions:

1. Place a medium non-stock sauce pan over medium heat.  Add couscous and stir frequently while toasted.  Pour out of the pan and set aside.  

2. In the same pan, add water, a few pinches salt, olive oil, and garlic.  Stir to combine.  Bring water to a vigorous simmer, pour in the couscous, and stir.  Turn off the heat and cover with a lid.  Allow couscous to soften 5-7 minutes and fluff with a fork.  

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients:

• 1 whole head garlic
• 1 T olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• Italian seasonings

Directions:

1.  Cut about 1/4 inch off the garlic so the inside is exposed.  Let soak in olive oil and spices while the oven preheats to 350.  

2. Put the garlic cut-side down in the oven in a muffin tin (you can roast several at once if you'd like).  The garlic turns sweet after being roasted and makes the perfect spread for toasted bread.