Four Courses for a Romantic Evening

by Matt DeMarco

The missus and I like to avoid the madness that surrounds Valentine’s Day weekend and since I am the chef in the house, I have to provide a restaurant quality meal every year. This year I am sharing the menu I am preparing for V-Day and the beers that I will be pairing with each course. All of the courses are easy to prepare and the beers are readily available. Of course it doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day for you to set aside some time with your partner so keep these recipes in mind for Feb.14 or your next romantic evening.

First Course: Baby Green Salad topped with Candied Pecans and Apple Cider and Honey Vinaigrette paired with Ithaca Apricot Wheat

I provided the recipes for the candied pecans and apple cider and honey vinaigrette but the rest is up to you. I recommend delicate greens such as baby greens, strawberries, and a goat cheese like feta. A wheat beer pairs well with salads on the delicate side especially Ithaca Apricot Wheat because it provides a nice fruit flavor without being too sweet since the salad is sweet enough. You can also pair it with an acidic beer such as a Lambic or Berliner weisse. The vinaigrette will help tone down the acidity in the beer.

Candied pecans

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup raw pecans

Directions

In a nonstick pan over medium heat, add the butter and sugar. Once butter has melted toss in the pecans and continue to toss to coat and cook evenly, about 1 minute. Transfer to a sheet tray lined with waxed paper and separate. Allow pecans to cool before topping salad.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients

3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Whisk together vinegar, water, honey, salt and pepper. Add olive oil and whisk until combined. Left over dressing can be kept in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week.

Second Course: Spinach & Cheese Lasagna Roll Ups paired with Sixpoint Sweet Action

I recommend that this dish be assembled a day ahead of time and baked right before serving. I also suggest serving one piece as part of a four course meal so there will be leftovers. I pair Sixpoint Sweet Action with these rollups because it is a very mild beer. It is very difficult to pair beer with lasagna because you do not what to clash with the tomato sauce and it is almost impossible to match the flavor with beer. The trick is to use a mild beer with just the right amount of hops to amplify the tomato and cheese. Sweet Action will wet your whistle since it is a mash up of a cream ale, wheat ale, and pale ale. The crisp refreshing qualities of the beer will cut through the creaminess of the cheese without clashing with the sauce (or gravy depending where you are from).

Spinach & Cheese Lasagna Roll Ups
Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp chopped fresh or dry basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 lasagna noodles
1 - 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
15oz ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 Tbsp chopped fresh or dry parsley
2 ½ cups mozzarella, shredded
1 2/3 cups finely shredded Romano or parmesan cheese

Directions

For the marinara sauce: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from burner, cover with lid and set aside.

For the pasta: Prepare pasta according to directions listed on package, then drain and once noodles are cool enough to handle, align on parchment or wax paper, side by side.

For the filling: While pasta is boiling, drain frozen spinach and press out some of the excess moisture. In a mixing bowl stir together, spinach, ricotta, egg, parsley and add with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella and all of the Romano or parmesan cheese.

To assemble: Spread 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture evenly along the length of each of the noodles. Roll noodles. Pour about 1 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place lasagna roll ups in baking dish, seam side down. Cover tops with remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated 375° oven 20 - 28 minutes, until cooked through.

Third Course: Steak with Stout Pan Sauce and Bacon Wrapped Asparagus paired with Deschutes Obsidian Stout

Normally I would make Filet Mignon on V-Day, but once you try this pan sauce, you will understand why a strip steak is better. The bacon wrapped asparagus is just a way to get more bacon into your diet. The asparagus turns soft and absorbs some of the bacon flavor and the bacon gets nice and crispy. Obsidian Stout is one of the best stouts money can buy. It has nice bitter malts and chocolate and coffee notes that make the pan sauce the stare of the dish. Stouts pair excellently with steaks because the both have bold  flavors.

Steak with Stout Pan Sauce
Adapted from Bon Appétit

Ingredients

5 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 12-ounce New York strip steaks
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup stout
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions

Spread 1 teaspoon mustard over steaks and sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook meat for about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a plate, tent with foil, and wipe out skillet.

Mash butter and flour in small bowl and set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 15 to 20 seconds. Add broth and bring to boil. Whisk in stout, brown sugar, soy sauce, 3 teaspoons mustard, and butter mixture. Boil until reduced to 2/3 cup, 2 to 3 minutes.

Thinly slice steaks and divide among plates. Drizzle sauce over and serve.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus
1 package of thick cut bacon

Directions

Trim the woody stems off of the asparagus then wash and dry.  Slice bacon strips in half, longwise. Wrap the bacon around the asparagus and place on a baking sheet of pan with high sides to capture the grease. Add the pan to the center rack of the oven and turn the oven on to 400°. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Serve immediately.

Fourth Course: Chocolate Soufflé paired with Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Chocolate soufflé is a dessert that almost has disappeared due to being replaced by chocolate lava cake. Chocolate lava cake is no replacement for soufflé. This recipe technically serves four people but there is no shame in finishing it between the two of you. The only way to make a warm, chocolaty desert on a cold Valentine’s Day better is to pair it with a rich and boozy Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Unibroue Trois Pistoles is the perfect beer to end your V-Day meal. It is a rich, slightly sweet and spicy beer that goes perfect with a dish filled with flourless chocolaty goodness.

Chocolate Soufflé
Recipe adapted from Savuer.com

Ingredients

3 tbsp. milk
5½ tbsp. sugar (additional for dusting soufflé dish)
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
Confectioners' sugar (for dusting top)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Place milk and 4 tbsp. sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Stir in chocolate and cook until melted. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl (glass or stainless steel), cool for 5 minutes, then beat in egg yolks. Beat egg whites in a nonreactive bowl until foamy, then sprinkle in remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Butter a small soufflé dish (2½" deep, 6'' diameter; soufflé will not rise in a larger dish), then lightly dust with sugar. Slowly mix the egg whites into chocolate mixture one-third at a time. Be careful not to overmix. Spoon batter into dish. The soufflé with rise about 2 inches above the dish so leave enough room in the oven. Bake until puffed, about 25 minutes. Do not open the oven door until the soufflé is done. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately. Soufflé will begin to deflate after about 2 minutes.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! CHEERS!