February to me is not all about chocolate covered strawberries and Godiva, although I am a sucker for both, but it's about the yin and yang in everything I cook. I think when you make a dessert for example and include a dab of cayenne pepper or sea salt, you add the unexpected and that’s sexy cooking, my friends. The element of surprise and unpredictability works in the bedroom and it definitely works in the kitchen. So for this month’s event we tried to create a sweet and savory menu inspired by Saint Valentine.
Valentine’s Canapé Menu
First Course
Rugged mature English Cheddar, sun-dried tomato wrapped in Hungarian Salami with Cornishons and pickled pearl onions, drizzled with harissa extra virgin olive oil
Of course you've tried many antipastos but have you ever added Harissa to you olives or sun dried tomatoes etc...? That’s what makes our antipasto exciting and people always say, "what was that? it's spicy but I can't stop eating it"... We've decided to start with this canapé purposely to open our guests appetite. So many flavors compacted in one dish... impossible to disappoint!!!
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Second Course
Spicy “jewel” sweet potato coconut Soup served with homemade cornbread croutons and candied bacon
We actually made this soup the other day simply because we wanted to make sure that we still liked it before adding it to our menu...and to our surprise, we really loved it!!!The first thing you'll taste is the roasted jewel potatoes and the sweet coconut milk but then you get a second surprise, a hint of ginger and cayenne pepper. Simple sometime can be sexy so don't over think your soups this valentine. A few ingredients can do the trick.
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Third Course
Baby Portobello mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese, garnished with caramelized shallots and truffle oil mist
Portobello mushrooms in general are tender and meaty, but baby ones are special because they also double as a canapé cup. We’ve stuffed them with every cheese and condiment you can imagine but since this menu is all about sweet and savory, we've decided to add homemade pesto goat cheese for the savory part. For the sweet part you can't beat caramelized shallots...and just in case you get lost in the pesto goat cheese, we'll drizzle a few drops of truffle oil to bring your taste buds back to the main ingredient.
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Fourth Course
Blinis with homemade smoked salmon with horseradish crème fresh topped with flying fish caviar
High quality Smoked salmon is like a lead vocalist in a singing group. You have to let it shine and never push him to the back of the stage. We added few ingredients to enhance the smoky flavor of the salmon, like horseradish crème fresh. To serve, we've prepared blini instead of the usual crackers or toast, and to intensify the ocean flavor we garnished it with flying fish caviar.
Fifth Course
Brazed organic chicken with sweet Hawaiian onions and raisins
I truly don’t understand when people say they don't like onions. They add so much flavor to the food and they're so versatile. In this recipe we slow cook the chicken for hours in stock, garlic, onions, cilantro and spices like powered curry, ginger, paprika, cinnamon and when it's ready to be served we add the sweet caramelized onions and raisins. We chose this dish as an introduction to our next menu which will be a Modern Moroccan menu.
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Sixth Course
Spanish grilled tiger shrimp served on a bed of Saffron basmati rice
Seafood is a staple here in Baja, so we always try to include a fish course in all of our menus. We chose grilled shrimp and saffron rice for the 6th course because it is a light and aromatic dish. We marinate the shrimp in salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, cilantro, garlic and lemon juice for 24 hours.
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Seventh Course
Chocolate Soufflé with Grand Marnier and homemade Vanilla ice cream.
La Pièce de résistance couldn't be anything other than a chocolate Soufflé. We didn't want to mess with this recipe so we stayed true to a traditional French dessert but added a little Grand Marnier for a nice twist.
We love making menus with at least 6 courses because we believe it does not matter how delicious the dish maybe you'll get tired of it after the 6th or the 7th bite, but with a 7 course menu ,we are forced to make the biggest impact in a few bites so before you get used to the flavor you're off to the next dish...Happy sweet and savory valentines.
