Happy Valentines Day!!! This year we decided to stay home and have me cook dinner for the two of us. It was wonderful, we staying in our pajamas all day, played video games together, talked, and enjoyed a great meal in our dining room. There were no lines or outrageous bills to pay for, no loud people next to us or obnoxious wait times, and no long drive home hoping to die because you stuffed your face. I adore this local store you’ve probably heard me speak about before, Surf n Turf, they sell fresh seafood and butcher fresh meat. Its my go to and I’m definitely considered a regular there. I got two Valentines day specials which ended up being 2 filet mignons and two Brazilian lobster tails. I figured I could make a beautiful romantic meal with that!! All is now said and done, I did in fact make a delicious meal and now I am writing to tell you how I did it all while enjoying a delicious glass of wine. I will tell you how I made everything tonight except the stuffed mushrooms in the picture, reason being is I did not make those, those were pre-made at Surf N Turf and I just warmed them up so I don’t want to take the credit for that. They were stuffed with crab meat though and really good. So here is what I used.
- 2 sticks unsalted butter divided
- 2 8oz filet mignon
- 2 lobster tails
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- thyme
- parsley
- tarragon
- garlic powder
- lemon zest
- 2 russet potatoes
- asparagus
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup white cheddar
Ok I am going to break everything down and tell you how to make everything from start to finish. I obviously was doing this all together so it would finish in time, but I feel like that would be kinda confusing to type up that way haha. First I will explain the steak which was probably the most delicious part of the meal. I did not cook it on the grill but instead stove and oven. We like our meat medium rare so let your meat cook a minute or two more or less depending on your taste. Have your steaks sitting on the counter for about 30 minutes before you cook them and preheat the oven to 400. First thing I did was make a compound butter. This is what will top your meat at the end. We are sauce people and tonight, besides the butter there was no A1, bbq, ketchup… nada. It was perfect as is. This is just enough for two 8 oz portions. Basically get 2 Tbsp of room temperature butter and smear it on some parchment paper.
You now just add in a little salt, pepper, thyme, tarragon, garlic powder, and a touch of lemon zest and mix it all together. Form it into like a log and put it in some plastic wrap. At this point depending on when you need it, put it in the fridge if you won’t need it for over 30 minutes or in the freezer if you’ll be using it in less than 20. This will help firm it back up and make it not melt the moment you put it on your steak at the end.
Using a cast iron skillet melt 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Season your steaks with salt, pepper and thyme.
Once the cast iron skillet is realllllllly hot, place those steaks into the pan seasoning side down. Do not touch them!!! Leave them there 2-3 minutes until they form a nice crisp crust on the outside. flip them and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Pop those bad boys into the oven. I like my steaks a beautiful medium rare so leave them in the 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. Excuse the dirty oven in the pic haha.
Once they have been cooked take them out of the oven and let them rest. Remember that while the meat is resting it is still cooking so don’t let it cook to your perfect taste in the oven take it out right before your preference as it will cook a little more as it sits.
Once the steaks have rested between 5-10 minutes they are ready to be plated. You now can take your compound butter out and place a nice chunk on top. Yum Yum
For the lobster tails. All I do is take a pot and add enough water to just cover the bottom. cover and turn on the heat. Once its get all steamy add the tails and let cook 4-5 minutes until red. Thats it! You can plate those bad boys now too!!
Next the potatoes. Peel your potatoes and cut them into chunks. Add them to a pot of salted water and boil them until they are soft when you poke them with a fork. At this point drain the potatoes and heat up your milk and 2 tbsp butter until warm. Add your potatoes back to your hot milk and butter mixture and either mash them or use a hand held mixer and whip them up!! I whip them and then add salt and pepper, and use a spatula to fold in all the seasoning.
Then I grate in about a cup of white cheddar and mix that and some parsley with a spatula. I feel like it gives your potatoes a little extra yum!! Some fresh chives taste great too! Now your potatoes are done as well!! We are almost all done!! Finally is the asparagus! So simple clean them up nice a put them in a saute pan with about 2 tbsp butter and salt and pepper.
Just cook these guys on medium until they are an even brighter green. Take them out before they start to turn limp. You still want a nice crunch when you bit into them. These are ready to plate as well!
A romantic dinner is really simple to do, and honestly it doesn’t matter whats on your plate more so the company you’re with. We had some yummy chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert and got to just enjoy time together, and in the end thats all life is about family so enjoy lol. It was a beautiful, relaxing Valentine’s Day at home. I hope that no matter what you did, where you were, or what you ate, that you enjoyed this wonderful day. Enjoy!
Hunt's Homemade 