Valentine's Day
Truffle Martinis, Radicchio Salad, Truffle Pasta, Steak Frites, French Style Hot Chocolate
Hi friends!
Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day! Today I bring to you our first installment of my digital dinner party series. ICYMI, I tore my ACL skiing a few weeks ago and am getting surgery to repair it next month. So, safe to say I won’t be hosting any dinner parties any time soon. In the meantime, I will be faking it and sharing recipes, menus, and hosting tips for dinner parties I would be hosting had I not broken my leg :) So consider yourself cordially invited!
The irony of the first installment of my solo digital dinner series party being valentine’s day is not lost on me, seeing as this is my first Vday not in a relationship nor situationship in years. Confirming I am thoroughly unbothered. Valentine’s Day is for the girls! Like a Mother’s Day junior if you will.
I enjoyed a lovely Galentines day the other night with my childhood besties. We went to our favorite impromtu dinner spot, Wu’s Wonton King. I brought a chilled bottle of white burgundy, which paired quite nicely with our feast of crab fried rice, sautéed green beans, pecking duck, sesame chicken, beef and broccoli, a pan fried noodle, and multiple rounds of Diet Coke. Followed by a nightcap at the bar next door before parting ways through snow flurries. It was a perfect New York night.
Continuing on with the theme of high low dinner combos, I bring to you my menu for a Valentine’s Day Dinner In featuring a reverse seared New York strip with a side of McDonalds french fries. It’s called working smarter not harder.
Valentines Day Dinner In
COOK BOOK EXCLUSIVE: Brown Butter Hazelnut Vinaigrette
While I’d love nothing more than to give you the full recipe for this salad, unfortunately I need to save some magic for the book. As a compromise, here is the recipe for the nutty, sweet, and tangy dressing that you need to make ASAP. Paired best with festive pink and plum shades of radicchio <3 For a similar and equally delicious pink salad, check out my recipe for Radicchio with Figs, Blue Cheese, and Balsamic on my website!
1 small shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon honey
1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
1⁄2 cup raw hazelnuts, roughlychopped
3 tablespoons apple cidervinegar
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the shallot, thyme, and honey. Set a fine-mesh sieve over the top and set aside. Melt the butter in a medium pan over medium- low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to foam, about 5 minutes. Add the hazelnuts and continue cooking and stirring until the butter browns, about 2 minutes more. Strain the brown butter through the sieve into the bowl with the shallot, thyme, and honey. Transfer the toasted hazelnuts to a plate to cool. Whisk the shallot mixture until the honey is dissolved, then whisk in the vinegar and salt.
HOT TIP
You’ll want to use this right away because the butter in the dressing will solidify as it cools. If you prep the dressing ahead of time, just reheat it in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds until the butter melts. The dressing can be stored in the fridge in a tightly covered container for up to 1 week.