Creating a Delectable Valentine’s Day Menu
Feb
09

Creating a Delectable Valentine’s Day Menu

It can be quite a treat to take your partner out to one of Ottawa’s best restaurants for Valentine’s Day dinner, but nothing quite makes an impression like cooking up a romantic meal from scratch in your Theberge condo, townhome, or terrace homes. What better way to make use of your stunning, fully equipped modern kitchen than to cook a meal to remember? Let’s explore two great Valentine’s Day menu ideas to suit different tastes and palates:

Menu #1: Vegetarian Delight

Starter

Start with a Roasted Carrot Soup. Simply roast a pound of carrots, small onion, and quartered endive (all tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper) for 30 minutes. Transfer to a saucepan and simmer for 30 mins with a bay leaf. Puree the vegetables (minus the bay leaf). Return to saucepan on low heat, add in 1/3 cup milk or heavy cream, salt and pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of grated ginger. Serve!

Main

Make homemade pasta (or use wonton wrappers) and add finely chopped mushrooms, ricotta, and goat cheese to form Goat Cheese and Mushroom Ravioli. Boil 5-7 minutes in salted water, the drain. Drizzle with parsley sauce – a combination of chopped parsley, grated Parmesan, olive oil, a dash of water, and salt and pepper.

Side

Homemade Rosemary and Parmesan Focaccia Bread. Use a pizza dough ingredient but include lots of oregano, onion powder, and basil. Make a flat dough and season generously with rosemary and Parmesan. Bake at 425°F for 13-15 minutes.

Dessert

Mayan Chocolate Chili Molten Lava Cakes will add some “spice” to your night. Just follow any chocolate lava cake but add two teaspoons of chilli powder, two teaspoons of cinnamon, and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Menu #2: Meat Lover’s Delight

Starter

Make an easy but decadent Prosciutto-Wrapped Pear appetizer. It’s simple as can be – simply slice a pear and wrap each slice in a thin piece of prosciutto. Season with pepper and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Main

Switch things up on Valentine’s Day with a Spice-Crusted Rack of Lamb. Coat the rack in ¼ cup of toasted yellow mustard seeds and two teaspoons fennel seeds. Sear the rack 1-2 minutes per side on high heat, then transfer to oven until it registers 135 degrees on a meat thermometer (usually 18-24 minutes). Let stand ten minutes, then drizzle with mint/parsley herb oil.

Side

Green Beans with Mustard Vinaigrette are a delightful mix of textures with an acidic overtone to balance the lamb. Boil the green beans for 1-2 minutes in salted water. Make a vinaigrette with chopped shallot, 1.5 teaspoons of red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and 1.5 teaspoons of EVOO. Whisk into vinaigrette and drizzle over green beans.

Dessert

Make Strawberries & Cream Cupcakes. Use any cupcake recipe of your choice, but stir in fresh blended strawberries to your icing recipe. So fresh and airy!

Theberge Homes has been providing expert advice to Ottawa homeowners for many years. Ask us about our townhomes and terrace homes at Huntclub Towns and Alta Vista Ridge!

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